5 school terms per year?

[LittenTree]

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Bring it on, I say; but then, I'm just a parent dealing with at least 2 weeks of boredom and, increasingly, rain by the latter half of August; the tears and meltdowns associated with 9 odd week half terms and young DC, the catch-up needed most Septembers to bring them back up to where they left off 6 weeks ago....

It'll still be the same number of teaching days, and in places like Australia even term lengths with shorter hols between works very well.

The important thing would be to introduce it across the board. It would be dreadful if your younger DC were at village school (one set of dates) but the elder on the bus to the city, and the overlapping few weeks became "super peak" for holiday prices.

I like the long summer holidays for children and would be sorry if they stopped the 6 week break. I always used to love the feeling of not being in school all summer and so do my own dc.

However, I don't really buy into the reason for not doing it because of teachers health and workload . They are not the only profession that works under pressure.

No. Leave the long summer holidays alone.
I think they're important for children to get school out of their system a bit.

And a good chance to teach DC things that take a bit of time - tying shoelaces, riding a bike, fishing, swimming, etc etc

I'm not keen, I love the 6 weeks holidays. I think if there are concerns that certain children are falling behind the government should address this by providing optional summer schools.

I realise it's a tad extreme but I would consider removing my children from school and home educating if the summer hols are scrapped.

Yep, that's extreme: The idea that 2 weeks less holiday that's 10 days would cause you to perform 195 days of teaching yourself every year...

I am also thinking people's response to this will be very dependent on whether they're SAHMs, PT, FT and what their current holiday time provision is for their DCs.

And my DCs must be better at destressing than sandalwood's- they appear to have forgotten they were ever at school, 3/4 of the way through their Easter break!

Yes but it's my family I'm talking about. I'm not in a position to home educate at the moment but if this change is implemented in say 5 years time, I would consider home educating and employing a tutor or flexi schooling (I will work full time). The UK has one of the shortest summer holidays, France and USA have much longer hols.

I'd also consider taking DC out of school.

But independent schools have 10 weeks holiday and the 'catch-up' has never been a problem to them has it?

Leave well alone I say. Childhood is about so much more than school. Some children don't like school. The summer gives them a real break.

I'd like to see: 2 weeks at Xmas, 1 week in Feb, 2 weeks at Easter (fixed!), 2 weeks June, 4 weeks 'summer', 2 weeks October = 13 weeks.

I like the 6 week holidays.

I wouldn't want to see 2 weeks at October, the weather is usually awful.

If the issue is to do with children falling behind, summer schools would address that issue, personally I have found the opposite, ds is refreshed after the break. I think it's actually more to do with the governments dislike of teachers.

Also, there would never be off peak holidays. People in the tourist trade will be rubbing their hands already....

Lee private schools actually spend the same if not more time in terms of hours 'educating' than state schools. And do stacks more homework. It is often an entirely different approach to education

Several factors come into play once you start looking at private v. state:

The almost guaranteed involvement and input private school affording parents put into their DC.

The selected-ness of private school DC- far fewer SEN type things that can inhibit information retention.

The likelihood that private DCs will be doing some educational things throughout their hols.

OF course, many, many state DCs also have involved attentive parents and do educational things with their DC, but not all!

I think DCs need the long break. Totally forgetting about school and being children.
Six weeks mean they have to learn to occupy themselves and by week 4 stents have given up being stupidly over protective.

I'm only in favour of 4 weeks if we get two weeks floating holiday any time we please to really piss them off!

I'm just not convinced that only schools can educate children and only time spent staring at a white board is meaningful.

Parents, not stents

I just about always take my DC out of school for a week attached to the Whitsun half term as we are practically guaranteed good weather, but we have stopped going away in the UK in the last 2 weeks of August as we have been rained out year after year.

Anyone else noticed that 'summer' is getting earlier?

1 week less in the summer and 1 week more in October would be far better for the kids. Those winter terms are long and everyone succumbs to bugs because they are tired. You can entertain a kid in October they don't melt in the rain and if it was 2 weeks maybe more would go away then instead of Whit say, spreading the demand and lowering prices (ever the optimist).

Increasingly seems to me that the DC of mumsnetters are probably all pretty privileged, regardless of level family income - its the poor kids without that parental engagement, and resurces that suffer. For myself, our DC have 8 wks summer break, and I'd happily see 12 week summer hols like they have in Italy because my DC are lucky enough to be near lots of places to enjoy the time -park, river etc and have bikes, skateboards, garden, and a houseful of books and toys, friends that live nearby... However, if you live o the 9th floor of an inner-city tower block, no garden, busy streets all round, paretn working long an unsocail hours in ow paid jobs, or no jobs - what about those DC and their parents - tough gig, how do they cope with the current 6 weeks?

Litten have to disagree with you there. We have holidayed in Scotland the August bank holiday week for the last two years and we have sunny beach pics to prove it. one day of rain last year and absolutely none in 2010.

And ask your DC- what were they doing 4 weeks ago? And 6 weeks ago? Can't remember? Can't recall or differentiate 2 weeks apart? Try that next summer hols and see if your DC are really any more relaxed at 4 weeks and 6 weeks.

Ask how stressed they are entering week 8 of a loooong half term.

Another factor is the run up to long holidays like these: the DC appear to be winding down 2 weeks if not more prior to the holiday, anyway! Before I get reams of righteous 'Mine don't!' there are dozens of OPs supporting that notion with irritation on MN. That isn't just my imagination!

dust- to be fair, northern Scotland and Devon are a fair way apart weatherwise. Look right now at the rainfall radar!

And yes, Gisbourne- I'd extend what you say even further and maybe cite people I know who put their DCs in a private school because they were finding the week here/2 weeks there of state holidays was interfering with getting to their holiday home in St Lucia....

My DS is in a Nottingham City school, DS2 is in a County one and DD in a County preschool. I know parents who work in a school in the county but have children in the city and vice versa.

Its something that cant be done in isolation. I supported the strike and will support others.

I still think the current problem would be solved by optional summer schools. Which should be free for low income families. I went to summer camps as a child and really enjoyed them, because we were poor, I think they were free, we went on coach trips and everything.