Extending school term at end of July

[NeverForgetYourDreams]

That's not going to work. Another ridiculous idea. What about all those people that moved their cancelled holidays for 2020 by a year. Summer holidays may go ahead if vaccine roll out happens and who is going to cancel and lose their money - I'm not. Will be lots of absent children.

We do often get good weather in May and June but we definitely get much better weather in July and August than December

I would not support a four week summer holiday. I would support a longer summer holiday, all of July and August off would be a good start. Our children need down time, time to just be and pursue interests that they can't when most of their days are dedicated to school and homework.

So many people forgetting that these are children, not mini adults, and basing the desire for schools to return for adult reasons.

My child is doing enough school work. I wouldn't want the term extended.

"my holiday is far more important than my child's education"

Nice.

@TheyIsMyFamily

I would not support a four week summer holiday. I would support a longer summer holiday, all of July and August off would be a good start. Our children need down time, time to just be and pursue interests that they can't when most of their days are dedicated to school and homework.

So many people forgetting that these are children, not mini adults, and basing the desire for schools to return for adult reasons.

A two month summer holiday? 6 weeks is bad enough for working parents!! Some kids are with a childminder or in holiday clubs for most of that time not spending time with their family

@WombatChocolate

Probably if the government want to provide more contact hours for the kids...either after school or in the holidays, they just need to look at hiring a lot more staff to do it. That’s the essence of it all isn’t it. If here is lots more work to do, lots more staff are needed.

But do we think the government will be willing to fund that and train and recruit more teachers either for the summer or into the longer term?

It’s always the heart of this issue...funding enough staff so the job can be done....not thinking the existing staff should do double.

I have zero problem with extra provision for any children in any schools. But it has to be funded and there has to be recognition that existing staff cannot do the job of 2 people or 2 people’s hours, so more staff are needed. That’s down to government to provide isn’t it and not to existing teachers.

But the thing is, they can’t magic up more teachers by summer...so any genuine academic catch up can’t happen. And they won’t want to fund training and recruiting more, so in reality there won’t be more or better provision long term. It’s the children who are then short changed...by government and not by the existing teachers.

What about supply teachers?? There's already a huge bank of qualified teachers who might love some more work in the summer

The single best thing they could do would be employ an additional TA for each class in primary, so that one to ones/interventions can be made, in school time so that children's individual needs can be assessed, understood and met.

For 3 years. It would get a lot more people back in employment too.

But the govt really wants something that costs 5p, and that teachers can object to, so that they can be blamed. Extending the summer term is pissing in the wind, frankly, it is so pointless in terms of qualitative impact.

@worriedandannoyed

“Might”

And what if they are not interested?

@MintyMabel

"my holiday is far more important than my child's education"

Nice.

I’m not sure who you’re quoting but I feel my family holiday is more important that two weeks tacked into what would become a 9 week half term. I’m a teacher and believe me any term past 6 weeks is a slog, everyone is tired. My own children are primary aged and a summer of sun and fun will be way more beneficial to them to recharge afresh for the new school year.

Half term past 6 weeks I mean.

An additional 2 weeks really isn't going to cut it. They'd be better of changing the school year January to December. Kids now stay in their current year until Christmas holidays. Exams CAN be taken later in September and October. Summer holidays can stay. Universities can also start in January. Current 3 and 4 year olds will just have to wait an extra 3 months before starting nursery / school.

And while we're at it, scrap GCSEs. There's no point to them now if kids are staying on into sixth form. Schools can run their own internal exams.

@lunapeace

An additional 2 weeks really isn't going to cut it. They'd be better of changing the school year January to December. Kids now stay in their current year until Christmas holidays. Exams CAN be taken later in September and October. Summer holidays can stay. Universities can also start in January. Current 3 and 4 year olds will just have to wait an extra 3 months before starting nursery / school.

Oh yeah we can just switch the university term to run from January at the drop of a hat......

For a number of reasons this wouldn't work practically without other countries doing the same and us employing more staff and building more buildings!

@TheyIsMyFamily

I would not support a four week summer holiday. I would support a longer summer holiday, all of July and August off would be a good start. Our children need down time, time to just be and pursue interests that they can't when most of their days are dedicated to school and homework.

