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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Secondary schools not broken up yet!

62 replies

Flyhigher · 18/12/2023 11:45

Think schools school break up earlier this week and go back on the 3rd. Everyone is on their knees. Madness. DD16 not breaking up till Thursday. 4 days of school in which they will do very little. What do Mums think?

OP posts:
DadOnIce · 18/12/2023 13:29

Don't blame the poor teachers! I think they'd love to be finishing earlier. Most of them are finding this extra week a real push too. And they can't just 'do fun stuff' with the kids unless that's been agreed by management. I imagine there's a lot of pressure to do 'business as usual' right up to the last day. Schools see every 'laid back' day as a lost day of learning. Not like it used to be.

loopylou42 · 18/12/2023 13:30

My DD broke up last Friday, doesn't go back till 9th Jan....for some reason the trust decided to give them a 3 week break at Xmas

ReadyForPumpkins · 18/12/2023 13:30

Depends on your area. Ours finished on Friday and will be going back on 2/1. I hear some area are going back on 8/1 instead.

MintJulia · 18/12/2023 13:35

My ds went to Germany on an exchange trip on the 11th so I'm lucky to have some time to sort Christmas without school run. The rest of the school finished on the 15th.

Much better arrangement.

SeparatedAndFree · 18/12/2023 13:40

Mine finishes up on Friday and go back the 8th.

Hedgehoglover · 18/12/2023 13:42

Round here it is break up on Thursday or Friday of this week and back on Monday 8th. The benefit is getting 16 days due to the three weekends rather than 14 straight days if cut mid week. For some reason my county prefers straight whole weeks rathen than mid week start or ends. I was told it was more efficient for heating the schools. Kids have longer to play with their toys or get over bugs they pick up at family or friends gatherings so possible less sick days at the start of the new term.

Ohwhatfuckeryisthis · 18/12/2023 13:45

Secondary here, break up Wednesday, back on 8th. Fine except it’s no “fun” lessons, films etc until Wednesday. Sil, primary breaks up Friday. She’s dead on her feet.

AutumnNymph · 18/12/2023 13:48

DDs broke up on 15th and back to school.on the 5th.

Purplerain0505 · 18/12/2023 13:51

Friday does sound very late! Schools here break up tomorrrow and then back on 4th.

puncheur · 18/12/2023 13:51

Break up on Wednesday, back on the 2nd so only a week and a half off. Official end of term was on Friday but apparently academies don't have to follow the county terms and can make up their own term dates. They also have a 'work to the end' policy so it's not like they are doing anything fun. Lots of very hacked off kids, especially those with younger siblings in juniors and infants who are already on holiday.

orchardsquare · 18/12/2023 13:54

Ours should break up on Friday, but they have two inset days. It does seem late, but I think it's probably the best way to do it. It keeps them all out of trouble before christmas, then after christmas it will be a bit boring for a while and they will be glad to be back.

Brownhairdontcare · 18/12/2023 13:55

I love it being this way round (finish Thursday, back on the 8th) - I find my kids v hyper and overexcited the last week before Christmas if we're just at home! Plus we're spending a few days in the countryside with family during that first week of Jan, rather than being in school- perfect way to start the new year ❤️

itsalwaysthesame · 18/12/2023 13:57

I think it's fine, I prefer they break up later, gives me more time to prepare.

BethDuttonsTwin · 18/12/2023 13:57

Friday break up here but not back until 8th thankfully. It’s ridiculous though. We are all stressed and exhausted. Massively long half term and then straight into hyped up excitement for Christmas. I’m pissed off about it tbh.

Mumofteenandtween · 18/12/2023 14:00

My two (one primary and one secondary) don’t break up until Friday. The secondary is going back on the 8th but primary is having an inset dad then so will not go back until the 9th. Why the inset day can’t be Friday I will never know. DS has exactly 3 weeks and 4 days of next half term.

My view is that schools should always break up on the 20th. The one exception being that if the 20th is a Monday then schools can go on until the 21st if they want.

Last year they broke up on the 16th. We were a bit bored of Xmas by the time it came around. But this year is a total nightmare! We can’t stop until they do (as need our holiday allowance for them) but have all our guests (who have more sensible schools and finish on Wednesday) arriving on Friday night. I am so NOT ready for guests!

Bernardmanning · 18/12/2023 14:02

One of mine broke up last week on Wednesday. The other doesn't break up until this Wednesday!

Iwishiwasasilentnight · 18/12/2023 14:02

All schools in our area break on up on Friday, last year they broke up on the 23rd which defintely felt too late.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 18/12/2023 14:04

Ds2 is doing GCSE mock exams all week till Thursday, church service Friday morning and then finish at lunchtime. Nice to get the exams out of the way before Christmas, I think.

Dahliasrule · 18/12/2023 14:08

Kids short changed here. Break up this Weds and back on the 3rd!

Feralgremlin · 18/12/2023 14:13

Eh I feel the opposite tbh. DS broke up on the 8th, goes back 3rd Jan. Its such a long holiday where the weather is dreary, we have so much to get done before Xmas, money is limited owing to the time of year so little opportunity for fun days out etc. I would rather have a shorter Xmas holiday and have longer in the May half term!

LadyJingly · 18/12/2023 14:44

Dd (Y10) breaks up on Thursday. This week they have end of term tests and several teachers have set a lot of homework that has to be in this week, as well as a couple who have set deadlines for during the holiday (all logged online, so has to be submitted by the deadline). No Christmassy lessons at all, just more slogging away.

Dd is absolutely on her knees. She had to take two days off with a virus a couple of weeks ago and insisted on rushing back before she was well enough, because she daren’t miss too much. As a result she is completely exhausted, coming home and falling asleep for a couple of hours before starting her homework. She hasn’t even put up decorations in her bedroom this year, as she’s either been exhausted, sleeping or doing school work. She ended up really ill in January last year after refusing to take time to properly recover from the flu because she was scared to have too many days off.

They are constantly terrifying her year about the consequences of being off sick or missing homework deadlines and she’s in a state of constant stress. Her friends are all the same. This is a state secondary/academy, not some high performing public school.

We have nothing at all planned over the holiday because she needs total relaxation and recuperation (as far as possible between blooming holiday homework deadlines! Xmas Angry).

TheYearOfSmallThings · 18/12/2023 15:09

Dahliasrule · 18/12/2023 14:08

Kids short changed here. Break up this Weds and back on the 3rd!

I'd be delighted with that!

Potterinthegarden · 18/12/2023 15:15

Yes it varies a lot. We are breaking up on Wednesday (20th) here, but over the nearby council border, they broke up on Friday! I don't mind. TBH we won't do much between break up and Christmas anyway, if we had longer I'd be feeling like we need to organise ourselves a bit more (and do stuff)!

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 18/12/2023 16:01

We break up on Friday. It's crazy. Everyone is on their knees and ill. We are hosting all my side of the family for 3 days. I wish we'd broken up earlier so we had time to prepare.

I think the last 4 days could be lovely if the teachers relax and let them do fun stuff.

We'd love to relax. We have curriculum to get through and mocks after Christmas. Schools don't generally just say 'Hey, teachers - do whatever you fancy with your classes for the whole last week of term'.

AnneElliott · 18/12/2023 16:35

DS finishes on Weds lunchtime and then back on 8th Jan.