To think we don’t need more school holidays?

[Halftermforever]

The schools locally all seem to be either consulting too, or already implementing a 2 week October half term. This has really riled me because:

1. The extra childcare will cost £500
2. Schools already have 13 weeks holiday, whilst parents have 5 weeks. Is it really necessary?
3. I get fined for taking my child out on holiday, but now suddenly the extra week won’t have an impact because they’ve reduced lunch by 10 minutes!

The talk about reducing staff and student absence is baffling. Yes it’s peak time for illness and stress, but the rest of the country seems to get on with it without having to run on 6 weeks off, 6 weeks in, 2 weeks off, 5 weeks in, 2 weeks off!

From July - December the schools are off almost as much as they are in!

It’s insane and not possible for working families to keep up with.

AIBU?

Just to point out that the holiday companies cottoned on to this some time ago and the NEW week of the October half term (actually the week before fhe traditional week so it’s the last 2 weeks of October you’ll have off) is shocking expensive for holidays.

in fact one comparison I looked at was cheaper in AUGUST!!! Unbloodybelievable

I imagine if they do this that most teachers will spend the two weeks having flu or COVID as it's traditional to get sick the minute you aren't at work. This is why it will reduce teacher absence rates.

What we actually need are more bank hols during the summer hols to save parents some summertime leave. They could break up a tad earlier for Christmas and have a few extra Easter days too

Ours schools have always done this and it's much better - it's a nice time to go away.everyone's less knackered and it is a break from the nasty viral infections which go around at that time of year.
I don't see the issue in secondary schools.

So you are arguing that it is childcare just because of the setting? If dc were learning in a setting without a care for their safety or wellbeing then it wouldn’t be childcare? I don’t think i’m the one being obtuse…..

Yes. But stuff needs doing at the beginning of September, there are lots of meetings about the upcoming term and sorting your room out. You can’t do that in October. No teacher will walk away the end of term and be able to walk in again at the beginning of the next school year without a day to get sorted. Right now schools give teachers time as part of the inset day. If the inset days are moved it doesn’t mean this need goes away, so people will end up doing it unpaid.

Our secondary does 184 pupil days. They are in an academy so not required to follow the 190 days.

We’ve had two weeks for a few years now. We had a couple of
bargain holidays before the operators cottoned on.

our school has had 2wks in October for some time now and I do think it works well. But this is secondary so the DC could stay home alone if needed when I was working. Our school took the 5 inset days and use them together the week before Oct half term. Works better than random days. But i’d be quite annoyed with this 10 min thing.

totally fair enough, I can see why that wouldn’t work then! Although I’m sure the half days on end of terms were there so teachers could sort their rooms/prepare for next term. Otherwise, why do kids finish early at 1pm on those days?

Oh, there's more than a couple of hours' pootling around with a staple gun involved in preparing for a new academic year.

Well yes. If they were learning at uni, it’s not childcare as they can care for themselves. School provides a learning and caring environment, so of course it’s childcare - they are caring for your children. The school ours go to definitely is, it’s part of their school motto!

The primary purpose of school is not childcare….

Are you saying 6th form is childcare too?

The summer holidays wasn’t introduced because everyone needed a break. It was introduced so children could go and work on farms.
I hate people who talk about ‘how soft this country’s become’ but seriously. 13 weeks not being long enough?! 14 for kids if you include the insets.
And of course the primary purpose of school is to educate, but it is also a childcare provision for parents. Everyone knows that, it’s disingenuous to pretend otherwise. Unless you think parents should come and supervise their kids during the school way (good luck when most teachers are also parents, whom also use other schools to care for their own child when they are working, teaching other people’s kids!)

I love more holidays

I'd take a 2 week half term in May, if they made the summer holidays 5 weeks.

A couple of local school to us have done this....BUT they have no training days throughout the year. So it works out the same overall.
I wouldn't mind if this was the case for us - this year with 2 x 7 weeks terms before Christmas, a 2 week oct half term would have been welcomes by alot of parents and children.

I wouldnt not be happy that they are doing it by reducing lunch breaks though. Children need a break during the day and we already have issues with children not finishing lunched in the set amount of time they get

We’re having this in our area from summer 2026 - it’s not an extra week off, they’re moving a week from summer holidays to October half term. I think it’s a great idea!! Half term is too short and summer is too long. Going away in half term I always wish we could go for a week with more of a buffer each side.

I think the summer is too long but a 2 week October break is a good idea. The winter term is ludicrously long. I think adding a week to the start of the Christmas holidays would be even better as very few primary school children are happy going to school this week.

Mine had a 2 week October holiday in primary school and it was great we had our annual holiday then. I worked in summer and she went to various holiday care schemes which were plentiful. It helped work wise in a smallish firm as I wasn’t wanting leave in the busy summer period.
2 weeks in October allows more flexibility for people going away for a week or having a weekend break.

We already have 2 weeks in Oct in our county and it is great! Love being able to go away when everyone else is at school. We have a shorter summer break instead (5.5 weeks).

Try teaching for the (some years up to) 16 weeks of the Autumn term, then come back and inform us whether a 2 week break would be beneficial for the children.

Schools should cater for the children's best interests, not the parents.

Our summer holidays are 8/9 WEEKS.