What do you think of the proposals for the new school year?

[Moomin]

Our education authority (along with a few others) is piloting the proposed new school year from Sept 2004. If it's popular it's thought that the other authorities will follow suit the next year.
It goes like this:
Autumn term: 6 week term / 2 week hol in Oct / 6 weeks / 2 week Christmas hols
Spring term: 6 weeks / 1 week hol in Feb / 6 weeks / 2 weeks Spring hols (which may or may not incorporate Easter: if it doesn't, there will be a long weekend off for Easter)
Summer term: 6 weeks / 1 week hol / 6 weeks / 5 week summer hols
Hope this is clear! Another idea that might feature is that the summer hols is cut to 4 weeks and the other week holiday is tacked onto the Feb half term. For now, though, our autority will be going with the first model.
What do you think?

From a teacher's point of view I think it's much better. My only suggestion for improvement is staggering the holidays between different authorities - so as to get a bit more equalirt in holiday prices. Why should all of us with children have to pay so much more to go on holiday?

Incidentally they were going to pilot it here but there wasn't enough support for the idea.

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I can't see a huge difference from the current school year, if I'm perfectly honest!

Notts is thinking of doing a five term year which is slightly more radical. Here's the proposal, as reported in our local paper:

"Nottingham City Council is plotting a huge school year shake-up to create a new five-term model. It would mean:

Five terms of exactly eight weeks
Cutting the summer holiday from six to four weeks
A two-week holiday in October
Two weeks at Christmas
Two weeks in late February and early March

Axing the traditional two-week Easter break in favour of a later fortnight holiday in May."

This, if accepted, will start in 2006/7. Apparently it was proposed a few years ago and although parents were in favour, teachers threw it out, unions reacted very badly saying the summer break is a teaching perk and that 8-week terms are too long (in Australia that was normal. In fact, there were only four terms over there but still a long summer holiday).

I don't really see a big difference - the current 2 week Whit break is just swapped for a 2 week one in October, by the looks of it. And the Autumn term is shorter? But 2 weeks off in cold wet dark October doesn't sound so atractive.

I think it sounds fantastic - it really is different. These crazy differences in terms are frustrating for children, and must be a nightmare to teach. This half term is only 4 weeks, including two occasional days (bank holiday and polling day). The children are only just getting into the swing of things, and they break up next week. ...The following half term is 7 weeks. My boys are still very young (just 4 and nearly 6), and they have been completely dead on their feet on the last week or two of each 7 or 8 week term ... it is just too long without a break.

Next half term is a 7 week term, we have a 6th birthday on the last weekend before they break up (added excitement), and a huge family wedding the weekend before that. I am dreading it already - they are going to be utterly exhausted.

I agree with judetheobscure re staggering the holidays between different authorities - they do this in Germany.

Just for your interest this is what they do in NZ ....
Term 1: Start end Jan - 10 weeks (no half term break)
Two week holiday (incorporating Easter... if Easter is early or late they jiggle term 1 and 2 around a bit)
Term 2: Start end of April - 10 weeks (no half term)
Two week holiday
Term 3 Start mid July - 10 weeks (again no break)
Two week holiday
Term 4 Start beginning October - 10 weeks (no break)
Christmas holidays start mid (ish) December and are for 6 weeks.

Sometimes (due to Easter falling at funny times) they have to have a nine week term followed by an 11 week term ... but it seems to be an average of 10 weeks.

Not sure what I think about it ... as a teacher I would be knackered teaching 10 weeks without a break but then you have two whole weeks to look forward to.

Planning wise it is nice and easy ... 10 is a nice round number.

Agree that the differences in term lengths in the UK is hard work ... very difficult to plan units of work etc.

Anyway .. it doesn't seem to be a problem for parents, staff or kids here ....

Obviously ... the summer holidays are the Christmas holidays here ... but I didn't need to tell you that

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It doesn't seem hugely different from what we have in Scotland, tbh.

Our year runs:
Term - Mid Aug to early Oct.
First two full weeks in Oct as holiday.
Term - Late Oct to Xmas.
Two weeks holiday.
Term - Jan to April with long weekend in Feb.
First two full weeks in April as holiday.
Term - Mid April to end of June with a long weekend for half term in May.

I'm not sure I'd want two weeks off in cold gloomy February, when nothing is open, though! A four week summer holiday means that some people with inflexible working routines, like offshore workers, would only be able to take a week away and be home for just ten days out of the four weeks. Having different holidays in different areas is awful if you have children at more than one school and makes visiting friends/relatives living elsewhere very awkward.

I think Aussie and Kiwi kids and teachers must be tougher than their UK counterparts since they seem to cope well with 'long' terms - quite a few parents I know have complained about any half term which has been longer than 6 weeks, saying it exhausts the children.

Locally, I see more and more parents taking their children away to the sun in October or February (and taking them out of school in Jan or March) and the growing popularity of the US and Canadian ski resorts may mean that some parents would welcome a two-week February break.

Wouldn't staggering the holidays between authorities simply mean that the "high season" prices simply span the whole of the time children are on holiday? It would probably mean less opportunities for families with non-school children/no children to go out of season rather than cheaper prices in school holidays.

Maybe you inadvertantly hit on the reason why Aussies and Kiwis are 'tougher', SueW, when you mention 'sun'. Ime, it's an awful lot easier to be 'up and doing' when the weather is nice!

