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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Why do kids get so much time off from school?!

99 replies

LadyCafe · 22/09/2017 20:00

Hello,
We send our children to an independent school in London. The children have a 2 week half term in October! They are off for 3 weeks during Christmas. There is February half term for one week. Then Spring term ends on March 24 and Summer term begins April 16th! Half term at the end of May for 1 week. Summer term ends on July 5th.

What is astonishing, there are a few mums complaining that the Christmas break is too short!.. and that the children should have 4 full weeks off!!

We're paying for our children's education and they get so much time off. And now a few mums want to go to the head teacher to ask for more time off so they can travel to their home country! Well, poor you! Some of us have to work and can't take 3-4 weeks off at a time!

What do you think? Is this the norm?

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ujerneyson · 22/09/2017 21:48

I'm with you. My DD's prep had the most ridiculous amount of holiday and she really didn't need it. She absolutely didn't need 2 weeks in October and she certainly didn't need 9 weeks over the summer. All the parents agreed it was far too much. The parents in your school are mad. The school really didn't take kindly to parents taking their kids out of school in term time either and people never really took them out for extra days

missyB1 · 22/09/2017 21:51

We love the two weeks in October, and the 3 weeks at Christmas. Even the 10 weeks in the summer seemed to go much faster this year.

MadameJosephine · 22/09/2017 21:56

Not all private schools have loads of holidays. My DD's school breaks up for summer a week earlier but otherwise has exactly the same term dates as the state schools in the area

Out2pasture · 22/09/2017 21:59

you know the number of hours per year that children receive education is set by government. It's not that different from one country to another average is about 1000 hours of instruction per year.
and why so much time off?? well they are schools not work houses and little ones need to learn how to deal with other aspects of life.

www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Education/Hours-of-instruction-for-pupils-aged-12

applepinkierainbow · 22/09/2017 23:00

When the private school I work at increased the October half term to 2 weeks the time taken by children off school with illness decreased dramatically at the end of the Christmas term - ok they didn't all take a week off but pupils and staff were healthier, happier and got more constructive time in the classroom and on the games pitches. We do have much longer days than you though.

OliviaBonas · 22/09/2017 23:03

The more you pay the less they're there

LadyLovelace · 23/09/2017 00:24

Well I was a bit 4hours ago but now you've got the whole 'lazy sahm' tickle off your chest I'm more

BakedBeans47 · 23/09/2017 00:26

Mine aren't in private schools but they have always tended to get longer holidays as far as I know. It would do my head in!

BackieJerkhart · 23/09/2017 00:30

What do the parents do who work?

Err pay for childcare, or did you not plan to have childcare when you chose to have children?

Camps and extra classes are expensive.

Yes, childcare is expensive. Children cost money. How have to gotten to the stage of school age children without realising this? Did you think school was for your career progression?

TansyVioletta · 23/09/2017 00:45

Dd in state school is 8.35 - 3.20 and the standard 13 weeks hol. Private 17 - 18 weeks hol?
I'm guessing you grew up overseas and didn't realise private schools had more hols? I suppose you need to think of the extra holiday childcare fees as being part and parcel of going private.

LynetteScavo · 23/09/2017 07:12

I suppose you need to think of the extra holiday childcare fees as being part and parcel of going private.

This.

Orangesox · 23/09/2017 07:31

Unless you yourself have been educated in an independent school then you won't get it... those three weeks at Christmas? Essential for decompression and consolidation of the brutal Michaelmas (autumn) term before winter exams. Long summer hols the same, especially as alongside your exams and revision for summer exams you've been slogging your guts out since the beginning of the year with your extra curriculars, sports touring, representing the county or country in your chosen sport or othernarea such as debating, drama etc. Many spent the summer with the national theatre, orchestra or sports clubs. It's absolutely exhausting, worth every moment, but still exhausting.

