Moving school holidays

[JonathanK90]

I found this petition on the UK government website to move school holidays to earlier in the year to get better weather. Sounds like a good idea! It's been a shocking August.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/594757

I would far rather have july and a week of June and August for my 6 weeks (which has actually only been 5 and 2 days this year....) It was an actual sauna in my room the last half term and my August has been dreary, wet and cloudy.

I do still want a week in May though!

Except that exams would have to come forward in the year too to make it work.

Impossible to make it work with exams where they are at the moment and would make for a horribly long autumn term.

Moving holidays based on poor weather this year is ridiculous.

English summer holidays you mean. Scottish holidays already begin at the end of June or very beginning of July as it is. Agree August weather seems rubbish most years. I'd prefer the Scottish set-up.

@WiggIyWoo

English summer holidays you mean. Scottish holidays already begin at the end of June or very beginning of July as it is. Agree August weather seems rubbish most years. I'd prefer the Scottish set-up.

August weather has been fine here, and has been the last few years.

Moving the school holidays, plus GCSE and A Level exams, because august weather this year in your particular area has been rubbish seems a bit of an overreaction. Weather averages suggest that August is, on average, a bit wetter than June. It’s also quite a bit warmer, with greater likelihood of extreme heat. An august heatwave like the one we had last year would be utterly unbearable in school buildings with no air conditioning, windows that don’t open and thirty sweaty teenagers in a room. Last year the August heatwave was wild, temperatures over 30 degrees for about 8 days straight. I can’t imagine having to teach during that weather.

Best weather is usually in July, so makes no sense to be in school then.

It works if you think about the year as 4 terms, with 2 weeks between each.

Autumn term August to October
October break
Winter term October to December
Christmas break
Spring term January to March
spring break (fixed no more wandering around based on the phases of the moon!)
Summer term April to June

To make the holidays work you would loose either the Feb or May half term.

Exams earlier (same as Scotland). Wonder if it could go even more radical and use the earlier exams to change the UCAS process to applying after results.

I'm always opposite the general view on this issue. I would have the 6 week break over Christmas and January and just two weeks in summer if it was all about me.

Working when the days are bright and evenings are long is so much easier and you can still go home with some time to socialise or sit out in the sun and everyone is generally happier and more energised. Winter is for hibernating or getting on an airplane to brighter climes.

@WiggIyWoo

English summer holidays you mean. Scottish holidays already begin at the end of June or very beginning of July as it is. Agree August weather seems rubbish most years. I'd prefer the Scottish set-up.

Scottish schools go back mid August. What you want is the Northern Irish set up, off all of July and August.

@TheHoneyBadger I mostly agree with you. The school would save a fortune on its heating bills. However, I would prefer 4 weeks in the summer too.

Sorry Honey but 6 weeks off over winter sounds miserable.

I’d rather a shorter summer holiday, with longer half terms. It would bugger up exams though.

No. The autumn term is too long for teachers and children as it is.

The Australian academic year runs Jan-Dec, and has three two-week breaks, and I can tell you, they are wonderful. You really get time to decompress.

We have a five and a bit weeks of summer holiday.