I didn't know about Feb skiing in the US - the only person I know who does that is my former (childfree) boss. Do lots of people really do that, in your neck of the woods? Maybe my area's just impoverished and people can't afford two holidays a year.

suedonim, you have mis-interpreted my post

Local people I know take their children to the sun in Feb but travel pages are full of US and Canadian ski holidays - personally, I wouldn't want to take a child skiing there in Feb half term for a week and deliver them back to school around 24 hours after their return as I think they need longer to recover.

However, a two week half term holiday would allow a week to ten days in somewhere like Canada and a week of chilling out at home before returning to school for those that can afford it (and from what I have read, the cost of those holidays is not excessive compared to European resorts).

Sorry, Suew, I'm confused! What have I misinterpreted?

As a teacher I hate the idea of tinkering with the school year - especially shortening the summer break.

Just think about it - currently we have 6 weeks in which all of us who have to stick to holiday time, or those parents who don't wish to take their kids out of school to take our holiday. We all know how expensive it is to do this now! Just imagine if we are all trying to cram our holidays into four weeks - especially when you take into account many foreign hols are midweek to midweek - that potentially leaves only 3 possible departure dates to get a 2 week holiday. Just how expensive is that going to be???

I dislike the idea of staggering the holidays as it could cause all sorts of problems for those who wish to holiday with friends and family elsewhere in the country, and could play havoc with staffing when teachers move jobs outside the authority.

I know those who don't teach feel we get long holidays, but it is such a physically and emotionally demanding job we need that break - we can't just decide to have a long weekend here or there, or take an afternoon off when we feel like it - our holiday is fixed.

I see these proposals, rather than reducing the number of children taken out of school for holidays, which once you get to secondary level I feel is immensely disruptive, rather than reduce it.

Sorry, the last sentance doesn't make sense!

What I was trying to say was that I see reducing the school summer hol to 4 or 5 weeks will increase the number of pupils being taken out of school for family holidays as the prices for the holiday dates will be so high. There will be no benefit in the fortnight 'half terms' either as holiday companies will just put the prices up for those times too.

I feel we should be doing more to discourage people from taking secondary age children out of school for holidays. (and I do realise that this is another contentious issue which has been discussed recently - I don't want to start the arguement again, just putting my point of view forward!) I see these new proposals only increasing the problem

DON'T!!!!! This is my biggest pet hate at the moment!!! It makes my blood boil. It's a totally useless exercise and just another bloody example of this pitiful government fannying around with our education system for who knows what reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've yet to meet one single teacher who thinks it's a good idea - and it just adds extra weeks for the holiday industry to fleece us out of yet more money!!!!
Yes, I am a teacher - couldn't you tell

I'm just here to agree with judetheobscure (AGAIN! It seems to be my main function at the moment!)
I would LOVE to have shorter terms and a shorter summer break and think it would be much betetr for the kids too

Our LEA is bringing this in as well, with the 2 week holiday in February. I'm glad my kids are old enough not to need "minding" in the holidays- finding someone to have them to cover a week is usually feasible but 2 weeks is stretching things too far.

The government wants everyone to work, and a high proportion of families has both parents working (through necessity, not choice), yet our school system doesn't allow that to happen without a great deal of juggling.

When I started school, back in the late 60s, the school day was from 8.45 am to 4 pm (for a rising 5). Now schools are open from 9 till 3, and wonder why they haven't got time to get through enough lessons.

I don't agree with the tinkering that goes on. If they want to reform then do it properly and in one go. I can't see that these new terms are going to benefit anyone much, so why don't they leave things as they are.

I'm all in favour of set terms. We are also in the position of having 2 long half terms, followed by a 4 week term. Completely ridiculous. The kids get trashed by an 8 week term, are just getting into their stride when they have another week off. Also, speaking as a working parent (p/t) it would really help if I know well in advance when I need to take my holidays. I have already had to nag the school (last year) to get the next years (2002-2003) holiday list which wasn't issued til Feb 2002. I have to plan my holidays from jan to Jan so it is important to know when I will need extra days. I would also like a 2 week holiday in May, so we can go to all those places (Greece, Canaries etc) which I (v. fair skinned) can't go to in the summer.

Noooo It's about the only perk of being a teacher. Crap pay, crap conditions, expected to work a minimum 60 hour week, but at tleast we get a long summer holiday!

I don't know slug - my friend who has re-trained from nursing to teaching rates her new job very highly compared to her old one. As does another who is almost completed her training - from banking to teaching. Maybe they'll feel differently in a few years - it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Call it end of year syndrome. I currently have 80 AVCE assignments sitting on my desk to be marked by next week. The pressure from exam boards is constant and they keep changing the damn goalposts. Probably it is easier in primary or secondary where there isn't so much internal assesment.

Sorry, I have to take issue with the comment that 'schools are open from 9 until 3'.

Each secondary school has to provide 25 hours teaching time per week. This does not include lunch or break time, nor registration/assembly time. So, my school and all others I know of provide 5 hours of lessons each day, we have 25 minutes registration each day, and a total of 1hr 15mins breaks. Our school day runs from 8.50am to 3.30pm. I am often in school for 8.15, and if we have an after school meeting or I'm catching up with marking or preparation it is often 5.00 or later before I leave. I then always have work to do in the evening, often at least an hour, sometimes much more.

I'm not entering into a 'who works harder' competition - I retrained as a teacher from the NHS and wouldn't go back, but it's not quite such an easy life as is portrayed by some!