The end of the 6 week Summer Holiday?

[seeformiles]

In NI we used to (and apparently kids still) get 9 weeks in the summer. I used to pity kids across the water with their piddling 6 weeks.
My old man was a teacher and when asked why he chose that profession he'd always reply that the two best reasons were July and August.

 

[mr steev]

and there's going to be a long time spent hanging round with little to do then it isn't so great.

ime that was what was so great about it. You had all that time to fill so you did stuff you wouldn't normally do (days off over the fields, building dens. or heading off on your bike for an adventure. etc) It forced us to entertain ourselves and I think that's a good thing

 

[Red Cat]

Easter and Autumn are the best time of year for camping and hiking. For any indoor sport/activity it makes no difference.

You have to pay for indoor activities.

 

[Red Cat]

Nah, wouldn't tell ya to fuck off
We try to go off curriculum as much as possible to make their school day interesting, but it's quite
strict over here. We are sent course work for them to do every couple of weeks, and it's as
dull and soul destroying as fuck. There is just one local home ed group, and they are quite
aloof and not entirely welcoming. Basically, we have had a lot, a LOT, of shit from the education
department (for legal reasons i won't elaborate) for many years and we were pretty much forced
into this Home Ed situation.

Where are you?

 

[chilango]

I think it's criminal that we are being forced to reduce the debate over learning, education and childhood into league tables and the cost of childcare.

Fucking criminal.

Childcare is in crisis. The Tories (and Labour and the Lib Dems and all the other thriving greedy bastards) bang on and on about family values and the importance of the family blah blah blah ....yet....actively create an economy and a society where the vast majority of parents have to both work to keep a roof over their heads yet at the same time have to pay thousands in childcare whilst they do so.

I'm lucky, we can -only just- survive on one income, so I can be a full time parent. But it's very tight and my partner has a damn good job and salary. Most people aren't that lucky.

I just came back from my local children's centre. The staff there are being forced to re-apply for their jobs and the centre itself may well close. One of the few, decent, free things to do with babies/toddlers in my neighbourhood.

...and now this. Stealing kids childhoods and fucking over teachers knowing that we're all gonna focus and what the hell we will do with our kids as far as childcare goes and not notice what they're doing with how and why schools operate.

...and yet whilst us proles need to send our kids to school for longer and longer to trained to tick boxes and jump through hoops their schools have lengthy holidays and afternoons dedicated to sport etc.

Bastards.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

You have to pay for indoor activities.

The days when you could let a couple of young children out to play for the day, unattended, have long gone. As I can't take 6 weeks off to mind the children, I have to pay for a minder either way. The cost difference between a childminder and an activity camp (such as the local sports village) is precisely sod all, about an extra couple of quid a day, and means they get to play games outside if the weather's nice, indoors if it's crap.

 

[albionism]

Where are you?

NSW Aus

 

[flypanam]

Smacks of Gove and Cameron looking for their Thatcher moment. Demonising and demoralising teachers, especially after attacks on pay and conditions and hoping that will force the NUT/NASUWT into strike action.

 

[chilango]

Smacks of Gove and Cameron looking for their Thatcher moment. Demonising and demoralising teachers, especially after attacks on pay and conditions and hoping that will force the NUT/NASUWT into strike action.

I've said that on a few threads here.

They've been stockpiling unemployed teachers for a few years now nd have relaxed the rules to allow unqualified staff in. I reckon they reckon they could break the NUT. I've a horrible feeling they might be right.

 

[Thora]

ime that was what was so great about it. You had all that time to fill so you did stuff you wouldn't normally do (days off over the fields, building dens. or heading off on your bike for an adventure. etc) It forced us to entertain ourselves and I think that's a good thing

Lots of children don't live in places where you can be out on your bike all day building dens in fields. And times have changed - if you let young children roam city streets all day alone then you'd be likely to have some questions asked about your parenting.

 

[kebabking]

Lots of children don't live in places where you can be out on your bike all day building dens in fields. And times have changed - of you let young children roam city streets all day alone then you'd be likely to have some questions asked about your parenting.

agreed - the idea of a long hot summer where the kids spent their days building dens, walking through the feilds, and on cycling tours of the countrys YHA's while being looked after by indulgent wardens is long gone. for a very large number of kids the 6 week holiday means 5 weeks of sitting in front of the TV/nintendo (can you tell how out of touch i am?..) being bored out of their minds, with their parents haemoraging money trying to find them childcare or something to do.

some people are lucky enough that they live in places tht are amenable to kids playing out all day in the fields and streams, and that have communities strong enough to do the 'it takes a village' thing - most however do not.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

Lots of children don't live in places where you can be out on your bike all day building dens in fields. And times have changed - if you let young children roam city streets all day alone then you'd be likely to have some questions asked about your parenting.

Absolutely.

 

[mr steev]

agreed - the idea of a long hot summer where the kids spent their days building dens, walking through the feilds, and on cycling tours of the countrys YHA's while being looked after by indulgent wardens is long gone. for a very large number of kids the 6 week holiday means 5 weeks of sitting in front of the TV/nintendo (can you tell how out of touch i am?..) being bored out of their minds, with their parents haemoraging money trying to find them childcare or something to do.

some people are lucky enough that they live in places tht are amenable to kids playing out all day in the fields and streams, and that have communities strong enough to do the 'it takes a village' thing - most however do not.

