Are school holidays too long, or do kids really need that much time off?

[warrenettie]

Every summer I tell myself I’ll be more organised — plan activities, sort childcare, make it all run smoothly. And yet by week four I’m counting down the days until school starts again.
I get that kids need a break, but six or seven weeks feels like such a long stretch, especially for working parents. By the end of it, everyone’s tired, routines are gone, and screen time has crept way up.
On the other hand, I know some families love the slower pace and the chance to actually relax and spend proper time together. Maybe it’s just the way our work schedules clash with the school calendar that makes it feel harder.
What do you think — are school holidays too long, or is it adults who need to adjust our expectations?

To be honest, I don't think I believe you. If the children won't be fed for or cared for outside school then no one would conclude that the right solution is to leave the children with those families and just have them in school every day.

Oh and thinking more about it…

More school cleaners, dinner supervisors, cooks, caretaker and increased associated costs to cover an increase in working hours, as there will be no term time contracts.

We can't find the above support staff now…

The parents were doing their best, and had to volunteer for the programme and show interest in their child's education, but they didn't have the resources to feed their children without free school meals and couldn't afford proper, regulated safe childcare during holidays. They weren't abusive or neglectful. Many of the children also had special needs.
But it's absolutely fine if you don't belive me; obviously it's completely inadvisable to believe an anonymous stranger online. You can probably find similar projects in reputable media if you need better sources.

I have seen people (like politicians wanting to cut the holidays) giving that as a reason why the 'archaic' schedule is in place but I haven't actually seen much evidence to support it. Schools were set up to for the upper classes initially, with with terms echoing the universities and long summer holidays so that families could go away for the summer. The classrooms were hot and stuffy and people thought that wasn't good for the pupils' health, too. When schooling was implemented for everyone-even girls and poor people!-the structure of terms copied the existing private schools.

Harvest isn't generally June or July, anyway.

I think school holidays are too long, but that's because I home ed and some of our groups stop in the holidays and all our usual haunts become busy and loud 🤣

Although, as this thread shows, many default to the assumption that if only the lazy teachers would put in a decent shift we could reduce the holidays there are loads of reasons why it unfeasible.

1. Recruitment and retention is in issue in teaching unlike other professions. If you look at the underlying reasons behind that, removing holidays would probably make it worse.
2. Taking more off the summer to add at other times of year causes issues with external examinations.
3. It takes a long time to mark gcse and a-levels so you need some time for those to be marked....by teachers.
4. Teachers would still be entitled to holiday. How would it work if they all.randomly took holiday at different times? Who would teach the children.
5. School holiday price inflation/busyness/availability is already an issue. If the summer holidays became shorter this would be compounded into an even shorter space of time.
6. Teachers aren't paid for the holidays and I don't think the government can afford the increase that significantly more weeks would cause.
7. Much of the holiday time is already used for unpaid work.
8. Children and staff all.get genuinely tired and run- down because they can't be flexible with a day off here or there. In my school there is massive sickness amongst staff and pupils once you get to about week 7 in a half term.
9. Childhood is important. Play is important. We should be looking at other ways that the country can support working parents to spend time with their children ans offer quality no-school childcare when they have to work.

I'm sure there are other reasons I have missed, but the same debate will always rage and many will.always putbitndown to the lazy teachers.

I think they need it. They need regular breaks and summer is the best time to have one, especially now with increased temperatures and inefficient infrastructure.

Work culture is and always has been our problem, not school holidays.

Out of interest, are those who are saying the school holidays are too long also the same people who take term time holidays?

Here is approx. 7 weeks in the summer, a long weekend in September, a week in October, two weeks at Christmas, and long weekends in February and May. It works for my daughter and she always ready for each and every one of them. She loves the summer holidays, as did I when I was a kid. Its hard every single holiday as annual leave is so limited compared to school holidays and out of school provision is also limited and expensive. We just do our best. I'm glad that if any changes were going to happen it most likely wouldn't be while she was at school but even when she's left I will support maintaining that lovely long summer break for all children.

As a child I loved the long holiday. But it differs from children to children whereas I was quite happy doing my own thing at home, my DS needs a lot of entertainment where I struggle to come up with ideas and it takes a lot of energy from me just doing things all the time. A mum I know says her boy actually looks forward to going back to school because he gets bored.

Holiday camps seem a good idea to break it up and have children playing together but they are expensive and if they don't want to go, then I'd feel mean putting him into a camp when he's made to go to school. But generally I find it expensive on any sort of holidays from school, with activities and food/drinks out - but the summer is over an extensive period.

Holiday clubs are not school.

They need the break from school.

Just as a side note to anyone saying they wish X half term were longer/shorter. Contact your local authorities. Many of them hold consultations prior to setting the proposed term dates for the next few years. Ours usually give 2/3 options.

@Eixample if it was so successful I wonder why it hasn't been universally adopted...🤔
@hopspot sincerely hope you are being ironic

I absolutely am. The answer to so many suggestions to improving schools seems to be ‘teachers just need to…’

Phew 😅 I'm glad I didn't bite then!

And what happens to the subjects kids missed how are they going to catch up on the maths topic they were off for the science lesson that's the foundation for next term etc.

Kids need the time off and teachers and support staff aren’t well paid enough to do more. Half the reason the government gets away with abysmal wages in schools is that so many people will swallow that for the holidays off!

I feel like children are losing their childhood too soon, and teenagers are being forced to grow up before they even turn 16 in this country. Parents are struggling to be parents, and families are finding it hard to function as families.

Everyone needs long holidays. In my opinion, employers should make life easier for families to spend time together—for mothers to be mothers, fathers to be fathers, children to be children, and families to truly be families. I know it’s unrealistic, which is why I’m sharing it here instead of anywhere else.

Parents, especially those working full-time or part-time, need to plan ahead for holidays and budget for activities to keep their children engaged.
Holidays have been a tradition for decades and will likely remain so unless something drastic changes.

As a stay-at-home mom, we do our best within our means to keep the kids entertained during the holidays, trying hard not to spend too much money and always sticking to a budget.

My childhood and teenage years were blissful. Growing up on a farm meant my holidays were spent helping out informally. Childcare or external activities were never a concern for my parents, since farms always needed everyone, including children, to pitch in.