Gove says lengthen school days and shorten long summer holiday

[juneau]

Here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22202694

I think it's a great idea and I'm sure working parents will welcome it. I also think it's bollocks that teachers need the six week summer break to recharge their batteries. Do they work harder or longer hours than other workers who only get four or five weeks a year then?

Having just endured a bored DS1 over the Easter holidays I think any break of more than two weeks is actually pretty dull for kids and I'm sure poorer kids really suffer from lack of stimulation and/or money to do stuff.

[thecatfromjapan]

To be fair, it is an idea that has been around for a long time. It is the principle behind Mossbourne in Hackney - which is a school I think Mr Gove rates.

I still think it really, really sucks.

We made a conscious choice not to send our children to Mossbourne precisely because we didn't like the way it operated. the idea that the whole of the state sector might be "Mossbourned" ... it's a horrible idea.

The majority of parents/families/children in the state sector are not feral. I really don't think we need this. I really don't want it. We moved to get away from it ....

[snotfunny]

Ok, so if I'm teaching until 5 o'clock, I will still have the two hours (minimum) admin/planning/marking/pointless evidence gathering and number crunching per day. When on Earth am I going to see my own children (who are also going to be knackered and grumpy by the time they get home)?

I do actually feel that the summer holidays are too long and wouldn't argue with having the holidays rejigged and longer school days are not a terrible idea per se - but I would want the extra time devoted to extra PE with specialist teachers or art or drama or activities that class teachers are not always the best at teaching (I'm talking about Primary School here). Children could have options for an after lesson activity per day that would enrich their learning. This would benefit the children like the ones I teach, who's parents generally don't send the children to scouts or music lessons...etc. It may also take away some of the strain of us trying to jam things like music lessons into the crammed school day.

However, I get the distinct feeling that he's not talking about enriching and broadening children's experiences - he would probably want them doing extra maths and literacy in this time, not more creative subjects.

The constant message he gives is that teachers are idle and are happy to coast along failing children and having low expectations.

I don't recognise that picture.

[HesterShaw]

Goblin that sounds like exactly the kind of thing Gove would love. why don't you suggest it? It would definitely be a go-er.

(I think you forgot Latin. It did Gove loads of good, and he wants children to have the same education as we did - without the holidays)

[macreturnofthe]

i think politicians should stop fucking around with the education system.

[ZZZenagain]

provision of a summer school programme aimed to provide revision/preparation and also some extra-curricular activities perhaps for the next year, and also some extra-curricular activities perhaps (chance to try new things, and incentive for the dc to want to attend) for dc from disadvantaged backgrounds and anyone else who struggles with childcare for say 2-3 weeks out of the summer holidays might be an option. Not everyone would use it but it could be offered in say one out of 3 schools perhaps on a needs assessed basis. THis would help single parents who struggle with childcare and do something for those dc whose educational standards drop as a result of being at home during the summer break (the dc reported as being from disadvantaged backgrounds). Another group who might benefit from this is dc for whom English is not the mother tongue who could do with extra work.

I would not enforce it, I would make it an option for the parents but compulsory attendance for those who have signed up.

[pot39]

"utter bollocks" Mr Gove to quote ds2 when he was 11. I agree with much of what others say. Being bored is good for children occasionally it gives them the chance to think and sometimes they have a creative idea. Gove has no idea how hard teachers work. My children have always been at local state schools and had excellent, dedicated and inspiring teachers who work at leaset forty hours a week at school and often many more at home. And many of them work at school during the hols. So back off back to poshdom mr Gove.

[YoniTrix]

Dreadful idea. I'm a working parent and I wouldn't welcome it. DS is knackered at the end of the school day as it is and is definitely ready for a holiday at the end of term. I loved the long summer holidays as a child, I would hate fior my DS to be deprived of that and not have as much time to just play.

[GoblinGranny]

'I think you forgot Latin. It did Gove loads of good, and he wants children to have the same education as we did - without the holidays'

Well, I did say two languages. Perhaps it should be two languages plus Latin?

[Makinglists]

I dislike Gove with a passion he is creating an education system that I don't want for my children. My DS1 is exhausted by the EOT if he carried on it would be diminishing returns until he would learn nothing. The school day is also long enough my son is a child and needs time to be a child I also want to have input into his 'whole' education and do things with him and his brother that would never happen at school. I work and yes the holidays are an issue but I knew they would be and that was part of the deal of having children. Gove leave our children alone!

