School holiday dates

[ackarackaru]

My DC school has just announced they’re doing away with our second week in June to align with the rest of the trust schools.

looking at the school holidays, we now have:

2 weeks in october
3.5 weeks at Christmas
1 week in February

so 6.5 weeks during the most miserable, cold, wet time of year

then the rest align with everyone else I expect, Easter, may then summer holidays.

why can’t the government change it so we have longer when the weather is better? One week in October is fine for me, 1 - 1.5 at Christmas, not bothered by February but if the kids need a break then 1 week is fine.

but why can’t we have the other 4 in the summer?! June onwards off would be lovely!

is it just me? Can we start a petition?

im grumpy because i just looked at a week in Mallorca for the May half term next year and its 4.5k (self catering) but the week after (that we used to have) - all inclusive! is 2k. So no holiday for us and lots of weeks stuck inside whilst it lashes down and blows a gale all through winter… yay.

Where do you live?

You are getting way more in winter than mist areas who have 1 week in October, 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week in Feb.
This isn't a government thing.

3.5 weeks at Christmas sounds like a nightmare. I've never heard of such a long Christmas break.
What on earth is the rationale behind that?

That’s your opinion though, lots of people don’t like a long summer holiday, and the autumn term tends to be the longest so that’s why lots have a two week break then. 3 and a half at Christmas seems very high though we get two weeks at Christmas which is plenty

Three and a half weeks at Christmas? Where is this

we have two weeks at whit too which has been amazing but sadly for primary schools only so we’ve nearly grown out of that

much prefer it to two weeks in October that said some winter sun is to be found that time of year too

Many parents complain about the length of the summer holiday. There are loads of threads every year.

There is no point in a petition or complaining to the government. You could contact the CEO of the Academy Trust?

I want two weeks in October. 2 weeks at Christmas. One week in feb. One week in May and 5 in the summer.
problem is everyone wants different do some will always be unhappy. But three weeks at Christmas is insane.

Where are you? This isn’t a UK government thing, at dds school they get 1 week October, 2 weeks Christmas, 1 week February, 1 week May, 6 weeks summer holidays.

But if you get 2 weeks October you could go away then?

That's actually a really good idea. Also, most schools only get a week, so there will be bargains.

Yes, that's standard.

why can’t the government change it so

You are part of an academy-they set their own holidays.

Where are you though-I have never heard of a uk state school having 3.5 weeks at Christmas?

The trouble is you can't keep everyone happy! I can see the attraction of an extra week off in June though.

This plus two weeks at Easter is the norm near me, so you seem to be getting lots of holidays.

But winter is a great time to go away, and given the length of the holidays you have you can go further afield at Christmas and October?

Some schools here (London Borough) have 2 weeks in October but I've never heard of 2 weeks in the summer half term. I can understand why you'd be disappointed to be honest but I don't think your holiday needs will alter the decision.

2 weeks in June would require shifting of GCSEs, which may or may not be a good idea.

Not sure it is the government’s role tbh. School holiday dates vary from one LA to another, even varying by school/trust. No guarantee of better weather in June or August.

Yes I forgot Easter, which we’re currently on!

They’ve probably done it to try and break up the longest terms. The terms would be too long if you only had 3 weeks off between September and Easter. You’d have done 2/3 of the teaching with only 3 weeks off if you only had a week at October, Christmas and February. The kids wouldn’t cope and the point of school is education not childcare. But I agree, 3.5 weeks at Christmas is too much. 2 weeks in October is great though (we have 2 weeks here and 5 in summer). More time off in June wouldn’t work because of GCSE and A level exams. They would have to be pushed back and then marking would be an issue. There’s not enough examiners for some subjects so the time is needed for marking and moderation. It would have to be a nationwide change, not just school by school.

Hm yes good point re: GCSEs.

I assumed it was government led, my mistake.

the problem with October is you have to go further afield for decent weather and for me the benefit of more holidays in the summer is you don’t necessarily even have to go abroad. You could holiday in the U.K. which is cheaper, better for our economy etc.

and its not just about going on holiday. It’s child entertainment. The summer is so much nicer - park visits, farm visits, beach visits, hell just go in the garden. Winter? Sit infront of a screen, or trash the house with painting, crafting and baking.

I don’t think that your school holiday dates are anything to do with the government.

My DC’s schools go by our LA’s suggested holiday dates, which are 2 weeks for Christmas, 2 weeks for Easter, 6 weeks in the summer plus 3 x 1 week half-term breaks in between the longer holidays.

Your school is choosing to have different holidays from the norm for whatever reason. But if you’ve got longer holidays in the autumn / winter breaks then you might be able to get some cheaper holidays out of it?

This is why the term dates won't change anytime soon-people may not be 100% happy with the layout at the moment, but there's no general consensus about how people would like it to change!

I'm pretty happy with how they are-though I would lose a week in the summer for an extra one in June, but know that won't work due to the exams. Losing a week in the summer when the weather is usually at its best, to gain one at February/
October or Christmas would be awful!

I'm confused. If they are allocated 6.5 weeks in the winter months how is the other 6.5 weeks spread over the rest of the year? 2 weeks for Easter, 1 wk for Whitsun, and 3.5 weeks in the summer?

Where in the UK are you?

I'm glad i'm not the only one who is confused. @ackarackaru Are you sure it's 3.5 weeks at Christmas?