Changes to holidays - debate on woman's hour

[fivecandles]

Apparently Nottingham LEA is piloting a change to school holidays such that the long summer holiday is reduced to 4 weeks but the half-terms become 2 weeks long so no time lost in total, just redistributed. I think it's a really good idea for all the reasons given on the programme and I'm a teacher. Anyone else got thoughts?

[jabed]

I believe in industry the manufacturing summer holidays are still around three weeks in the middle of August. Six weeks school holiday at this time is far less disruptive to parents who will find it easier to get child care as well as have time off with their families in the summer. Factories do not close down at any other time of year.

[bebanjo]

5candels, do you really believe that ALL CHILDREN FORGET the previous terms work in the 6 weeks holiday?
could it be that they never really understood it?
or are you proposing that the more time spent out of the classroom the more is forgotten?
so maybe never leave school, because if you take a year out you will have to go back and redo it, of course brain dead adults like myself can barely remember how to writ my own name.
Your DC get bored in the summer break, i would say they need to feel that boredom more often, not less. Its what you do with your boredom that is interesting, that is when you discover who you are and where your true interests lie.
It has already been established (i believe) that the most important factor to a child's success is parental interest and involvement, for example reading to your child. i would love to know how shifting 2 weeks of a child's annual holiday would effect parental involvement?

[mrz]

I think the small number of children who "forget" were never secure in the knowledge or skill and this problem rather than the length of the summer holidays should be the issue.

[wheresthepimms]

I think the problem here is that 5candles thinks that the most important thing in a childs education is a measurable amount of maths and English. What happened to be rounded children who know how to play, problem solve, interact socially and emotionally with other children. These are all the things they learn in their long summer break and they also need the downtime away from the rigid learning structure of school. My DD10 has spent the first 3 weeks of the holidays asking to do nothing as she is so tired from school and just wants free time.

If you are worried about the 6 weeks making a grades difference in exam results then why are we not changing the school year to have several admission times with a continuous educational rota so that those born in August don't drop a grade due to being the youngest in the year? It is unfair on them that they are the youngest but we don't change the system for that minority do we?

[Wants3]

I love looking forward to the long summer break. There is no need to rush to do anything because we know we have 6 weeks. I feel that my children and those I work with need time just to kick back and be children. More funding should be put into the wonderful play schemes and centres instead of shortening holidays!