Curious: Why do private schools have such long holidays?

[Erebus]

Genuine question- I mean, I know why state schools hols are what they are, more or less (helping with harvests... etc) but why the 8 or 9 weeks, for example, in private? How did that come about? There must be an historic reason seeing as they all pretty much do the same thing, with 17 weeks holiday a year.

Actually (and perhaps controversially!) I don't envy them that loooong stretch. It'd be OK if you could spend the whole thing somewhere exotic, or with a day to day schedule of fun things to do (ie you have ££) but my DSs concede they've had enough by the end of week 5 of ours, the novelty has worn offand they miss the hustle and bustle of school life; I think the getting into the world of work would be that much harder if you were used to having 1/4 of the year off and, of course, getting back into school would be hard. For all the mums who love the long hols (I note from posts on MN practically all SAHM to whom holiday represents having no morning responsibilities!) there'd be some who'd recognise that most DCs needs some sort of educational continuity which 9 weeks of leave doesn't give!

At private school in the 90s i had-
8 weeks summer
No sept weekend
1 week october
2 weeks xmas
1 day february
2 weeks easter, never a 'spring break'
1ay day
2 days end ofay
No in service days

I have three in independent, and work in one .The teaching contracted hours are the same as the state burgandy book but teachers are expected to "take a full part in the life of the school"in practice this means many do considerable extra hours .

We have 8 weeks in the summer,2 week October break,3 weeks at Xmas and 3 weeks at easter and one week half term in each of the spring and summer terms.No Saturday school but our day is considerably longer than the state schools around here .Our catchment primary starts at 9 am and finishes at 3.10pm,the secondary starts at 9 and finishes at 3.25pm.

My year 4 ds starts at 8.45(drop off from 8.15)and finishes at 3.50pm after school activities and care is included in the fees up until 5 pm.Included in the day though is a lot more playtimes and games .Double games on Monday and Thursday , plus PE on two days as well and swimming for two terms.20 mins play in the morning and a 1.5 hours lunch break including lunch and after lunch clubs .

My Senior school children start at 8.45 and end at 4.15pm ,they have a 15 min break in the morning and 1.5 hours for lunch .They have a triple lesson and a single lesson of games a week and Friday afternoons are taken up by activities no lessons from lunchtime onwards.

So actually i am not sure how the total teaching time compares but the structure is very different.

What Erebus said is true re the social side, DS (at private) finished last week and is very bored this week as a result; he really misses the social outlet of daily minibus (almost none of his schoolmates live close). Was winding siblings up last night, I'm sure as a boredom thing. And there aren't structured activities (like art and sport sessions) starting up until next week.

To show off?

Actually, it's not a 1/4 of the year 'off', it's a 1/3 isn't it? 18 weeks off in 52?

Thanks for the breakdown of the day woodentop. The DCs do seem to be spending a lot of time at lunch and playing!

My Y5 starts at 8.35am, finishes at 3 and has 1 hour for lunch and 15 mins morning playtime. So that's 5 1/4 hours in lessons a day (which includes 2 PE lessons a week). They swim for a term a year which takes up an afternoon for a 1 1/2 hr lesson.

Erebus that is one reason we chose the school,I think children need regular time in the day to run around ,let off steam and learn to play together.At the risk of being flamed I think this is particularly important for boys who sometimes can be accused of fidgetiness and concentration issues .This doesn't seem to happen at the boy's school as much because they have short sharp lessons and lots of activity in between.

Well for boarding schools it will be so the children can actually spend some time with their families. I suppose day private schools may line up their terms with boarding schools.

At our school, woodentop, they deal with the boy+energy issue, particularly in the lower years by every so often, when deemed necessary, sending the whole class out to do a sprint around the playground then straight back in and eyes down. Apparently a tried and tested technique!

The secondary DS1 attends has long lessons and short breaks. All periods are 'double' but it doesn't seem to bother him- in fact, it must suit his leaning style as he can get immersed in a subject. But I know it wouldn't suit everyone!

JIR, yes, if you were boarding I could see the point but what %age of private DCs board full-time these days, I wonder?

Suit his learning style...! He has great 'leaning' technique already.....

my DCs have been off 2 weeks and are not bored yet either. They are still however complaining about getting up to take younger ones to state school as they are so tired from the full on term. As soon as the other 2 have finished we will be up early, riding bikes, picnics in the park, trips to library etc etc so as to fill the holidays with fun. DH can't get any time off this summer so we will be thinking of lots of activities that we can do local to home.

so that the RICHEST people in the country STILL get the cheapest holidays

its " burgundy" btw

I assume as they often do a longer working week throughout the term.

