Why can't they change the school term?

[onedayinthefuture]

No one is willing to make a case for a pretty obvious solution. Schools close, bring down infections significantly and get the vaccinations ramped up. The winter was always going to be bad, keep the schools closed throughout January and February. That's 7 weeks that then needs to be made up later in the year. There are MORE than enough weeks in the spring and summer to do this. Cancel exams, the current cohort have had too much disruption this year and last but ensure a fair and proper accountability for exam grades awarded by teachers / exam boards.

I work in a school and don't want to lose my summer holidays but surely this makes sense? Have the kids in school in the warmer months where the virus will be less of a threat. No teachers will need to teach throughout this shutdown. ALL learning will be resumed in the classroom. The online provision causes even more of a gap between rich and poor.

Teachers working to supervise key worker children to be paid extra. Working parents (especially mothers are stuffed I admit, but aren't we anyway).

Socialisation I would argue is more important than education (which can be made up) that's the main issue for kids of all ages. That's my sticking point but in the main most kids are with loving families.

Can anyone tell me what I am missing?

No thanks. I love the summer and want to spend it with my children. I could live with closing the schools but wouldn’t accept making up the time elsewhere.

A billion families will take the children out of school in July and august, at all different times, to go on their summer holiday that was rescheduled from 2020?

@MeanMrMustardSeed

No thanks. I love the summer and want to spend it with my children. I could live with closing the schools but wouldn’t accept making up the time elsewhere.

Me too, I love the summer too as I have kids but surely if it's matter of life and death (Covid patients) and then the option for kids to fully resume their education, a summer break isn't that important? Besides, there would and could easily be enough time for at least a 2 week break over the summer/beginning of September.

@Lemons1571

A billion families will take the children out of school in July and august, at all different times, to go on their summer holiday that was rescheduled from 2020?

And a million won't (there aren't a billion anyway). Not all families will be able to afford a summer holiday and instead will be extremely grateful their kids are catching up on their education.

Every time this has been suggested, people have responded with absolute outrage on here.

But I'd like to mention that in Japan, schools cut the summer vacation to two weeks (or so--depended on the school) in 2020. There was also an increase in Saturday school sessions (for example, a school might do Saturday school twice a month rather than the usual once a month, for the rest of 2020).

Yes, I did feel a bit bad for the kids and teachers, but honestly, I would much rather than kids had a slightly crappy summer for one year, than than kids from less privileged backgrounds wind up drifting further and further behind their peers due gaps in their knowledge creating on-going issues in their learning into the future. I really appreciated that the teachers here rallied round and made it happen. The kids mostly seem to be on track and there is little evidence of educational gaps. And this appears to be a seasonal virus.

I bet people's summer travel plans are going to be heavily curtailed this year in any case.

No ta. Postponed my wedding last summer - it's booked for this July and, if we're allowed we're going ahead.

No way am I teaching double maths instead

Personally I would go for it as I would want my dc to make up their education & it's good for kids from deprived backgrounds but it's very unpopular.

The head of the school I work in has just changed ours today.

Not drastically but enough to make a difference, I think.

I don't love the idea but that's because I was happy to carry on as we were and I'm annoyed because primaries weren't closed in our area and most of our school is Primary but we're staying closed regardless. If I was nervous of Covid I think I'd be extremely relieved by the decision. As it is, I don't really mind. It could be worse.

@Kokeshi123 the Japanese strike me as very sensible people and yes to Saturday school which could in turn mean less of the summer lost overall.

The underprivileged kids with the current approach will absolutely fall further behind with stop start learning and a rubbish online provision.

No, because my children have had 1 holiday period that wasn't during a lockdown. They deserve a break and to relax. They deserve the weather to play outside, forget about school and adult worries ad be kids. Also businesses need the money fron families holidaying, or we can sever the artery of another industry.

As a teacher I have no problem working my hours at all when needed, I will no longer do extra though, that's one thing this pandemic has taught me my family come first!

We're Tier 4. I cannot imagine anyone - and I include my Y11 DC would be prepared to sit home for two months in miserable weather where they can't go out - then swap it for being in school full time all of July and August.

That announcement would bring staff and students out on strike I think.

