I hate the school term breakdown for Edinburgh schools

[GelatoQueen]

I hate hate hate the long autumn / winter school term. It's too long, the kids are knackered by the end of November, it feels like the kids do very little learning after this. We traditionally only get 1 week plus 1 in-service day in October which doesn't help - if we had two weeks we would be able to get a proper break.

Then conversely we are forced to take a week off in Feb when there is fuck all to do and the weather is uniformly bad.... I also hate the fact that schools go back when the festival/book festival is on and we can't get to lots of great stuff. Am I the only one who feels it is a stupid system?

And yes I know about the so-called historical 'skiing week' in Feb - but who really does this? Must be a minority ...

There will always be a section of parents who hate when the holidays are. You could always move....

Our area had a parent poll on what they preferred feb/oct holiday wise. The majority decided 10 days in October and 11 days in February was better than the previous 2 weeks in October and 3 days in February. a

Personally, I find it a bit shit too.

Does the February week still coincide with the science festival? That was always a good use of time.

A week in October sounds quite short, my council area gets two weeks which was the traditional tattie howking holiday. My kids would be horrified if I sent them out to pull up potatoes rather than sleep or ipad their fortnight away.

My least favourite personally is the Christmas holidays - yes exhausted from 1 Dec on, endless events through December, break up far to close to Christmas Eve and then off for ages in the rain and cold.

I agree everyone hates different things - I love a longer October half term but again you can keep February half term.

It is what it is really, accept the things we can't change.

We get two weeks in October but don’t even get a week in February—just a Fri/Mon/Tues.

To PP , science festival is at Easter and this has been the case for a good few years now. I know everyone wants different things but why a week at Feb - kids only been at school for 4.5 weeks? What are we supposed to do? We end up working and putting kids into holiday club ... does everyone else in Edinburgh go skiing (or to second homes somewhere)?

We get 2 weeks in Oct here in Perthshire. We only get 3 days in Feb though. We could REALLY do with a week then. Yes, for ski-ing. We currently take the DC out of school.

here in Argyll we get 2 weeks in October and 1 week in February but 2 are inset days for teachers but no september weekend
I think it's good 7 weeks august to october 2 weeks off , 8 weeks to christmas; 2 weeks off. 5 weeks then feb week another 6-7 weeks 2 weeks easter then it is only the May weekend which sort of sucks from mid april to end June so summer term is 10 weeks with only a long weekend
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I think 7-8 weeks should be max without a break but I really think they need the 6 weeks in summer to probably unwind including teachers, almost nowhere in the world has less than 6 weeks in the summer

Argyll sounds sensible ... shame both me and DH are required to go into our work

In Glasgow we get 1 week at October and only 2 days in Feb! Plus in services but I'm a teacher so don't count those. Think we get the odd extra day in September/May perhaps? Everyone gets the same in the end but the distribution does makes a difference! My main gripe is finishing so close to Christmas... Would love a few extra days in the run up!

I know you are feeling hard done by, but here in Cyprus we have gone back to school on the 7th September. We get one day off school on the 28th Oct which is a bank holiday and then straight through till 23/12 Xmas hols. Kids go back on 7/1 and we will have two bank holidays in that term before Easter hold on 10/4 for two weeks. Summer term begins 24/4 and ends after exams on the 7th June and then they are off until school begins again on the 7th September!!!!

Ah, how did i mix up Feb for Easter! I used to love the science festival when I was school age.

From a completely selfish pov, I loved the February extended long weekend that we get here. In 13 years of school ds had all except 1 birthday off school!

I think I’m used to it as it’s how it was when I was at school.

But the term with November is the longest ever. They pointed it out every year at high school.

There was a survey done on school holidays a couple of years ago. That would have been the time to get it changed.

They ask us our opinion every year in a poorly designed questionnaire which means that nothing ever changes - instead of saying do you want to increase the october holiday to 2 weeks and lose holiday in Feb / Sept or whatever they ask these really open ended questions ... which means the numbers who want change are high but no majority comes up with the same solution

I can't get my head round half day Fridays in Edinburgh - and elsewhere, Highland? How do parents work round this?

Some people like the half days for extra activities - I'm not a fan but again you'd think it would be universally unpopular but not even that is clear.

It did make me laugh when there was outrage at the suggestions of closing schools on Fridays at half day when Edinburgh has always done this.

I'm in Fife, we get two weeks in October which is always much needed. Kids get 3 days in February, one of which is in service. I like the balance we have.

I'm from and grew up in Edinburgh. I had to go to a childminder after school until I was old enough to go home alone (I think until around 9/10).

We both work full time so we would much rather have fewer holidays. The summer is so loooooong, I absolutely love the routine of the autumn months.

Two weeks in October would break me.

I think it is fine. We also get a long weekend in September and 30 November mins you. I like the few days off in Feb as I do think Jan - Easter is a slog