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?

I’d support this for secondary particularly. Last year was ridiculous- with so little online teaching kids had weeks with nothing to do and most of us struggle to cover the full six week holiday as it is. Absolutely kids and teens need time off but y10 up have missed so much and don’t want more time at home/on holiday with their families!

Oh, this again. Won’t affect me as I’ll probably be on maternity leave then, but surely at that point teachers will just start claiming back the 3-4 weeks holiday they worked unpaid to do KW provision?

Also, who do you expect to be caring for children of critical workers during this term and next? Who do you expect to be organising and delivering free school meals?

In a profession where your holidays are unpaid and immovable, you plan your childcare very very carefully to account for this. How are nurseries and childminders going to manage the switch around?

Yes, good idea

I am working for an agency currently.

We only knew our Christmas rota, the week before it hit.

But had to accept it , for our very poor wage.

Even then, they haven’t paid me my wage this week, as I took, accrued holiday, they agreed and approved. They’ll pay it next week apparently, leaving me two days pay this week

My point is, it’s not what we want, but we have to make allowances

Work through the summer, to protect our children.

Let them stay home and be safe this winter

Youre well paid, and get loads more holiday than anyone.

You should know better than to threaten the sacred 6 week summer holidays OP

Teachers are screaming for schools to be closed, happy for working parents to be taken to breaking point for months on end, telling us to suck it up as "it's a pandemic", yet completely unwilling to change their summer plans for one year.

There is a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. Teachers would have to be paid to work in the summer. The government won’t pay. I don’t know any teachers that are calling for schools to be closed.

Closing schools for six extra weeks now and working mostly through the summer would mean children and staff alike would be exhausted by the start of the new school year in September.

Op, I think it's a rubbish idea. You have admitted that schools will need to stay open for certain children, but it wouldn't just be teachers needed for this to happen. Site staff, office staff, cleaners, midday's would all need to be willing to do this.

So sick of posters such as Elizabeth coming on here to have a nasty swipe at teachers.

Yes absolutely. Everyone gets a long break now then hard work in spring/summer. As for teachers not getting a summer holiday, they would still be getting a long holiday now, why does it need to be in summer? Plenty of workers don’t get time off in summer. And employers can dictate when holidays are (as long as notice two times the holiday length is given, which this would be) so it’s completely legal and can be done. Maybe a weeks less easer holiday, keep half term, 1 week at the beginning of August.

@Kokeshi123

Oh, and we went to the zoo and similar places too. Plenty of times. Not sure why extending the school break would mean that kids would be "locked down" and not able to go to the zoo etc.? It wouldn't be a lockdown. And you can go to the zoo and aquarium and museum and all those places at weekends, even during term time!

They basically want to stick to their contracts, which I always find hilarious as out in the real world people have contracts that basically say "and you will bend to the will of the firms needs and do x, y,z if required - end of"

There's a real lack of willingness to be flexible on this, as was said up thread, we are living in extraordinary times and we have all needed to adapt our ways of working to get by.

I think this is an eminently sensible suggestion, but it will get canned as some teachers want to have their cake and to eat it too.

@Timeturnerplease

Oh, this again. Won’t affect me as I’ll probably be on maternity leave then, but surely at that point teachers will just start claiming back the 3-4 weeks holiday they worked unpaid to do KW provision?

Also, who do you expect to be caring for children of critical workers during this term and next? Who do you expect to be organising and delivering free school meals?

In a profession where your holidays are unpaid and immovable, you plan your childcare very very carefully to account for this. How are nurseries and childminders going to manage the switch around?

In the real world, we all work unpaid for extra hours/days - that's what salaried private sector workers do every.single.day of their life's, often without time in lieu

The difference with the longer break being now rather than in summer on a practical level is all the organisation and preparation that goes into the start of a new school year.

When I go back next week it's to the same classes, same children with EHCPs, same TAs, same differentiation strategies, same personality mixes, same seating plans, same exercise books, same timetable, same schemes of learning, same ability level.

A new school year means that all this changes and needs prepared and planned for. This would be far harder to do at the same time as still teaching the 2020-21 cohort.

I do think there is a perception that teachers either just walk in and make stuff up on the spot, or that we teach exactly the same thing in the same way every year. Maybe some poor teachers do, but it's not professional.

I would work longer into July if that was what was required but it would present challenges particularly if the exams go ahead as planned. However, I think anything less than four weeks summer break would affect the quality of teaching and learning for next year.

The online offering from some schools was dire during the last lockdown.This is what a lot of people are worried about.

Unless someone can say that it’s going to be considerably better.

@SuperbGorgonzola

The difference with the longer break being now rather than in summer on a practical level is all the organisation and preparation that goes into the start of a new school year.

When I go back next week it's to the same classes, same children with EHCPs, same TAs, same differentiation strategies, same personality mixes, same seating plans, same exercise books, same timetable, same schemes of learning, same ability level.

A new school year means that all this changes and needs prepared and planned for. This would be far harder to do at the same time as still teaching the 2020-21 cohort.

I do think there is a perception that teachers either just walk in and make stuff up on the spot, or that we teach exactly the same thing in the same way every year. Maybe some poor teachers do, but it's not professional.

