Teachers, do you notice "the summer slide" effect in September?

[lovecheese]

Following on from the doing stuff during the holidays thread I am interested to know from teachers if you have experienced this in children coming back to school after a long break? And in a particular subject? BTW DH is a Head and he thinks it definitely happens.

Any thoughts?

Also done a little bit each day over the holidays - it's a relief to say so as so often you read about that being "pushy parenting". I am lucky, my DD is like a sponge for learning stuff, and very into how things work at the moment. I think she's come on in pretty much all areas in the last 6 weeks (including swimming, baking and drawing not just literacy/ numeracy!).

No, I don't. There are settling down again issues that mean you can't start with the same assumptions about behaviour (but that would be true of changing teacher anyway) but no general decline. Some year groups, esp. Yrs 2 and 6, had tuned out a bit at the end of last year anyway.

But there are individual kids who do seem heavily affected, usually those whose learning velocities were very high at the end of last term (whether because that influenced assessment or because it wasn't fully consolidated) and who haven't been well supported over the break. On the other hand, many who were tired and slowing down seem to benefit from the break.

And 6-weeks is a silly length of holiday, really, inherited from an agricultural world and a university system where young men needed the summer to campaign in France or Scotland. It isn't really suitable for an urbanised society educating all of its children.

Adela, couldn't agree more about the 6 weeks. The need is no longer there. Shorter, more evenly spaced holidays would surely benefit everyone.

Well i don't know where the six weeks have gone to ...

Me neither!

For those saying at least all dc's are in the same boat - sadly that might not be true.

Research in the US (where the summer holiday is longer) shows that children from the lowest income groups regress, whilst children from the highest income groups make academic progress over the summer.

I'll find a link to the research if anyone is interested.

jackstarb if you read most of the replies from teachers they are saying they don't see summer slide

Because most of the research is done in the US which have long holidays.

I don't know if any research has been done in the UK. Clearly there will be differences between the US which has 3 month holidays and the UK which only 6 weeks.....

Many of the areas/schools that moved to a shorter summer break have reverted to the 6 weeks holiday presumably because they found no significant advantage

Mrsz - I have read the whole thread - I'm assuming teachers were talking about their own school specific experience. And most of you pointed out how difficult it was to actually judge (different teachers / different stages of the year).

Yes - most of the research is US based & they have extremely long holidays. But longer holidays just make the lower income group 'slide' more noticeable. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the UK. As you say there is little good research - so we don't know for sure.

"Many of the areas/schools that moved to a shorter summer break have reverted to the 6 weeks holiday presumably because they found no significant advantage"

Or to be cynical - because it put off the middle class families, who enjoy and (based on this thread) benefit from a longer summer break.

oddly enough most of the schools weren't in nice middle class areas jackstarb

That's not odd - I'd be very surprised if a school in a 'middle class area' went for shorter holidays. As stated, longer holidays tend to be popular with the middle classes. But most schools in less affluent areas attempt to attract as many middle-class kids as possible - don't they?

There might be other reasons - difficulty attracting teaching staff maybe?

FWIW - IMO If there is a 'regression problem' in the UK, then a shorter summer holiday is probably not the answer.

try reading the thread jackstarb ....the majority of teachers are saying there isn't a problem with children regressing over the summer.

Malcolm gladwell 'the tipping point' is pretty interesting on this subject. I don't have the lingo as I'm not a pro, and i read it a while back, but basically he says that the 'brighter' kids aren't necessarily that much brighter but because they come from families who are 'invested' in learning they keep learning through the holidays, reading, going to museums.... They therefore get off to a good start at start of year as they are already in gear. This effect becomes self perpetuating and accumulates over the years.

MrsZ - Try reading my posts - I have read the thread. I wasn't even disagreeing with you.

Just pointing out to another poster that if there is a problem it's unlikely to effect all children equally - at least that's what research from the US suggests.

and as others have said US research is unreliable because there is a huge difference in the situation.

Btw - a dozen or so teachers stating there is no problem, whilst interesting, is hardly conclusive or statistically significant.

but more relevant to UK issues than US research

Much of the US research is very reliable. We just don't know how relevant it is to the UK.

I'm guessing you didn't study statistics to a high level.

not when applied to a very different system in a very different culture

I should have said validity of the US research when applied to the UK makes it unreliable

Very interesting thread.

My DS goes into year 2 next week and his Year 1 teacher gave all the children a list of websites to enable them to practise what they had learnt in maths and also asked all parents to visit the library during summer and read 2 books a week with their children.

MY DS has done a wide variety of things over summer - soccer school, park, swimming, museums, indoor play centres, library etc, but I have also got him to keep a simple diary. He writes a little bit each day on what he has done and I have also given him a couple of pages a day to do from the Maths Made Easy books. As he has done all this in a relaxed environment and at his leisure, I have certainally found that he has taken things in and his writing and his maths have really improved.

He is quite bright and got a fantastic report from Year one and made excellent progress, but he really does have to work hard to do well, so hopefuly the work he has ben doing over the summer will help.

Lucy88 we give all the children in the Infants a little holiday diary to fill in over the summer - they love doing it and it gives them a way to practise their writing and then they can share their news with the class when they return :)

I think a holiday full of variety and interest is the key - it doesn't matter if your child writes as if they have swallowed a dictionary if they have no experiences to write about.

For a slightly different perspective on the pitfalls of school holidays for some children, this from today's Guardian. Would young people have dared to riot in term time?.

"The riots are actually evidence ... that once the expert guidance and care, the moral framework, the daily routine, the discipline and ...the extra-curricular activities provided by schools are absent from these children's lives, it all rapidly goes to hell in a handcart."