So many people forgetting that these are children, not mini adults, and basing the desire for schools to return for adult reasons.

Not forgetting that at all. If you have the resources to pay for a fortnight's holiday, plenty of day trips, for extra curricular activities, a large garden and a good support network for childcare, a two month summer holiday may sound like a wonderful idea.

For those who live in a cramped terrace or flat with little to no outdoor space and for whom finances are tight, who can't afford holidays or trips out or only get four weeks annual leave from work, maybe not.

@DBML
I get totally what you’re saying about using Nelledee as an example of being a good teacher by working on a Saturday. I wasn’t using her in this sense rather as an example of working effectively with her students because a) she’s offering home learning, not home teaching b) that working on a Saturday shows that many teachers are going above and beyond. That didn’t for me imply that no one doing this isn’t going above and beyond or that she should be praised for working with teaching on a Saturday. Of course teaching on a Saturday shouldn’t be necessary nor for that matter should teachers have had to track and trace on xmas day, which I understand happened. If anything working on a Saturday shows just how much more work the pandemic is created for a lot of teachers, how knackered they are and just why extending the term is unworkable.

What are you going to do with all the 3/4 year olds for that term @lunapeace ? Where will they go? If they stay at current setting there is no space for younger children to start , I’m all for extending the early years but it’s not as simple as that.

Thanks @Mummyoflittledragon

@Carlislemumof4
I think that it is possible that things might change. However, I think within a year or two, parents will see the shortcomings of the idea to reduce the Summer holiday and their children will always be at a disadvantage.

The summer is dead time in the curriculum. We don’t need it. Exams are over, classes wind down. Meanwhile, that summer holiday is vital for adapting the curriculum; re-writing schemes of work; adapting and modernising tasks and lessons etc. Less time in the summer, translates to less time spent on planning and preparation. This equates to less updating overall and lower quality T&L. If I’ve got 6 weeks off, I spend a few weeks unpaid updating my courses and trying to find new and interesting ways to deliver them. If I’ve only got 4 weeks, take out my holiday (which is usually 5 weeks anyway) I would not be so inclined to utilise my time on work.
The children are the ones who will pay for this in terms of learning efficiency and enjoyment.

Additionally extending the Oct half term will impact time spent on revising and preparing for mocks and NEAs.
Extending the Christmas holiday impacts on the time we have to do NEAs (coursework).
Extending the Easter holiday impacts on GCSE prep time.
All time that we cannot afford to lose in secondary school at least.

So you take away 2 important learning weeks, to replace them with essentially 2 weeks of childcare during the summer.

There is no way around this other than to:
Change the way the curriculum is taught and all of the timings - a ginormous task that would have to be National.
Ask teachers to give up yet MORE time during the summer, effectively reducing their break to a mere two weeks.

Personally, from a parents point of view, it’s a horrible idea. Unless I don’t really give a shit about the learning and care more about the childcare.

From a teachers point of view, I would feel terribly sorry for exam year kids (10-13) and it would be a minor inconvenience as I’d have to reduce my vacation time. But I would NOT spend any of my precious 4 week long summer, improving T&L going forward.

I agree DBML. Usually I go into school for about a week in the summer, clear and reorganise resources, plan new curriculum tasks, rewrite policies.

@sherrystrull

I agree DBML. Usually I go into school for about a week in the summer, clear and reorganise resources, plan new curriculum tasks, rewrite policies.

Likewise.

My home for 5.5 weeks in the summer is in Florida. I take my laptop and work by the pool.
Then when I return to the UK I spend 4-5 days in school before it officially opens. All to ensure the children have the best experience possible and to adapt course guidance, PowerPoints; worksheets as tasks; activities and practicals. Place orders for things to enhance my lesson. Arrange seating plans so learners excel. All things I won’t be doing if I have a 4 week summer.

I don't understand why people even make these assinine suggestions which are never going to fly.

Teachers won't do it, especially if they have already booked a holiday at that time.

Half the pupils won't attend as they will either be on holiday or their parents will be against the whole idea.

What would you teach for those two weeks? Are you really going to be testing and assessing in them?

If they tried to implement it, it would involve a mixture of supply and regular teachers teaching to half empty classrooms and having to reteach it all come September anyway to exhausted kids.

