To think 4 weeks summer is ok

[comeonlabour]

So as the title suggests, if the plans do go ahead to make summer hols 4 weeks I for one am not against it. I always think 6 weeks is way too long so 4 is more manageable

Also we will have longer half terms of 2 weeks in some cases instead of 1 so all good

Anyone else feel the same/agree with me

My daughter 8 weeks at her private school but a longer day 8.35 - 5.15.

The UK already gets shorter summer holidays than most countries Why are UK children different and 6 weeks is so terrible? Is it the same reason that only UK students need the experience of sweltering in a blazer in the middle of summer in order to learn?

What is the motivation for such change? Where I live the summer break is 8-9 weeks, so 4 sounds like hardly leaving the school at all.

I am curious about all those half-terms weeks/two weeks off. Is it meant as a break, or I children expected to spend the holidays studying and doing homework?

I’ve been a teacher for years and years, and this is at least the third time a rejig of the school year has been seriously thought about. Possibly the fourth.
I like the idea of a 4/5 week holiday in the summer, and longer half terms.
One plan was to have 5 shorter terms, another was 6 week chunks divided by breaks of varying lengths…
It’ll be interesting to see if this new, shiny bandwagon goes anywhere. The wheels fell off the last few.

To rejig the school year would require enormous planning for exam season and results periods, unless we have a different school year for primary and secondary. It seems primary parents want shorter holidays but as a secondary teacher, our academic year is guided by exams - including us required to come in for results days.

No, 4 weeks is not long enough. Yes, it’s tough when the kids have to go to clubs and playschemes but it’s over soon enough as they reach secondary. Although, there could be more options for yrs 7 and 8 provided.

Is this going to Jean going back in August - there were a couple of primary years here when it fell that they went back before it was even September and we all agreed this was the pits. It’s summer still, for goodness sake.

I think it would be a good idea.

The main change I'd like to see would be for school holiday dates to be completely different in Wales/Scotland/England. Help spread the holiday price-madness out a bit. So 4 weeks off - June for Wales, July for Scotland, August for England for example.

Depends

Do you want the change because you genuinely think it will be better for children?

Or is it because you don't want the logistics of childcare for 6 weeks/resent 'lazy' teachers having so much holiday?

No, horrible idea.

My ds works hard and he's tired by the end of term. He spends the first week sleeping and bumbling about, then we go away for two weeks, then he goes with his dad for a week, then has three weeks at home cycling, meeting up with mates, being outside.

He's rested and ready to go back in September.

There are enough years of working 47 weeks a year. Let them enjoy their childhood while they can.

Nope. Six weeks gives times for people to go away on holiday and have a proper break from education. Is have been gutted when I was at school to be gaining an extra week in the bag weather and losing it at Summer. Then suddenly as an adult it's inconvenient for you and it would be better if the kids had less holiday

4 weeks would be much better, but I'd add a week on to Christmas

I think all the parents trying to have a summer holiday during 4 weeks would be worse than during 6 weeks.

The weather just isnt as nice for holidays and days out from oct to march.
Although the may half term is nice andcl easter can be ok

OP what are the plans?

@Aroundthewaygirl what country was that in when you got 3 months off??????

I think that 3 months is fairly normal around the world, we are very much the outliers

It’s a relaxing break for the teachers though; and without it most of them would quit.

This was raised when I had my first born. 29 years ago.

I wish people would stop speaking for me. As "working parents" we do not have a problem with the long school holidays. Our children benefit from them, as do we. And guess what? We knew that we'd need to arrange childcare when we chose to have children! The amount of people that seemingly didn't is fucking astounding.

Leave the holidays alone!!

Scotland already does have completely different holidays. We finish in June and go back mid August. I think NI is similar.

Teacher here. Child free. Feel like 4 weeks would be ok.if we and pupils did not have to spend some of that time recuperating. That would only happen if workload was significantly reduced, i.e. smaller classes, discipline was dealt with effectively and there was adequate provision for all. Pipe dream I know

The 6 weeks really does not make up for the exhaustion throughout the year. It is ,I suppose,the one time I feel I really manage to chill completely.

My kids are in secondary school and at Christmas they were off for three days short of a month! Since going back on the 8th Jan my son has only done 1 full week on school. Strikes and inset days🙈🙈 They will finish school mid June and not return to September. It is way too long, I would be happy with the English six weeks in Summer but not the Northern Ireland 10/11 weeks.

NI is end of June to v end August/start September, depending on dates. It 8 full weeks.
We live in Newcastle and have often flown from Edinburgh or Glasgow when the Scottish schools go back for cheaper flights

@allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld when i was a kid in Ireland it was almost 3 months, and I think it’s still close.

And I’m in the US now and my kids got about 11 weeks. However no mid term break between return in autumn and Christmas, and one week off between January and school finish 1st week in June.

They did have a few long weekends here and there.

I knew they finished around the same time as us but wasn’t sure when they went back; thanks for clarifying.

We often do the reverse - fly from a North of England airport at the start of our holidays to save money!