Why are the terms shorter at private schools?

[wildscaryface]

They seem shorter by three weeks a term at least. Any reason for this?

Here, DD has 3 extra week's holiday and no INSETs (al within the extra holidays). She also tends to break up for Christmas/Easter/Summer at noon on a Friday.

At DD's school the extra weeks are tagged to Easter. Christmas and Summer - so summer holidays this year were 8 weeks, rather than the 6.5-7 weeks I get (I work in a state infant school.)

However she does longer days than the days at our lcal state schools.

In infant she did 8:30am to 3:30pm and in juniors she finishes at 3:45pm.

Also, in DD's school class sizes are capped much smaler than in the local state schools, so the work can often be a bit more intense - as they get more teacher time.

BonnyDay - saldy even the holiday companies have cottoned on to this- we have never benefitted from finishing a week before the state school; the prices go up to coincide handily with the private schools IMO. The holiday companies are not daft, mores the pity. You can somtimes benefit the week before Christmas depending on how the holidays fall.

They have longer days. Some have Saturday school too. I would pay, if I had the money, to have longer holidays with my children. Am very envious of parents with children at private school just for that reason. Maybe I should be home educating!

Long days and Saturday school.

I also agree that teachers wouldn't want to teach at those schools were it not for the longer holidays - the hours at a boarding school are just ridiculous.

Fairly long days - 8.15-4.45, and often extra stuff to keep kids there longer - choir, orchestra, sport etc.

But dunno if that's the reason. Last year we got 23 weeks off.

4.45????????

23 weeks off??? Blimey.

I have a hard enough time filling 17 weeks of holiday!

Yup - eight in the summer, four at both xmas and easter, plus two week half term time three...which makes twenty two doh!!!!!

We go away a lot.

We go away a lot too, but I get fed up with so much travelling/packing/unpacking!

Maybe to boost profits...

Our local private schools make a profit from the holidays by hiring out buildings etc for conferences, holiday clubs, GT workshops for the state school kids.

Long days, weekend work - DC is in a school play where teachers give up masses of time at weekends and evening for rehearsals and performances and music events - sports matches are on Saturdays and many teacher who don't even have to be ther come to support their classes, school trips are in school holidays, not term time, the school reports are regular, comprehensive and detailed about the specific child.. The teachers are are more like university lecturers in that they are extremely entusiastic and engaged with their subject and heavily research them, several have written books about their subjects.
The teachers deserve thos hols!The children work hard in term time and also deserve the hols.
Added benefit is the chance to travel in weeks when other hols are still in term - next year can take DS skiing as he is off the week before the prices double (yes, double), and cheaper/quieter summer hol as the school breaks up three (cheaper) weeks earlier thant the state schools.
HAve children in stes and indie - prefer the indie work/hol regime, and can't wait for DS2 to move to indie. [hgrin]

Mrs Ghoul
Nah...as a state school teacher, I:
..never attend meetings after school
..never give up masses of time for music events
..never attend saturday sports matches
..always cut n paste the same report for every child (never write one for 'the specific child' - what a waste of time that would be)
..never add detail in reports
..never research anything
..am never enthusiastic
..know nothing about what I'm teaching
..never research anything

"next year can take DS skiing as he is off the week before the prices double (yes, double), and cheaper/quieter summer hol as the school breaks up three (cheaper) weeks earlier thant the state schools." yet again the richest in society get the cheapest deals YAY YOU !

I'm concerned about baby ghoul being left home alone so he can toddle off to his state school while the rest of the family buggers off skiing.

Stoat I think they are taking him once he has escaped the horrors of his inferior state education and moved to private.

Wow Litchick your school gets a two week half term in the spring and summer terms. That is unusual. Lots of private schools seem to be trialling the two week half term in the autumn but hadn't heard about it in other terms.

I expect the teachers will go too.

@ stoats - us state school teachers are such a lazy bunch eh?!

liking stoats response to mrs ghoul
was thinking exact same thing

all the state teachers I hve come across have been nothing but dedicated and enthusiastic
all teachers ime give up loads of personal time for their students

• all the state teachers I know are trained for their job. I know a lot of university lecturers (all have written books) none of them would have a clue how to teach their subject to and eight year old.

i don't know but when i must admit i am greatly appreciating a two week' half term at present for the first time ever after working in state schools previously. The day is longer and the students work till 4 pm

when i was at school in the 80s the private schools used to have very short half term sometimes 3.5 days. I think this was because of the borders being stuck at the school in half term

GGT - all the private schools round here have a 2 week half term in the autumn and have had for some time. Only one week in spring and summer though.

[hgrin] - DS2 will be taking a week out of school to go skiing with his bro'. As it happens, had he been in school, he would otherwise have been 'taught' by the student the school has decided is okay to cover for their regular teacher for a month.

...in Year 6 - because apparently by Y6, they no longer nee d a fuul-time qaulifies teacher [hhmm]