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Original poster

School holiday dates

111 replies

ackarackaru · 14/04/2025 08:57

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.

OP posts:
BreatheAndFocus · 14/04/2025 13:57

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

The Autumn term is hellish in schools. There are a huge amount of bugs, darkness and ill and tired children and staff. I work in a school and from Sept to Jan I had Covid, strep, two colds and Influenza A. The children had worse as they also had chickenpox, scarlet fever and god knows what else. Everyone, young and old, was struggling. That’s why we need preferably two weeks for Oct Half Term and ideally 3 wks at Xmas to recover and rest.

AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti · 14/04/2025 13:57

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 14/04/2025 13:37

London seems to get:
2 weeks October half-term
2 weeks Xmas
1 week in Feb
2 weeks Easter
1 week summer half term
6 weeks summer.

Relative in rural Devon have the same except 1 week October half-term and 2 weeks in the summer.

Suspect that is due to harvests historically.

That’s a week too many though. Unless one of those weeks is actually 5 INSET days.

Welshmonster · 14/04/2025 13:57

What kind of school as if secondary then they would have GCSE and A Level exams after the usual May half term.

schools can set their own term dates but the downside of being part of a MAT is they like everything to be the same. How dare one headteacher have autonomy over their school! Many academies you now have to have everything the same. So PowerPoints are the same across 25 schools etc. it’s ridiculous.

you could just book the holiday and pay the fine. It would be cheaper than the half term price but I would book it soon and claim ignorance of the letter. You might not have opened it 😉

but the following years the fines go up so be careful.

arcticpandas · 14/04/2025 13:58

My friend who's in France got 2 w october, 2 w december, 2 w february, 2 w april, lots of random days off in May, 7 w summer. Maybe move over there :).

Pleasegodgotosleep · 14/04/2025 13:59

I'm in Scotland, we get -

2 weeks Christmas
3 days Feb
2 weeks Easter
1 day May (BH weekend)
7 .5 weeks summer (end June to mid Aug)
2 weeks Oct
2 days end Nov

That includes in-service days.

haveacat · 14/04/2025 14:00

1 week in October
2 weeks at Christmas
1 week in Feb
1 week for Easter
Bank holidays in May
July and August off

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 14/04/2025 14:02

AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti · 14/04/2025 13:57

That’s a week too many though. Unless one of those weeks is actually 5 INSET days.

Show quote history

Summer break works out as 5 weeks plus INSET days at start and end, plus staggered start at beginning of new year - so 6 weeks in total give or take a day depending on year group.

Justploddingonandon · 14/04/2025 14:08

When DD's school moved to a two week October half term I wasn't a fan, but actually it's not that hard to find something to fill the time (some free, some not), although we're the sort of people happy to put a coat on and run around the park etc so long as it's not actually raining. Also the Autumn term was still 14 weeks long and everyone was struggling by the end.

Flossflower · 14/04/2025 14:09

All this time off in winter really looks terrible.
Are the schools doing this to save money on heating during the winter?

Thisismetooaswell · 14/04/2025 14:14

Overthebow · 14/04/2025 09:10

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

It’s much better to have a 2 week may half term than October - you don’t have to go far in may to get good weather

whitenoisewave · 14/04/2025 14:14

I want 8 weeks summer and the rest can be 1 week each.

Soontobesingles · 14/04/2025 14:15

ackarackaru · 14/04/2025 09:20

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.

Malta is beautiful in October: far too hot in the summer months but still 20s-ish in October and far quieter too.

ExpressCheckout · 14/04/2025 14:16

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

Please no 😭Single folks like me rely on you guys not being on holiday until July, we won't get a 'look in' with holidays if you bring school holidays earlier!

But - more seriously - I do agree that the whole system is a complete mess, and I do wonder if out education systems (nationally) could be more radical and introduce more flexible systems of learning across the whole calendar year, just like most other service industries. It just needs a bit of lateral and creative thinking. No doubt unions would resist this but the current September-July academic year belongs in the past, and doesn't serve anyone particularly well.

