Summer holidays should be longer

[noblegiraffe]

Our kids have the shortest summer holidays in Europe, Italy have 13 weeks, even Ireland has 9.

They're under pressure so much at school they need more time to just be kids. Classrooms are so hot in the last few weeks of term that it's impossible to learn effectively anyway.

I think we should add at least an extra two weeks to the summer holidays, so break up near the start of July. This would bring us more into line with private schools too.

And with longer holidays it might help recruit and retain teachers, and reduce competition for summer annual leave slots for working parents. It could even reduce the cost of holidays as 'peak season' would be longer.

This is in the parts of the country outside of the biggest cities though. In the main cities they have supervised playgrounds so children can just go there in the morning, play all day, and have lunch there and go home when their parents get home. Its like two different worlds within the same country. The supervised playground model is absolutely ideal and I wish they had it everywhere.

Children take care of themselves from age 7? I’m not saying that doesn’t happen in the U.K. too sometimes but I certainly wouldn’t be happy with that. Very different cultures I think. Fascinating

I grew up in the UK so I'm used to 6 weeks, but now that seems miniscule to me - the first 6 weeks of this holiday absolutely flew by and already summer feels like its ending too quickly.

@Natsku the playground model sounds brilliant, but rural care seems a bit hit and miss to be honest.

@Natsku I think having that different way of life - where children of 7 upwards - can be left home alone is what really makes the difference about the attitude towards how long the summer holidays should be.
The UK seems terrified of children being able to look after themselves, playing out, having a 12 year old babysitter etc.
It's sad really.

The playground thing is really good, its completely free too so zero barriers. If the UK had that I bet everyone would be in favour of longer summer holidays.

@Natsku how do the supervised playgrounds work though? Does a child have to be registered to go? Do they have to be signed in and out - or can they literally just turn up and play but then if they get bored or want to go and do something else - can they just leave?

Yeah its very different, and was a big shock to me when I first got here so I understand how it seems to outsiders but it works, its not ideal, but better than being stuck inside school during the best part of summer.

As far as I understand it, children can come and go as they want (which older children are more likely to do - turn up for the free lunch and a bit of a play, then go do their own thing) but also parents can tell the supervisors that their child isn't allowed to leave independently or that they have to leave at a certain time, and give their contact info to the supervisors but its not thing that you register as such.

Come to NI. 9 weeks and free grammar school system.

Sounds an interesting concept.

@noblegiraffe my kids are at private school and it’s honestly a nightmare. I would gladly waive the 1k difference in going on holiday with the extra £80 a day 2 x £40) I have to spend on sending the kids to various camps. Private schools get 4 weeks at Xmas and 3 weeks at Easter AND 8.5 weeks in summer. - I doubt many parents would want to or can afford to pay the extra for camps and childcare. My 25 days leave a year certainly doesn’t cover it!

@Natsku "If the UK had that I bet everyone would be in favour of longer summer holidays." I have no axe to grind - my DC are late teens now and I always loved the summer holidays - I had a lot of flexibility with work, as did DH so was extremely lucky that it wasn't stressful getting cover and I could enjoy spending time with them. But I still think I prefer the idea of more evenly spaced holidays and shorter over the summer and it suited my DC. Maybe it's partly climate - I would imagine there is quite a lot of the year where you can't do much outdoors in Finland, so maybe it makes more sense, but we had lovely days out / weeks away in half terms and at easter which broke the year up.

It does sound like an interesting model but I am curious as to how it works for children with any additional needs?

E.g food allergies with the lunches?
Are disabled/ND children catered for?

I grew up with full 3 months off as summer holidays in NE Europe. I'm in my mid 30s so things have changed but we were left to sort of fend for ourselves.
That is cooking our own lunch on the stove, spending hours and hours outside, going to the forest, a lake or even to the sea with a group of friends. Often hitchhiking to the desired destination. I vividly remember spending some time on the rooftop as a 7 year old. We had the best of times but I do realise how dangerous were some of the things we did.
We also had household or gardening chores to do before our parents returned from work.
Currently living in Western Europe and I can't imagine leaving my child this early unsupervised. And I don't have enough AL to cover the 8 weeks of holidays so off to the clubs they go. And it's a costly nightmare.

I didnt rtft but in response

YES - the summer hols should be longer,
YES - all grown ups should get summer hols too!

Then you are very ignorant!

You do realise that there is a massive shortage of teachers in most subject areas?
teaching classes of 30 teenagers with all the other crap that teachers have to do is exhausting, more than most can ever realise.
Also, teachers are not paid for their holidays. Imagine the cost to the nation of you had to add weeks more pay for all teachers.

No. Thats why people who are signed off with mental health illness need more than two weeks off work. They need therapy, medication, change of lifestyle etc.

As if 14 days free time gives any long term mental health benefits 😂

I agree that there can be too far with this, but you focusing on the minutiae rather then the larger, very really dangers many children face through no fault of their own.

One year when my kids were about 10, I managed to get most of the summer off. I dreamt of picnics, trips to the beach, days out... it rained almost every day!

Private school parents don’t get cheap deals. The Scottish and Irish schools have been off since end June. Ditto the European countries. The US schools finish end June and anyone who holidays in Europe comes then. If anything English school parents benefit from the last week in August, when all the above are back at school.

I think I probably see it through rose-tinted glasses now @DuesToTheDirt!

Kids are only at school for 52% of the days of the year. School is not the solution to those dangers, something else has to be in place.

The fact you scoff at 2 weeks extra holiday says a lot about you ....

Oh so arrogant