Exam boards just have to work with schools to have slightly smaller curricula until the year groups affected by corona have gone through the school system. Every single topic is not so vital that a 5% pruning could not be made; in fact it might even improve it.

@DBML

Thanks *@Mummyoflittledragon*

@Carlislemumof4
I think that it is possible that things might change. However, I think within a year or two, parents will see the shortcomings of the idea to reduce the Summer holiday and their children will always be at a disadvantage.

The summer is dead time in the curriculum. We don’t need it. Exams are over, classes wind down. Meanwhile, that summer holiday is vital for adapting the curriculum; re-writing schemes of work; adapting and modernising tasks and lessons etc. Less time in the summer, translates to less time spent on planning and preparation. This equates to less updating overall and lower quality T&L. If I’ve got 6 weeks off, I spend a few weeks unpaid updating my courses and trying to find new and interesting ways to deliver them. If I’ve only got 4 weeks, take out my holiday (which is usually 5 weeks anyway) I would not be so inclined to utilise my time on work.
The children are the ones who will pay for this in terms of learning efficiency and enjoyment.

Additionally extending the Oct half term will impact time spent on revising and preparing for mocks and NEAs.
Extending the Christmas holiday impacts on the time we have to do NEAs (coursework).
Extending the Easter holiday impacts on GCSE prep time.
All time that we cannot afford to lose in secondary school at least.

So you take away 2 important learning weeks, to replace them with essentially 2 weeks of childcare during the summer.

There is no way around this other than to:
Change the way the curriculum is taught and all of the timings - a ginormous task that would have to be National.
Ask teachers to give up yet MORE time during the summer, effectively reducing their break to a mere two weeks.

Personally, from a parents point of view, it’s a horrible idea. Unless I don’t really give a shit about the learning and care more about the childcare.

From a teachers point of view, I would feel terribly sorry for exam year kids (10-13) and it would be a minor inconvenience as I’d have to reduce my vacation time. But I would NOT spend any of my precious 4 week long summer, improving T&L going forward.

Well no, you move two or more learning weeks from elsewhere in the academic year. Of course everything, planning, curriculum, tests etc. will have to be adjusted too.

Many children like mine will have only been in the classroom for three months in a year if they go back in March. It's going to take some time to settle back among peers and to working in a busy classroom as opposed to alone or with siblings at home. A six week break after just settling back in is the last thing many children will need. Childcare? No, this year it's about mental health and social development as well as academic progress.

Summer months give the opportunity for lots of outdoor lessons and throwing open all the windows. Adjusting the academic year to take advantage of that considering this pandemic will continue in waves for years makes complete practical sense. Hopefully that sort of measure combined with a yearly vaccination programme will mean no more school closures.

Honestly, I think the policy for schools is just to have a bunch of monkeys on typewriters, spewing out any old shit, just so they can say that teacher's are being obstructive.

Send them in in no masks! Full classes, no matter how many cases! Get them to work after school! In their holidays! Get them to run mass testing programs! Stop the mass testing! Do a bit of mass testing! Rotas! No Rotas! Rotas! Catch ups! No catch ups! Laptops! No, not that many laptops! School meals! No schools meals! School meals! Hot meals! Cold meals! Kids in! Kids out! Too many kids in! Not enough kids in! Live lessons! Not that many live lessons you lazy bastards!

Now look at those fucking unions, making a bloody mess of things, again.

This is just a smokescreen, nothing will be done.
The Government are just throwing out stories to distract us plebs . When did they ever care about underachieving children, mental health or deprivation before.
These stories are all designed to take our eyes away from the pandemic, chumocracy and the shambles that is left of our U.K. export trade.
This is all fiddling while Rome burns.
Nothing will be done.

Exhausted children do not learn well, the children in primary schools will be exhausted after two 7 week terms. You can say yours won’t but all the experienced teachers and many parents don’t agree. If this was to happen it would need to show impact on learning and I would bet my mortgage it won’t because cramming children when they are exhausted is not how they learn.

I don't think it's fair on the teachers never mind the children. They are working throughout all of this and need their well deserved break.

Our school finishes early July and has already extended by a week (private) but I wouldn't be happy with any more.

Having said that; we're only primary age, maybe I'd feel differently if it was seniors.