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?

Ha! I love comments about the 'real world'.
I've worked in 'the real world' I turned my computer on at 9 and off at 5. That was it.

Now, am I ignorant enough to think that all workers are the same? Of course not. I also worked a job where as long as I logged 40 hours a week I could do them when I wanted. Anything logged over 40 hours was naturally paid as overtime.

I also worked with some absolute tools. They were lazy and useless moaning all the time, far worse than any teachers I've worked with. Again, I dont assume all business workers to be the same based on that. I'm also aware there are some crap teachers out there.

The issue is there are 1000s of teachers and some people extrapolate their limited knowledge to all and then wonder why things cant be done to improve.

I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to take 2-3 weeks from the summer and add them to the end of the Christmas holidays.
But it’s something that would need to have been decided months and months ago to allow parents to sort childcare/time off work that they’d normally need in summer, and teachers to plan holidays. It’s madness to suggest it changes now, 3 days before the term starts.

There are literally hundreds/thousands of tasks to accomplish this - not just in school but legislatively and with suppliers before it can be done

So that would mean that the schools would spend all jan/feb planning for this - and then have to work for the actual summer...

Moving school terms nationally is HUGELY unwieldy

And we couldn't possibly not provide school for key worker/vulnerable children - literally some would die

No thanks. I work in a school and I am intending to do at least a month of volunteering abroad this summer with wildlife (if covid situation allows). If I have to work throughout the summer holidays I can't do this.

[quote dootball]@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.[/quote]
Why the hell would one child get a separate curriculum, come on - they're 7 years old and it's definitely not the case as the parents WhatsApp threads tell us all we need to know especially as they include teachers who are parents!

As a teacher who has worked in very deprived areas, the Christmas holidays have always been the worst for abuse and DV. Cold, dark days stuck in the house. As least if we are in lockdown, teachers will still be in schools providing services for vulnerable children (and key workers kids). Extending the holidays at this time of year isn’t in the best interests of societies most vulnerable.

As for holidays, we’ve already lost 6 or 7days holiday (therefore, we’ve worked those days without pay) in my council, but none of my colleagues have complained. We also volunteered over the Easter hols. I can take a loss of holidays on the chin, but we returned a week early in August and by the time the schools closed on 22nd December, my poor 11 year olds were struggling and needed a break. Kids are not adults and they still need some quality down time.

I can see what you are saying.

But.

I live in a tourist area.

Many many jobs are dependent on people visiting in the summer.

Loads of businesses have gone already under and a summer of no tourists not even day trippers would finish the area off.

It’s so hard to know what to do for the best.

Anyway, I think it warrants merit, and so does my husband, who by the way was a teacher who left to work in industry

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?

I'm not sure it's spiteful, I'm tto & like the time with my dc but if it's a safer option & better for the NHS I'm not anti it. My dc are unlikely to suffer with missing some school but it's looking at the bigger picture.

So you’d like Jan-Feb to be a school holiday? Instead of July-Aug?

This would mean that schools close Jan-Feb. No staff on site, no remote learning, no mass testing, no pastoral support. Nothing.

School staff get paid for the number of weeks they are in school + the statutory number of weeks holiday (same as everyone else) All weeks holiday above that are unpaid. Their wages are spread over 12 months.

Are you saying that teachers to work through their paid holiday and work voluntarily throughout the unpaid weeks?

The loss of summer itself wouldn't bother me but sept-dec is brutal as it is and they need a substantial break before autumn term. I'd be happy to stay in for July for an extra 10 days though

@HancocksSexTears

Anyway, I think it warrants merit, and so does my husband, who by the way was a teacher who left to work in industry

It did warrant merit and therefore obviously the government will not have considered it or thought about the huge logistical challenges and started planning.

Therefore it no longer has any chance.

The main reason would have been cost. Despite what the government say about education a change of this scale would cost millions and they're just not prepared to invest this in education.

@HancocksSexTears my 6 year old gets an entirely separate curriculum. I don't go shouting about it on WhatsApp either.