[HesterShaw]

Imagine a little infant child facing a day as long as that.

He has no understanding of children WHATSOEVER.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Another classic example of making it up as you walk into the office from The Govester..... And a great way of having teachers leave the profession in droves...

Way to go!

[landofsoapandglory]

DS2's school (an academy) is talking about changing the school day come September and I am so glad DS2 is leaving and off to 6th form college.

At present the school day is 8.30am until 2.50pm, but as the school is fed by a rural community most DC leave to get the bus around 7.30(some earlier) and return home around 3.40pm. They want to change it to 9.00am - 4.15pm Monday - Thursday, and 2.30pm on a Friday. I think it is a terrible idea. The DC will be out of the house from 8.00am until around 5.15(maybe 5.30 because the traffic is worse then). They will still have homework and will be knackered. The HT reckons their grades will go up because they will get a 30 minute lie in!

Our county has a 2 week half term in October which I love, but they are talking about scrapping to bring us inline with the rest of the country, we tend to have around 5 weeks in the Summer.

I think the school day is fine. People need to remember that DC in primary school are only little and tire easy, then as they move through secondary school they get lots of homework, so they actually get very little time to be bored!

[Talkinpeace]

Gove does not care because his children will go to private school ....

[GoblinGranny]

Well, 4 years old for school, but at 3 years old they will be in compulsory nursery from 8-7 and sent home in their jammies to be kissed and put to bed.
Unless they are poor sleepers or bedwetters, where the parent would have the option of leaving them in the training dormitories.

[SirChenjin]

Bloody marvellous idea imo. Sadly it will never happen because a)they don't have the money to pay for it and b)the Unions will call for strike action.

I would keep the school days the same length as they are now for primary schools, but there is no reason on earth why the high schools shouldn't finish later.

[racmun]

Terrible idea.
Why should my child be compulsorily stuck at school longer just to help out with other people childcare arrangements and lack of imagination for activities.

There are always after school and holiday clubs if need be. Gove's efforts would be better placed ensuring that all schools have the facility of offering extra cuticular activities to those who want it.

[Talkinpeace]

anybody what what Mrs Gove's Mumsnet name is - she's not used the iteration I outed since January ....

[zadie78]

The awful thing is, that there are plenty of us who would welcome this, because we, despite wanting with all our hearts to be stay at home mothers, are unable to, and must go out to work along with our husbands/wives/partners if we want to pay a mortgage on a house big enough to raise a small family in. No spare bedrooms round here, I can tell you.

Longer hours in school and less holidays would massively help - our children wouldn't be shovelled from pillar to post, from childminder to granny, to friend, to holiday playscheme - they'd be attending the same place, with the same staff, consistently, while we were out trying to earn a crust. Some children just don't react too well to constant change/lack of routine/consistent care, and while their mothers would dearly love to be able to provide it 24/7, are unable to for financial reasons.

As for how it's going to be funded - presumably all the working tax credit that goes to parents like me, and many, many others, which is currently being paid to childminders and private holiday playschemes, will go some way towards it, if not the whole way. Childminders round here charge £5 an hour per child. So say 4 children, is £20 per hour (I know they have a lot of expenses so understand that this is no way to become rich) which might pay for two teachers to cover a class?

You ladies who are able to choose to stay at home are very, very lucky.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

School finishes at the same time as it did back in my day. Why should it be longer? When would you run clubs? When would teachers plan and prepare?

Makes no sense to me

[GoblinGranny]

Oh, and it could be funded by having a One Child Policy like China.
You'd have to sell the others.

[HesterShaw]

Comes back to outrageous accomodation costs being the source of many of society's ills, zadie

[snotfunny]

I also love how he slams the unions for 'putting the needs of adults before the children.' Er... Does he know what a trade union is for? It protects the interests of the union members - not their clients or customers. Hence, when London Transport staff go on strike, the unions are putting their member's interests before those of the passengers. That is how it works.

Unfortunately, teachers don't care about the children at all. They want to do the least work possible. They want to swan in at 9am, coast through an undemanding day and then swan out again at 3.30. Every time they complain about proposals to make this any harder, or the children's education better, the unions step in so that the children can keep failing and the teachers can carry on coasting. It's a bloody disgrace.

[nailak]

landofsoap that is already the norm for a lot of kids, when i was at school i used to leave at 7.30 and come back around 5 every day. The buses were packed with kids like me.