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?

'If it affects all kids then it is a level playing field'

Well, you can ignore the evidence if you want to. The evidence says that poor kids are disproportionately disadvantaged by the long holidays and this has a cumulative affect.

It's pretty obvious really.

so if the mums of the deprived kids are unemployed they don't have any childcare issues. A bit ironic. So they have loads of free time unlike the mugs who work in schools subbing them and then having to lose the Summer break

Alot of people in education look forward to the 6th week break as school is so intense for the teachers and the students. Teaching is stressful. Also the admin staff can get loads done whilst the kids and teachers are not in school

I know in 2003 twenty five LAs changed to a 6 term year with more even holidays and prior to that some piloted 5 term years with equal holidays. What I can't seem to discover is how many, as in the case of my neighbouring authority, reverted to the old system"

If this experiment had been a success then most LAs, in the intervening years, would have adopted it. They didn't which leads me to think that for whatever reason it wasn't that popular with teachers, parents or children.

I know my neice has a five week break with a two week june half term. She's in Cheshire.

so if the mums of the deprived kids are unemployed they don't have any childcare issues exactly so why can't they be bolstering their kids education with all the free activities available, or looking after their kids so they aren't unsupervised. I'll tell you why because they don't really want to worry about them, the kids around here are all over the place during any school break because their mothers are all sat out infront of their houses smoking and swearing. They shout at me if I dare to talk to one of their DCs because I can see what they are doing is going to end up in a trip to A&E and try politely to point it out. There are social issues that cannot be put right by redistributing the holidays

Sadly I agree that perhaps changing when the school holidays are is a bit like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

word yes Cheshire schools do this, well some not all which causes issues for those who have children in a school that does and work in a school that doesn't. Ours did but they then saved up all their training days and added them on at the end of the year so we still get 6 weeks as people complained about the 5 weeks at our school, they didn't have long enough to organise both parents being off and having holiday

alemci, I'm a teacher so I know it's stressful. Thing is I find the autumn term and spring term just as stressful. I'd find it much easier to manage my stress if I had 4 weeks in summer and then 2 week holidays in the autumn and spring term. I know that most of my colleagues feel the same way and I know a lot of my students do too. My job is very all or nothing and it would be much better if it was evened out a bit.

TheCrack, it's success will always be limited unless it's adopted nationally. It would be a nightmare to have children in different LEAs with different holidays. But with academies and the stuff in the news it does look as thoughh more schools and LEAs are considering the change.

Whatever you think about unemployed mums (and I think your generalisations are incredibly distasteful) we should do everything possible to break the cycle and ensure that kids' fates are not sealed because of who their parents are.

If changing school holidays helps all our kids and kids with difficult backgrounds in particular then obviously it's worth doing.

But you do have two weeks holiday (at least) at the end of the autumn and spring terms

I'm not disputing that, mrz.

But there are advantages to a more even distribution of holidays to teachers as well as pupils.

I've just printed off the timetable for this county next school year. The autumn term has 72 days in school. That will be very tiring for the younger kids if not everyone else in education.

fivecandles your assumptions about my privileged DCs at boarding school were distasteful earlier but generalisations are what your whole argument is based on is it not otherwise everyone would be asking for whatever version of term time they wanted. I speak about the unemployed mums that live around me, they generally don't care about their DCs, I even got sworn at for taking 1 DC home to his mum after he rode his scooter down a slide and broke his arm (on a Saturday during term time as he was bored) his mum was upset that at midday I had woken her up after her hard night out the night before. Her DS was 7 and outside on his own about 1/2 a mile from his house, although was very good and even though he knew me refused a lift in my car home as you don't get in other peoples cars. I know for a fact, after seeing the child the next week, he broke his arm and his mum didn't take him to A&E until she thought she was legal to drive!! So sorry but my experience is what I take my arguments from

Yes, the autumn term is the killer. Made worse by the fact that you've got used to doing nothing for 6 weeks and then you have the longest and hardest term.

Then you'll see the advantages of those kids not being off for 6 weeks during summer won't you wheresthepimms?

well if he can do it on a weekend then no as he is going to be bored whenever he is at home maybe he should be in school all the time

an uncaring mum is an uncaring mum if the child is off 1 week or 6 weeks the outcome is the same, nothing to do from day 1 to say that at the end of holidays he is more bored and will try more ridiculous stunts is not justified he will try stunts and silly things, get into trouble from day 1 as he is bored. Boredom isn't measured in a linear progression. How many of your DPs ASBO children get them in week 6 how many within 2 weeks have any research on that?

The point about the 6 week holiday is that it's a very long time to have no routine. If you have a chaotic homelife your life is going to be severely disrupted every year. It's easier to cope if you don't lose sight of the routine and care completely.

As I said earlier I can see the point in more evenly distributed holidays but I don't think it's a simple as taking a week or two off the summer to add to existing holidays.
There have been suggestions in the past of starting the school year in January or Easter and having three or four equal terms with equal holidays

Yes, that's my point wheresthe. In 6 weeks all hell breaks out. It's much harder to get into trouble in 2 weeks in autumn. Likewise, stats on vandalism and petty crime are worse in summer.

Oh, and arson.

I think it was last year they set fire to the school.

I think the proposals are more organised than I've implied mrz. It's partly about making planning easier too. And I think allowing more opportunities for family holidays is a very good reason and may well reduce unauthorised absence.

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=14982

you aren't allowing more opportunities for family holidays as you have pointed out several time you are redistributing the holidays so no extra opportunities the holiday companies will hike the prices according to when the children are out of school