They follow the same structure for juniors because they're working themselves just as hard, and also to match up with siblings etc for holidays.

ujerneyson · 23/09/2017 08:17

orangesox that's such a lot of nonsense. I was educated privately my entire life at a highly academic school. I worked absolutely no harder than my kids do in a good state school. To assume that children in private school work soooo much harder than anyone else and are on their knees so much more than state school children is rubbish. My kids finished the summer term at prep so early that they felt that the end of term was rushed and by the middle of August we're complaining that they were bored and had nothing to do. The first two weeks of the summer holidays there weren't even any camps as there were no other schools which had finished.

The reason for the long holidays are a) tradition and b) because many schools had borders who needed to travel. Most of the private day schools here have longer terms than the schools with borders.

Original poster

LadyCafe · 23/09/2017 08:37

I never said Sahms are lazy. However, they are the mums requesting that the children be off longer than 3 weeks over Christmas. Three weeks is perfectly fine.
And for what it's worth, our children do not attend a rigorous private school. They don't get a ton of work. They never complain that they're overworked.
I've checked the term dates at other independent schools. Our school has the most time off already... more than other schools.

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Poppyfields21 · 23/09/2017 08:37

Orangesox what planet are you from?! I was privately educated and it's pretty much the same curriculum. If anything nowadays there's a more softly softly precious snowflake approach to private school kids than to the state school ones who seem to just get on with it.

BakedBeans47 · 23/09/2017 08:41

Yes Orangesox because state school kids just sit around with their thumbs up their arse doing fuck all. ALL kids need the holiday for downtime. I really don't think getting 8 weeks holiday as opposed to 6 is going to be that essential for "decompression".

But hey what would I know as a comprehensive educated pleb.

Ankleswingers · 23/09/2017 08:44

What's your issue?

Spending time with your children?

I wish mine was off more. I am sadly in the minority but I love my children being on school holidays and wish the holidays were longer!

Original poster

LadyCafe · 23/09/2017 08:46

Exactly! One mum at our school told the head she doesn't like any type of competition at the school because it made her child feel bad.

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Original poster

LadyCafe · 23/09/2017 08:49

I love spending time with my children. I do hate the "martyrdom" of some mothers though...

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user789653241 · 23/09/2017 08:49

I have to admit, that I don't like English holiday system of half terms. I wish they don't get random week during term and get longer holidays end of term!
I went to school in US and summer holiday was from mid June to mid Sept, if I remember correctly.(so many years ago!) It was fab as a child.

ClaudiaWankleman · 23/09/2017 08:52

Well you didn't have to send them there did you?

You should've factored in the costs of childcare when you were deciding whether you could afford private education. I have exactly zero sympathy.

Original poster

LadyCafe · 23/09/2017 09:09

I don't need sympathy and wasn't asking for it. But it's unfair to think people who send children to private have a ton of money. My DH and I have planned accordingly.
I'm upset that mums are asking for even more time off!
One week in October is good. Three weeks over Christmas break is good. One week in February. 3 weeks for spring term break. One week for summer term is good. There is NO need for more time off.

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user1487020313 · 23/09/2017 09:54

Here in Ireland public secondary schools get one week at Halloween, two weeks at Christmas, one week in Feburary, two weeksat easter, the summer holidays start the beginning of June and they are back to school the last week of August usually. The school day is from 8.55 to 15.55. The private schools run on pretty much the same school calendar give or take a day or two as far as I know.

catbas · 23/09/2017 09:57

You don't HAVE to send your kids private though, you made that CHOICE. Our kids go private and we made that choice, part and parcel of that is the holidays, if you can't afford the holiday care don't send private - it's simple living within your means

Evelynismyspyname · 23/09/2017 10:17

It's not martyrdom to ask for more holiday though - they are asking for more because it suits them, presumably because they want to travel in the holidays. You could accuse them of being greedy or entitled or selfish perhaps, but it's incomprehensible to say asking for more holiday is martyrdom!

It would be martyrdom, or at least selflessness, to ask for less holiday because other parents can't afford childcare when you personally want a month off to spend with your kids in the Bahamas...

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