To think this will do nothing to help absence rates

[Imonthebloodyphone]

So a report published today says that school summer holidays in England should be cut to four weeks. (I know Wales has been consulting on this for a while but don't know if anything has been decided)

The report recommends longer half-term breaks in the autumn and spring terms in a proposed overhaul of the academic calendar. Article here:
www.theguardian.com/education/2024/feb/26/school-summer-holidays-half-term-england-calendar-nuffield-foundation-report

AIBU to think this is only going to exacerbate school absence? Because what struggling families really need is even more pressure on the already expensive 6 week summer holiday period when they can take their kids away!

Who on earth wants extra weeks in November and February, especially families who can't afford to go abroad. The last two weeks have been so bloody wet and miserable here in the UK; I can't imagine if a February holiday was my best hope of a break.

i do think that the autumn term is long and could do with a longer holiday, but February, really?

Yes, DD only had study leave for the last week of her GCSEs. Apparently it affects outcomes negatively when they start study leave before the exams.

THIS with bells on.

I tell you what this will be good for … net zero.

Holiday prices hiked up in the 4 weeks, combined with parents battling to get time off will keep the population in the country.

And all you sneaky lot jetting off during Feb… well those prices will be hiked up too.

Say goodbye to days out, family holidays and trips abroad.

Say hello to sitting in the house in an oodie, in front of a PS5.

Ehhh, I think people will just go abroad out of term instead tbh.

Say hello to sitting in the house in an oodie, in front of a PS5.

Unless you have your kids in a private school where you’ll still have your 7 weeks off in the summer, plus all the usual other holidays and you can pick and choose if you want to take term time holidays without any worries of getting fines. This won’t affect any of the people making the decisions, just the rest of us.

@Vod

Well that defeats the point.

Im guessing holiday companies will have to put up prices all year round to make up for the summer short fall.

Defeats the point of changing the school year? I agree. I don't see prices going up all year round though, they'll only go as high as the market can bear. It may be that, say, June gets dearer than it is now, as demand for that month increases due to switching from some who currently go in school holidays.

@Redlocks30

And the irony is that summer holiday prices will go down for those using private school if they go before the commoner schools break up!

And the other irony is that we are literally voting for this 😂 Look at all the people in Wales who’ve gone ‘yes please!’

It’s bizarre! I wonder what the evidence base is that makes some people think a change in holiday dates is the priority for schools at the moment?

Of all the things that are wrong in schools, this is pretty low down the list.

We are a foundation school so can choose our holidays. Our Local Authority has in recent years opted for a ten day half term in October - not sure why, although I know it is quite a long term.

Our head has always been against this - saying, totally sensibly - that those October days are valuable learning days for years 11 and 13, and it's a bad time to have extra holiday. Instead we always go for a one week half term and break up for summer a few days before the other local schools.

I can't imagine that many parents are looking for long holidays away in October - and we have had no complaints from parents with younger siblings in the local primary schools. I expect a few have sent their kids back late but it doesn't seem to have been a major issue.

A shorter summer seems crazy - the issue of expensive peak time holidays will always be a problem, but many people can't afford to go away, and at least a chance of decent weather must be a good thing......

We live in a wet, grey and cold country for the most part of the year. Why on earth would anyone want time off in Autumn and Winter? I work term time and absolutely dread the February half term. The government could do something about the clocks though, keep us on BST all year round enabling kids and adults to enjoy more leisure pursuits in the evening with some actual bloody daylight.

It's a classic case of being seen to do something. Anything will do. Same with the proposed bans on mobile phones in schools. Costs nothing.

Yes, I guess so.

It will certainly cost parents though-an extra week’s heating costs in February plus another week of trying to find indoor activities to keep the kids amused out of the rain!

I can’t help but feel that quality of life in the UK just keeps getting poorer and it seems we are happily voting for it.

I’m in Wales and have signed the petition to withdraw plans for changing the school holiday, but as someone said before, apparently it’s a done deal regardless of the outcome of the “consultation”.

And as said, never dealing with the actual issues affecting schools. A real shame.

I was reading on Twitter earlier about the royal Welsh show being at risk from this change-that’s such a shame if it does go ahead and things like this are massively affected.

https://rwas.wales/protect-the-royal-welsh-show/

Our school already does this for one of the half terms then 5 weeks summer, I find it so much better! If they proposed adding on another 2 week halfterm break and dropping summer by a week I would be in favour of it.

We have found the summer holidays so much more manageable to cover and having the longer half term holiday has given us a lot of flexibility for holidays abroad at far lower prices

@Redlocks30 I know. We’ll just work all year or go to school (if we’re a child), have no long breaks to enjoy nice things, until we’re allowed to retire in our 70’s.

I know I sound really miserable, but that’s how I feel at the moment. It’s totally depressing. The Royal Welsh Show is just the tip of the iceberg as well.

having the longer half term holiday has given us a lot of flexibility for holidays abroad at far lower prices

Do people really think that if the whole of the country change their term dates to the same fixed weeks, holidays abroad will be cheaper?!

But those low prices will be a thing of the past when everyone is doing it. They will become extortionate prices.

There’s no point taking 2 weeks off the summer holiday only to add it in elsewhere.

I think we should rethink the whole school system so it works for modern life, if you were designing it now you wouldn’t choose what we currently have.

Our borough has already moved to a 2 week October half term and most people seem to support it.

I'd be happy with the 6 weeks being a bit shorter but would want the extra time at Easter or Christmas- definitely not February!

Many areas already have a 2 week October half term by putting all of their Insets together or lengthening the school day by eg 5/10 minutes a day, rather than by shortening the summer holidays.

I’ve been a teacher since 1988 and still do it a bit as supply. I’ve never noticed a ‘summer slide’ and May can’t be messed with because of exams. I’m extremely surprised a teacher, even in primary wouldn’t know that - and even more that they would ‘welcome’ a shorter summer. I think it’ll drive even more out of the profession.

Apparently the summer slide is a bit overstated:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/schools-out-should-you-worry-about-the-summer-slide/#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20school%2Dage,year%20over%20the%20summer%20break.

I like the idea. 7 weeks is far too long and the weather is crap here in late August anyway.

I'd rather have it spaced out. 2 weeks in May would be great.