I would work longer into July if that was what was required but it would present challenges particularly if the exams go ahead as planned. However, I think anything less than four weeks summer break would affect the quality of teaching and learning for next year.

Last two years my child started the autumn term with recycled curriculum - how do I know?

The teacher forget to change the term dates/year and class name on the handouts

There's a real lack of willingness to be flexible on this, as was said up thread, we are living in extraordinary times and we have all needed to adapt our ways of working to get by
This.
I came into teaching after working in industry and the lack of flexibility from people who have only ever been in school and uni and then worked on schools is staggering.
The whole system could go with an overhaul and this would be a good time to do it, but no, we carry on with a ridiculous term structure because we can’t change what has been in place for centuries...

I wondered why they didn’t do this back in last summer - you could have tweaked the term dates in advance and still had 4 weeks in the summer holidays. For one year I agree it would be worth it. I do understand teachers need a holiday too - whilst it’s strictly accurate to say teacher’s holidays are unpaid in reality the annual salary is meant to take account of this ( the level fo teachers salaries generally is another issue!).

I have colleagues who have worked all year with a maximum of one week’s holiday. Not to be copied in a race to the bottom but I do think for one year in a global pandemic we could maybe make a change.

No one wants to sacrifice their holidays so that their children can catch up on their education? Are you the same people whining about school closures and how important it is not to miss school- children’s mental health bla bla? Ironic much

The ages of my dc, are not going to be impacted by a slowing of their education.

The social side has been the worst for us.

There is no way I'm giving up our summer holiday we can't usually afford to go away in July and we've never taken them in summer.

Everyone talks about rubbish on line provision as if it's set in stone
. It doesn't have to be rubbish at all!

I wouldn't be against moving terms, I have holidays booked but I can change those. However, there are two large issues I see.

1. The schools would have to be completely closed. So no key worker provision and no emails, no organising the return/planning, catch up etc. I dont mind my holidays being moved but I would completely stop and I think that might cause an issue.

2. Unfortunately, like it or not the public (and many parents) do not show support for teachers. Many during the pandemic haven't felt like doing 'any extra' or 'sacrificing' because they dont feel it would be appreciated and those that have tried extra hard have been grouped together and vilified by parents on here and in the press.

Many of my colleges are very much of the impression of doing less now than they've ever done as the pandemic has caused them to put their own families first and reevaluate their priorities.

It's a shame but the lack of perceived value will force lots to vote against a change if it was proposed and all the talk of 'it's a pandemic' 'greater good' etc. Wont change that unfortunately.

I think it’s a great idea, but it’s not going to happen. Two weeks off in summer is normal for most people. I also think there should be a national online school programme developed, so those that need to stay off school longer follow a set programme, with online teachers to help.

God, some people really dislike teachers don't they!
Some of the posters on here make me sick. Since this pandemic began, the vast majority of schools/ staff have done an amazing job at a very difficult time.

Expecting schools to take their six week break in January/ February in the middle of a lockdown just shows how spiteful some of you are. Would you seriously rather that than online learning?

Not sure that I'd support this. On the one hand, it would help me as a term time only worker, as I wouldn't have the prospect of working with the DC at home if their schools close.

But it would make it extremely difficult for us to see my parents this year, as they live 300 miles away so we normally do a long visit in the summer and shorter visits in other holidays. Having only seen them once last year due to the pandemic, this would be a massive issue for me. They've missed one year of their grandchildren's lives, I don't want them to miss another.

@HancocksSexTears

What you really know is that one member of your child's class was using resources which were used before, but that doesn't mean loads of time hasn't been spent preparing stuff to meet the needs of other students.

The whole education system is propped up by good will as it is and the only reason why most of the half baked ideas from the DfE delivered at the 11th hour are actioned quickly is down to the diligence of school staff who make it work.

If term dates are radically changed then it will impact other child care facilities, businesses and tourism who may be able to reopen in the summer, staff teaching contracts, university and college terms (also their funding), key worker and vulnerable children care (as PP said schools can’t afford to keep open all year round as no budget) and the quality of teaching and learning would be impacted further unless there is a decent break for children. We had some key worker children who came in every week day from March - July when school ended including half terms, all Easter and all bank holidays. Those children deserve a proper break too.

The six week break could be reduced to two weeks, which would still give everyone a break in summer. Outside academia and education, most people don't get more than two weeks' holiday in summer.

We will never get the virus under control while the attitude is (when something is asked of people) what excuse can I find not to comply with this.

@HancocksSexTears as I said, some teachers might be unprofessional as there are unprofessional people in all sectors. But we don't usually judge whole sectors on the behaviour of a bad example.

The curriculum content often stays the same, and a teacher wouldn't usually start from complete scratch every year, but it should be updated, refreshed adapted and tailored to each class.

I don't think it's spiteful Sultan , it's just a different opinion. A lot of us who are saying we'd go with move to the summer are teachers. I would prefer that to online learning because I've already done it for a term and, for me personally and for the subjects I teach, it was shit.

I love teaching but hate teaching online. I like my holidays. If I had to choose one out those three things to keep, it would be the face to face teaching rather than the holidays, hands down.

I'd definitely miss the long summer holidays but it would be a lesser of two evils thing.