No. I've booked a week's holiday in Easter and August and after 2020 shit show we need to take these.

So you’d like Jan-Feb to be a school holiday? Instead of July-Aug? This would mean that schools close Jan-Feb. No staff on site, no remote learning, no mass testing, no pastoral support. Nothing.

Yes. That would be best, at least worth considering. But it’s too late now and won’t happen.

I wouldn't be happy.

Selfishly- I've been on maternity leave through this. I wouldn't gain this extra holiday I'd just have to work more for less pay. No thanks

Thinking about my colleagues- also no thanks. Break is needed between end of summer term and start of autumn.

I just don’t think you’d get enough teachers to then volunteer to continue to work through the winter. In deprived areas with high FSMs or indeed in affluent urban areas close to large hospitals, you have high numbers of children still eligible to attend schools. These schools would still need to be staffed over the winter. I really don’t think you’d have enough volunteers willing to staff schools over this period knowing they wouldn’t get the summer break.

I do think posters are right though there does need to be a shake up of education. We need to be more like industry. Not sure parents will like what that means but I am sure mant will swap their holidays for overtime pay, stopping doing all unpaid work or providing any equipment. We would have to reduce the curriculum and stop much of the other work we do but that's ok becsuse the general public don't believe we do much anyway so won't notice a difference.
As an aside, what have all of you been doing thst is above and beyond for you companies since March? I am sure many have dobe lots but what?

I've actually just been on my calendar and worked it out...... as if I have a say in things

So basically we'd have a six week break now, then run spring 2, and the whole summer term together as one long term (possibly broken up by some long weekends) then schools could have 2-3 weeks still in the summer.

Keyworker/vulnerable provision could then basically be run as a playscheme by school staff(on a voluntary and additionally paid basis) or outsourced to companies who already organise and run this sort of thing.

I think it's workable as an Emergancy measure and certainly don't see it as a "spiteful" suggestion at all.

The problem is, whenever people come up with any sort of solution they're immediately shot down in flames by somebody who wouldn't be suited by the arrangement and the govt don't have the balls to try something that radical.

But of course it just may have worked if the government had considered it back in the summer. But no, what a ridiculous notion that would be, to plan ahead. Instead they run around with their fingers in their ears avoiding taking any decisions until there really is only one option left. Numpties.

Sounds a perfect solution to me. However, no one seems keen to find solutions. The majority seem happier to complain about how any potential solution will affect them personally.

Yes. That would be best, at least worth considering. But it’s too late now and won’t happen.

Daisypond
I’m guessing you don’t have young children to find childcare for?
Many parents rely on summer sport camps, activity clubs etc. to allow them to work throughout the summer.
Schools won’t be providing ‘childcare’ if they close completely. So who will look after them?

I’d support it OP. Everyone (absolutely everyone - not just the sainted NHS and teachers) are having to make sacrifices, so sacrifice one summer holiday and let the kids have some chance of catching up with their education.

I think that would mean they'd have to hire teachers now, for the vulnerable / critical workers, plus rely on lots volunteering to change their terms and conditions of employment so they could staff the summer, and you wouldn't get enough warm bodies either way. Teachers are just like the rest of the population: if you currently work 4 days, would you be willing to work 5 for the rest of the year, maybe without extra pay? Some will, some won't. Not enough will I think. Then there's the question of exams - these are difficult to shift as the exam boards, university terms, etc all work around the exams being at a certain point. Given this is likely to be the last year of disruption it's just too much of an expensive hassle.

That said I'd be happy to look at extending my contract and teaching some weeks if the summer break - for extra pay - the same level of pay I'm getting now for the other days I work. It would probably have to be a permanent change to make that worth everyone's while though.

I don't think there is time to do anything about it now, but I do think the time has come to shake up the term dates. 6 weeks off across the summer is too long, and the weather is crap by mid August anyway.

I'd propose a 4 week on/1 week off rotation, with additional weeks off dropped in at key times (Christmas, July).