AIBU to think the six-week summer holiday should be cut to five?

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Saw that Parentkind's big parent survey this year (over 6,000 parents) found half back cutting the summer break by a week and moving it elsewhere, with only 21% against. 51% said school holidays are financially difficult. Travel groups want the weeks moved to October and February half-terms to spread prices.

Supporters say six weeks stretches budgets and childcare, and a better-spread year would ease peak prices. Opponents say the long break gives families real time together and children (and teachers) a proper rest, and changing it just moves the costs around.

Would you shorten it, or keep the six weeks?

Keep 6 weeks. 6 weeks is barely long enough to do any kind of project work with your own kids, and schools are not the only and arguably not the best source of information or education. On the continent summer holidays are much longer. We should be calling to make working life more compatible with having a family, not trying to make families fit in better as working units in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

Good idea, as long as they don't suggest the same for Members of Parliament! 🤣

Financially the October and February half terms are harder as there's not much you can do for free when it's cold and raining. So for one week we can muddle through but two weeks would get boring.

I know this isn't what you're asking but I would be happy to move the summer holidays earlier (like Scotland) as it would avoid closing schools due to heat in early July, and the last couple of weeks in August often aren't great for sunny weather.

We had five weeks and two days this year and it just didn't feel enough. We still have one week at half-term, so I'm not sure where the missing days have gone! I'm speaking as a teacher. Of course, I know five weeks in one go is great, but to fully recharge and get ready for the next year, even six weeks isn't enough.

As a parent, I loved my DC being off. Appreciate not every family is the same though.

Why not introduce holiday care that is affordable & covers a full working day (rather than 9-3 that most holiday clubs seem to offer).

Holiday companies will just increase prices - if they are losing a week of summer profit they will have to recoup somehow.

I think people should just factor it in & accept it is what happens when you have children. The majority of kids love being off for 6 weeks. We actually have short holidays compared to most other countries.

It’s easier & cheaper to entertain kids in the summer months. I can’t really see the benefit of moving the time off to Feb or October when it’s likely to be dark/cold/raining.

Apparently so, yes.

Nope if anything I’d extend them so it’s starts earlier.

We all knew the holidays where 6 weeks when we decided to have children what with once being those children ourselves.

They are children not little mini office staff.

Mine only start to even get up later once it’s about 3-4 weeks in so it takes that long for their bodies to un program the school day routine.

prices wouldn’t drop they would if anything become more expensive and why would I want a extra week in wet October or freezing December. February is miserable and grey don’t want an extra week then either.

6 weeks isn’t long enough and lower than many other countries. Staff and children need longer holidays not shorter as they’re already on their knees by the end of July.Throw in the heat and it becomes apparent that it’s a ridiculous idea. The UK education sector already faces a pronounced recruitment and retention crisis affecting both classroom teachers and teaching assistants.

Ours actually does 5.5 in summer and a fortnight in October, and it disproportionately benefits those of us who can afford to travel.

February strikes me as a particularly bad idea because it's often so cold. At least in October the free outside options are more viable and you don't necessarily need heating yet. February means some kids will be spending an extra week in heating poverty homes.

No. We enjoy it. We work full time btw. It will be even harder to get holiday as a family if weeks are reduced. It's quite hard already as our jobs don't reduce staff or close in summer.

I love looking forward to 6 weeks of no school runs, that’s what gets me through the year.

As both a teacher and parent, I agree 6 weeks is too long. I would rather an extra week on the May half term. But October half term is also good. 4 weeks is the minimum I would want for the summer.

Tbh I think no half term should be longer than 6 full weeks of teaching! So say

Autumn 1 = 6.5 weeks;
2 weeks October half term;
Autumn 2 = 6.5 weeks;
2 weeks Christmas;
Spring 1 = 6.5 weeks;
1 week Feb half term;
Spring 2 = 6.5 weeks;
2 weeks Easter;
Summer 1 = 6.5 weeks;
2 weeks May half term;
Summer 2 = 6.5 weeks;
4 weeks Summer.

That makes 39 weeks in school (includes the 5 INSET days) and 13 weeks of holidays. Like state schools in England currently have.

I’d like it to be reduced to 5 weeks.

6 weeks is a long time when people don’t have much money - there are only so many trips to the local park that you can do.

On a personal level, a week added to the October half term would be be great for us as we want to go on holiday to a place that is too hot for us in the summer, and Easter is very expensive and busy. October would be perfect, but it needs two weeks. May would be good too but unlikely due to exams.

Some areas already have two weeks off in October - have their summer holidays been reduced?

I think a 5 week summer hols is ridiculous. In Yr 6, DS (now 21) was in a cohort that went back to school in August !!! As one parent put it 'madder than the UK football leagues'. I'm over 60, my ideal return date as a child was 5th September. Let kids have some space. Maybe we could revive what happened when I was at school. We had holiday clubs, organised via local council with buses that picked you up and took you to activities. I did drama club 4 years in a row. A fabulous experience. Council and govt was run by both Labour and Conservative. A wealth of memories and my early career in 20s inspired by this. We can do summer better for kids, it doesn't have to be expensive private stuff, just better community spirit

I'd love 4 weeks for the summer holiday and longer off either at Christmas or in February or both - we like winter sun! One of my children has SEN and really struggles with adjusting back to school after 6 weeks off. We ended up paying for tuition for our children last summer to mitigate against the issue. Teacher relatives tell me that it's a known issue that children lose some academic progress over the summer.

Keep it the same. No point faffing and at least there's more chance of the Sun in July/Aug. I don't want 2 weeks in October.

I think the holiday length is fine but with the summers getting hotter in July I think starting the summer holidays at the beginning of July should be considered and rejigging the rest of the year so it makes sense (maybe the number of terms would need to change?)

I also think the six week break is one of the joys of childhood.

I wonder if we should instead move towards giving as many working people as possible a long summer break like they have elsewhere in Europe?

Ideally increase it, 6 weeks isn’t long enough imo

I agree. I think we should move it in line with Scottish schools

6 weeks is pretty long. What can't you fit in 6 weeks?

I hope 6 weeks summer holiday will stay. We go back home to Dubrovnik, there we have air con, I work from home (thank to COVID and remote working)and then it's a beach time.
My daughter, who is 15 now goes for a stroll with her friend and cousin in old town. So much freedom and happiness.
It would be nice for Christmas or Feb holiday to be extended for a week at least families can go to a warm country or go skiing

I agree that sounds nice for the families who can afford to do those things.

I like it. I think it works well. Keep it as 6 weeks

my kids are at secondary. I’m happy to keep the 6 weeks. Yes it was always tricky logistically and they were in childcare a lot when younger, but I usually manage 3 weeks off. I think it’s good for kids to have a proper long break. I also think it’s important for teachers for the same reason! I’m a teacher - not at school - but can well imagine how drained teachers are by the end of the school year. I can well imagine teachers leaving if the summer holidays were shortened significantly as it’s a big perk of the job and important for reenergising for the next year.