FleaBeeBob · 14/04/2025 14:17

DDs school has 1 week October, less than 2 but more than 1 at Xmas, 1 week Feb, 234 weeks for Easter and blink and you’ll miss it weeks in the Summer

RustyBear · 14/04/2025 14:22

If it really is 3.5 weeks at Christmas it may be because they want to shut during the cold weather to reduce heating bills.

Zonder · 14/04/2025 14:23

Is this a private school? I've never known a state school have 3.5 weeks at Christmas.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 14/04/2025 14:26

For everyone who feels as you do, there’ll be someone else who says “oh god I hate getting the kids up for school when it’s cold and dark, give them their time off in winter. Plus there are so many bugs going around, best let them stay at home and give their immune systems a break”.

So they probably can’t please everyone.

It does sound like a lot of time off in total though!

Unitedthebest · 14/04/2025 14:27

Book the holiday in May OP and just pay the fine….im a teacher btw (fining system is shocking)

sansou · 14/04/2025 14:28

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.

Flights are more expensive because May HT is literally 5 wks away but looking on Skyscanner, you can get return flights to Palma for approx £300pp. Searching on Airbnb for 2 bed places - there are still lots of choice for under £1.2K for the week so that's still under £2.5K for flights & accommodation and there are cheaper accommodation to choose from.

I would pick a cheaper flight under £100pp like Northern Spain so under £400 for a family of 4 compared to £1.2K for flights to Palma. Eveb Malaga is just over £100pp.

Where are you looking that it costs £4.5K? DIY your own - it'll save you at least £2K! Booking budget flights is easy as is booking SC accommodation on AirBNB or booking.com.

BoredZelda · 14/04/2025 14:29

ackarackaru · 14/04/2025 09:20

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.

With lashings of ginger beer?

The long summer holidays are a nightmare. Our LA took a week off them and added it to October holiday. It’s much more manageable as trying to keep kids entertained for nearly 8 weeks, whilst working full time was awful.

BernardButlersBra · 14/04/2025 14:31

3.5 weeks at Christmas?! That alone would drive me insane.

Newbie887 · 14/04/2025 14:31

2 weeks in October is odd. The private schools around us get two weeks for each half term (feb, may, Oct) but all the states only get one week. That being said, if you want a cost effective way of going on a long-haul sun-seeking holiday then that two weeks in oct would be the way to do it.

my kids are at a state primary, which is also a free school. So they get to choose their own holidays, within reason (I think). They have one week each half term, 3.5 weeks at Christmas, 7.5 weeks for the summer, and we are currently in the middle of their 3.5 Easter break. It’s a lot of holidays to work around…the summer one is lovely if you’re able to work remotely or something, but too long for any regular working parents with normal holiday allowance.

AliasGrape · 14/04/2025 14:32

Northwest and we get

1 week in Feb
2 weeks Easter (and sensibly we have the week either side of actual Easter this time)
2 weeks summer half term - (I love this as we can usually bag a cheaper week away in the second week, we usually opt for Dorset but trying another part of the UK this year)
5 weeks summer
1 week October

MsNevermore · 14/04/2025 14:46

I’d love our school holidays to be spread across the year!

We live temporarily in the US for DH’s work, and our kids’ school year starts in August. They then get a week at Thanksgiving (late November), a week at Christmas and then nothing but the odd national holiday (Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day etc) until the summer……then they get 12 weeks from late May to late August 😳😳😳😳
Its insane.

GreenFields07 · 14/04/2025 14:51

DDs primary school have changed theirs this year to 1 week for Easter and 2 weeks in May. They didnt do it last year, but like you OP I prefer it. Weve managed to get an abroad holiday in that second week for a lot cheaper. Iv checked the calendar for next year and theyve done it again, so we are looking at disneyland paris. I hope they dont revert back to the old way, this is the only way we can afford an abroad holiday as a family of 5. I think it depends on your LA what school holidays you have, although my nieces school are in the same village as ours and they still have the 2 weeks Easter and 1 week May, so no idea whats going on there.