DD does an hour longer every day than her friends at the local catchment school. That soons adds up.

Also the cheap holiday thing - doesn't work. The holiday companies are not daft - sadly. They know and if yyou look into it the prices go up the week where most independents break up, normally a week before the state schools. I know, even before I worked back in the state sector, I tried to get a cheap holiday!

thanks AnThology,in bed after operation and typing on phone ,spelling does suffer a little

don't be silly no need for ,by the way I am not a teacher if that was your point

We looked at 5 fee-paying schools and 4 state schools for our children. The state schools all did 9-3 each day, bar 1 which did 8:50-3pm and took a longer lunch (because school is so big they do lunch in lits of shifts!).

The independents all did 8:30-3:15 for Reception, with after-school activities beginning at 3:30 (when Y2 finish school). Junior aged children in these schools did 8:30-4pm each day. No saturday school (these were all day schools), and all bar 1 independent were selective academically.

That amount of extra time must add-up over a school year, surely?

We didn't find it much cheaper in early July (though slightly) but it was definitely cheaper to go in Sept as my DC's school didn't start back until the 3rd week in Sept. It was also lovely and quiet.

However, I'm now working as a TA in a state primary so alas, state school hols and the crowds it is!

my Yr3 DS does 8:15 to 3:30 every day same as yr 4 DS then yr6 DD does 8:15 to 4:15 every day with Saturday school (started in yr 5) of 8:30 to 12:30. This means they are in school a lot longer, although they do do sport every day, and then when you add on the compulsory hour of prep a night they need the long holidays to compensate. FWIW my state school child did get an extra week at Whit half term to the private ones and he also had lots of training days throughout the year that the private ones don't get.

Oh and AnnThology we are not the richest people in the country as my husbands job pays the majority of our fees, couldn't afford to send even one if they didn't and to pay for the 3 we have there we are not having a holiday at all this year and we didn't last year either so the holidays could be in the middle of August for all we care

My sons school day is 8.30 - 4pm. In his old primary school his school day was 9 - 3.15. My dh and I both went to private school so the longer holidays are Something we are used to, and it hasn't really crossed our mind why the holidays are longer, a few people have commented, but their comments have gone in one ear and out the other.

He has been home 2 weeks longer than his siblings and hasn't complained of boredom yet, but he has met up with his mates,and we have kept ourselves busy. (we decorated his bedroom, had a toy over haul, a book clear out etc)

DD's private only has 2 weeks extra hols to state. Hours are the same as other local state aswell. It does run a summer school for 4 weeks - not compulsory but well attended.

I guess smaller classes would account for shorter teaching time - you can cover the work in a shorter period of time if the teacher only has 15 to listen to read not 30 etc.

In this area (lancashire) the 'wakes week' was only stopped 6 or 7 years ago. Schools used to finish end June - first two weeks were wakes weeks. Then back beginning of August then another 1 or 2 weeks off in September (to help with the harvest) Was ideal for cheaper hols.

They abolished it as August born children were starting school aged 3 and apparently teachers contracts (set by county council) ran 1/9-31/8 so disn't tie in.

I used to have at private school(Mon-Fri 08:45-3:45, No saturday school):

Friday-Monday for October half term
4 weeks for Christmas
Monday-Wednesday for February half term
4 weeks for Easter
Monday-Wednesday for May half term
Friday-Monday for School Birthday (June)
8 weeks for Summer

My kids have (Mon,Tue, Thu, Fri 08:25-17:10 Wed 08:25-15:00) (this is the honest reasons given by the school and as someone already mentioned it is a flexibility of independent schools):

2 weeks for October half term (to enable parents to go on winter sun holidays)
3 weeks for Christmas
2 weeks for February half term (to enable parents to go skiing)
4 weeks for Easter
1 week for May half term
9 weeks for Summer

Have worked in both sectors- and the independent school I taught in had closer to half a year off! Think four weeks at Christmas (why did I leave?).

We got through as much work as in my state school now.

At the end of the term, I run a babysitting service, not a school. The kids are almost blind with tiredness and cannot focus on anything important. We're well aware that it's to help the country's economy by keeping parents in work rather than to benefit the kids.