Many still do have that option, or something similar. I grew up in a large town btw, not some idylic village, and I've watched my nephews (now 12 and 16) have a very similar childhood (all be it with more playstation and less long bike rides, but they still play out all day)
But the answer to those that don't is to improve out of schools facilities, funded summer schools and playschemes etc, not to keep them in school longer imo

 

[_angel_]

Many still do have that option, or something similar. I grew up in a large town btw, not some idylic village, and I've watched my nephews (now 12 and 16) have a very similar childhood (all be it with more playstation and less long bike rides, but they still play out all day)
But the answer to those that don't is to improve out of schools facilities, funded summer schools and playschemes etc, not to keep them in school longer imo

I'd like funded playschemes but sadly they're being cut like hell. Less parents in work or with enough money to use them and funding cuts.

 

[mr steev]

I used to work for summer playschemes and helped run a summer school for a few years. They were virtually 100% funded or a nominal payment (£1 or £2 a day to cover snacks). A lot of the staff would be volunteers or students on a very low wage. I can't see how it would work out cheaper to keep schools open for longer and it would be better for the kids, the parents and teachers

 

[jusali]

Trouble is in order to have a family you need a to have both parents in work.
When the school holidays come you're basically fucked.
Extortionate childcare or split your holidays .....
Oh Brave new world indeed!

 

[_angel_]

I used to work for summer playschemes and helped run a summer school for a few years. They were virtually 100% funded or a nominal payment (£1 or £2 a day to cover snacks). A lot of the staff would be volunteers or students on a very low wage. I can't see how it would work out cheaper to keep schools open for longer and it would be better for the kids, the parents and teachers

where and when? the average cost works out at £12 a day but as they are special needs the staffing ratio needs to be higher. Actually the "mainstream" scheme (that sadly closed) was about that as well plus I had to pay again to provide the 1:1.

 

[mr steev]

where and when? the average cost works out at £12 a day but as they are special needs the staffing ratio needs to be higher. Actually the "mainstream" scheme (that sadly closed) was about that as well plus I had to pay again to provide the 1:1.

Wolverhampton. Late 90's to mid/late 2000's. The earlier ones I did were playschemes funded by the council/play development and the latter were the summer schools which were council and NOF (lottery money) funded.

 

[weltweit]

Trouble is in order to have a family you need a to have both parents in work.
When the school holidays come you're basically fucked.
Extortionate childcare or split your holidays .....
Oh Brave new world indeed!

That is exactly how I feel, when you have kids the cards are stacked against you unless the one breadwinner is on a very good pay packet.

We have been very lucky in that ex is a teacher so she can hold down a job AND look after the kids during school holidays which means I can also work (if I can find a flipping job!) but I am very aware that this is not the situation most families find themselves in.

 

[Kidda]

its still 190 school days per year, its just spread out differently.

the logic of changing the school year so that the holidays are more spread out over the year and there's not such a big gap between terms over the summer is sound, and the logic of having the holidays differentiated by, for example, county or region, so that the prices of holidays are evened out is also solid. the logic of every school head deciding for themselves when the holidays are however is utterly fcuking batshit mental.

There was a head on BBC news this morning that had changed the Summer holidays to 4 weeks with no extra added on anywhere else in the year.

If my head does that i'll strike. and then cry.

((((six weeks of bliss)))

 

[chilango]

There was a head on BBC news this morning that had changed the Summer holidays to 4 weeks with no extra added on anywhere else in the year.

If my head does that i'll strike. and then cry.

((((six weeks of bliss)))

It was Andy Grace from the Boulevard Academy in Hull iirc. The website of his academy http://www.theboulevardacademy.com/ appears to be a pretty amateurish Wordpress job riddled with spelling mistakes. So much for his bullish "let the market decide" attitude leading to higher standards eh?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Has anyone mentioned that in Ireland, they have double the amount they do in the UK?

 

[cdg]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23145179

Looks like it to me. Bad for teachers. Bad for pupils.

Could you give a brief description of what's in the link please? I really can't be arsed to read it only to find I'm not interested.

 

[cdg]

Of course kids can't do anything during the holidays now what with the recent pedo epidemic.

 

[kebabking]

There was a head on BBC news this morning that had changed the Summer holidays to 4 weeks with no extra added on anywhere else in the year.

If my head does that i'll strike. and then cry.

((((six weeks of bliss)))

saw him on TV, he appears to be something of a nob - my mrs, a teacher, said she'd not work for him.

there are other schools who have re-jigged the holidays so there's a four week summer break with the other two weeks farmed out into, iirc, june and september. that looks sensible to me.

 

[DJ Squelch]

There was a head on BBC news this morning that had changed the Summer holidays to 4 weeks with no extra added on anywhere else in the year.

I wonder if he is paying term time only support staff the extra 2 weeks wages they're owed?

Many schools do building work in the summer, some host foreign language school pupils.

 

[chilango]

Could you give a brief description of what's in the link please? I really can't be arsed to read it only to find I'm not interested.

Govt allowing individual Heads/schools to set their own term dates basically.

 

[mr steev]

there are other schools who have re-jigged the holidays so there's a four week summer break with the other two weeks farmed out into, iirc, june and september. that looks sensible to me.

Two more week long holidays? Why is that sensible? What's the actual problem with having 6 weeks off? Because if it's childcare then two extra holidays are going to be no better

 

[cdg]

Govt allowing individual Heads/schools to set their own term dates basically.

No peak season for buying holidays then or in contrast a continuous peak season.

 

[Thora]

Two more week long holidays? Why is that sensible? What's the actual problem with having 6 weeks off? Because if it's childcare then two extra holidays are going to be no better

Because for many parents, 6 weeks is a long stretch to be stuck with nothing to do.

Shorter holidays at a time can be easier to deal with for childcare because it's easier to cobble together a favours from friends and family. Parents might feel better about leaving younger preteens/teens home alone for a few days at a time rather than weeks at a time.