Wales - 3 week summer holiday?

[DoleWhipFloat]

Hi

I work in a school in Wales. Welsh Gov are looking to shorten the summer to 3 weeks and increase the Oct half-term; Christmas and February half terms each by 1 week.

I’m suffering terrible anxiety over this, for myself and my kids.

1. My classes have exams in January and June. I need those kids in during Christmas especially.

1. I have always given up Feb half-term and Easter to come in and work with GCSE exam children. This would have to stop. I would need those holidays to refresh.

1. We are always in during the summer, organising classrooms etc and for results…so summer would be 2 weeks for us.

1. With a child in secondary, I don’t want his time off to be in the winter, when there’s nothing to do. I like him off in the summer. How will this impact on his already covid dented mental health?! Same for the poor kids I teach.

1. My family who we often see in the summer will struggle to get time off in a shortened break.

I could understand a change of 6 to 5 weeks…but three! I’d have to leave teaching. I can’t cope with the stress of all the changes. The (absolutely rubbish) new curriculum.

Parents seem to be being told that their children will be in school ‘more’…which is false. It’s the same amount of time off, but just at different times of the year.

Just needed to vent.

I feel like you really need to re-evaluate your relationship to work and how much of your personal time you are giving to it. You shouldn't be in that much on your holidays.

@DoleWhipFloat
I think we all feel like that. Did you complete your union survey? I really hope the 3 week summer scenario does not happen!!

You spend way too much of your holiday working

I'd absolutely love this as I always get extremely low over the 6 weeks holiday. A more even spread would suit me down to the group. Wouldn't it actually be easier to do revision during Feb and Easter breaks? You could be in for revision the first week of the Feb break then have the full week off the second, meaning you're much more refreshed when you get back. I always get ill in spring term so a two week half term in Feb would be wonderful.

@MsGoodenough

I'd absolutely love this as I always get extremely low over the 6 weeks holiday. A more even spread would suit me down to the group. Wouldn't it actually be easier to do revision during Feb and Easter breaks? You could be in for revision the first week of the Feb break then have the full week off the second, meaning you're much more refreshed when you get back. I always get ill in spring term so a two week half term in Feb would be wonderful.

For me, I value my time off in the summer. I get very depressed stuck indoors during the winter and prefer to be in work.

I won’t be revising with kids during the holidays any more.

Thank God I don't work in Wales!

That 6 weeks is the redeeming feature that makes up for all the long hours and weekends worked in term time. It's the only holiday where there is genuinely time to unwind and relax at all. Shorten it to 3 and it just becomes a chance to finish up from the last term and prep for the next, no down time at all.

@Lancrelady80

Thank God I don't work in Wales!

That 6 weeks is the redeeming feature that makes up for all the long hours and weekends worked in term time. It's the only holiday where there is genuinely time to unwind and relax at all. Shorten it to 3 and it just becomes a chance to finish up from the last term and prep for the next, no down time at all.

Quite. Luckily I live close to the border to Bristol, so I will have to look for a job in England instead.

I feel sorry for all those poor kids left in Wales though, whose family’s won’t be able to afford days out or holidays during the winter.

This sounds awful. I hope Scotland doesn’t follow suit.

I agree that sounds a terrible idea. Three weeks off in summer is not enough. It takes one week just for me to switch off and stop being work mode. And I do most of my prep in summer ready for the next year, so there would be hardly any time for going on holiday/relaxing.
My school have taken one week off of the 6week hols and added an extra week onto October half term which I think is the perfect balance, as that first term is a real slog!

@Patriciarose88

I agree that sounds a terrible idea. Three weeks off in summer is not enough. It takes one week just for me to switch off and stop being work mode. And I do most of my prep in summer ready for the next year, so there would be hardly any time for going on holiday/relaxing. My school have taken one week off of the 6week hols and added an extra week onto October half term which I think is the perfect balance, as that first term is a real slog!

That sounds fine. I’d be happy with that.

Have you considered working in a private school? We get 18 weeks off throughout the year!

You need to back right off with your current commitments in the holidays. Have a little more faith in your first teaching.

I know this is an old post.

I heard on the news this morning that the Welsh government are proposing a reduced summer holiday in schools but adding a week in October and then possibly June. I did a search to see if a post had already been made but this was the only one; I guess it was suggested last year.

I’m in England, but would really hate this-we always go away with family in the summer and it’s hard enough finding a stretch of time in 6 weeks when all of the adults (3 NHS staff who also have various restrictions on when they can be off), can be off let alone having even less time. I’m primary, but if you’re secondary, would you have to be around for the results days as well which restricts you even more?

I’d rather have the time off in the summer when it’s hot, rather than in October when it’s dark and cold and you’re paying more to try and get to inside attractions! If they ultimately want 4 weeks in the summer and a week at May half term (and October), that’s two weeks less of learning time for exams!

I was just wondering how those of you teaching in Wales felt? Do you get any say or can the government there just decide the changes?

I work in an academy where this is already the case (the reduction to 5 weeks over summer, but an extra week added on elsewhere).

That, I can live with - it breaks up at least one of the horrendously long half-terms of 14-16 weeks and you do get proper rest time.

Shortening summer even more, though? No. 5 weeks feel short, but they do give enough time to relax and get all the maintenance at home done that always, inevitably, waits until summer. Holidays fit in okay.

I do wonder, though, who will be doing everything that normally gets done in a school over summer? Will summer school disappear as no one will staff it, nor would kids want to spend 2 out of 3 weeks holiday in school, even for fun activities? Would it be impossible to find builders in such a short time? Who will mark and prep data for exams, and when?

Yes, it’s bound to have an impact. Schools generally do maintenance-deep cleaning, decorating, repair as well as building work during the summer holidays. It would be difficult to arrange that plus allow site staff time off for a break as well.

I know a few places that do this already - 5 weeks in the summer and an extra week in October. Controversial but I'd actually quite like it! We don't do it because we feel it would be detrimental to exam classes (more learning gets done in the autumn term of y11 than at the end of y10) but I wouldn't hate a 1 week change.

I never come in to work during the holidays though, apart from results day, and I also do think that there needs to be consideration on the impact on exam marking etc!

I can see for a lot of people, anything shorter than 5 weeks in the summer would be too short though, and I do think now isn't the time for any drastic changes!