I wod also support a full move of this half term to the summer holidays for all schools. It would be really shit but it would be worth it as a one off. So yes, I agree. YANBU

Ok, so on the one hand it is keep schools open at all costs, lives destroyed etc etc and on the other, na mate, ain't touching my summer hols. Which one is it?

I'd go for this. Two year 10s, one has had six isolations, 40 days not in school since Sept the other, 3 periods, 20 days.

There simply isn't time to catch up if recent months are to go by.

Also I wouldn't be willing as I am working full time throughout no closures for me.

As for Saturday classes, be honest unless they were mandatory they are not for the disadvantaged children as they wouldn't come. 6 days a week of teaching, shorter summer holidays, yep great way to ensure quality learning from kids and quality work from staff.

I know I am being negative and have worked many years with no holidays but kids are exhausted by holiday time. My 5 year old was on her knees by Christmas, it's only the last few days she is back to normal and a term from Eastwr to October with 2 weeks iff would finish her and many others off.

My DCs private school have already adjusted their school year on several occasions. We had one week instead of two at October half term, a longer Christmas holiday (to try to make it safer when they return in January by allowing a two week period following Christmas mixing) and a shorter 2021 summer holiday to try to make up for missing time in the last school year. No idea what will happen now they cannot go back in January as planned. However, they are at least trying to be flexible.

It's a pandemic though. Everyone has done extra work---well, OK, not everyone, but most people.

I was lucky enough to be able to stop working during the school closure---however, I lost two months of income and also lost a bunch of clients, possibly permanently. I had to homeschool while my toddler ran around trashing the house, and I nearly lost my mind. Other friends of mine were not able to stop working for financial reasons. They wound up homeschooling kids AND doing their jobs, by getting up at ridiculous times, working very late at night, giving up nearly all their weekends to catching up with paperwork and homeschooling.

And it's OK and we were happy to do it (well, not happy but we gritted our teeth and did it) because we understood that in a pandemic, most people are going to have to make sacrifices and do all kinds of odd and difficult things. The Japanese teachers giving up a chunk of their summer holidays was seen as being just part and parcel of the same process. (And the kids and teachers did get a summer holiday---just a shorter one than usual)

I’d go for this. How are preserving summer holidays more important than getting this virus under control? It’s one summer ffs. It’s do-able.

I'm a teacher and I'd be ok with this but imagine it wouldn't be popular with others though. I think all schools should close as SAGE says with provision for kw/vulnerable only. We have to protect the NHS for all our sakes.

No thanks.

@Kokeshi123 absolutely agree with you. Huge sacrifices in pretty much all areas are being made.

@EachDubh I agree with you about 5 year olds being tired, I have one myself but kids are much healthier in the summer, more vitamin d, more energy and daylight. They are also that bit older. There would still be the opportunity for a summer holiday, just shorter.

As I said I work in a school myself and I do have a holiday booked. This affects me personally but I'm just trying to find a workable balance.

I'm not entirely against this but my preferred option is just to do online learning and close all schools again. We have a glimmer of hope coming so it should only be a couple of months.

For all those saying that closing is disruptive, well so is self isolation with going in and out all of the time. And I reckon with the new strain and winter, schools will be hit the whole country over which will transfer to families, infections and more deaths.

How would the seven missing weeks be caught up for those Y13s taking the IB (an international exam)? Or the Y11s who will need to finish their GCSE courses in some way, even if not with final exams? Having seven weeks off school now will mean many students would do no learning and would lose any momentum they may have got going at the moment. They'd have nothing to look forward to either, including no summer break. If exam years are somehow exempt from the idea, teachers will be needed to teach them and that will result in those teachers having no break this year, as well as the economic impact of no tourism during the school summer holiday.

I have a DC in Y11 who wants to be at school now, when it's cold and miserable. Their sixth form plans will depend on how the rest of the GCSE courses go and they're hoping to be able to at least visit grandparents outside in warmer weather. Both DH and I are teachers so if term is cancelled now, we are unlikely to be able to see our parents for many more months. As it is, I've not seen mine since August and that was a six hour round trip to see them outside.

I was wondering this too, no idea why people are so territorial about their holidays - for one year? What sort of summer fun do you think you’ll have anyway, given the way things are?

If it meant being able to close schools now, it makes total sense to me.