The long school summer holidays could be ditched in favour of a shorter break, but opinions are divided.
The Welsh Government is looking at extending the school day and the school year. Halving the traditional six week summer break to three is one of the options along with a longer school day being piloted this term.
The Welsh Government’s own review of the plan has not reached a conclusion and whatever the result some people won’t be happy.
Some teachers and parents say children forget what they have learned with six weeks off school. They have to catch up again when classes resume in September. There are also worries about holiday hunger and safety for some children.
Others think staff and children need a break and that a long summer holiday gives them important time to re-charge.
Then there’s the argument that not all learning takes place in school and young people need the time to play outside and have new experiences.
Not everyone can afford to go away but those that can face steeper travel prices in the school holidays when more people are booking.
Whether or not they can get away working parents have to organise and pay for child care when school’s out. Some of them would rather divide the weeks off around other times of year.
Some parents pointed out that it’s easier to keep children occupied in the summer than being stuck inside in the long, dark winter for a longer holiday then.
There’s no easy answer and there is even disagreement about how the tradition of the long school summer holiday came to be.
One idea is that children were given the time off to help bring in the harvest, but some historians say this isn’t true. They point out that the six week break started in the late nineteenth century when the harvest was increasingly done with machinery.
What is clear is that the six week school summer break is a long-held tradition and one that might not prove popular for politicians to change.
We asked people on Facebook what they thought of a three week summer holiday. This is what they said:
"My pupils like the summer holidays"
Teacher Tracy Harper said her pupils like the long break.
“I am a teacher and when I have asked the students what they think about this, none of them have said that they would like the summer holidays shortened. They all say they love the holidays as they are and look forward to having time away from school to do their own thing, spend time with their families.”
But Claire Lilley, who works in education, said it takes children a long time to settle back into the routine after so long off. She would like the summer holiday to be three weeks.
“Yes, the children I work with struggle in the holidays and it can often take weeks for them to settle back into school. Six weeks can be too long. I also have a son of my own and work in education.”
Speaking for parents, Andrew Judd said it’s hard to find childcare for six weeks.
“The problem is that the six weeks off doesn’t reflect workers’ time off. Most people only get four to five weeks off a year, so every summer you have to rely on friends or family members to get through which causes stress for parents and does not make it enjoyable.”
"Three weeks is too short"
Bríd Gwenllian Price was clear what she thought about halving the break: “Children are tired by the end of the school year and need a break. I think three weeks is too short.
“Summer is an opportunity to be outside when the weather is nice. That’s why it’s the most popular time of year for families to go on holiday.
“Also imagine the scramble whilst all those parents try to book annual leave during the same short three week period. People will just end up taking their kids out of school during term time instead.”
Hayley Jayne Baxter thinks summer is a better time for holidays: “Children need that long break, pointless having more weeks stuck onto any winter holidays for them to be stuck indoors. Let them have the six weeks in the summertime so they can enjoy better weather etc and a proper break before the start of the long winter terms.”
Grandmother Debra Morris-Foxhall was definitely against halving the summer holiday too.
“No, let kids look forward to that nice long summer break. My own children loved [it] and now my grandson does too as I am sure many children do. The past two years have been tough for everyone but as a child being shut indoors it must have been so hard. School holidays are an important part of being young.”
But others disagreed and want longer holidays at other times
Karen Davies-Morgan was in favour of shorter summer and longer winter breaks: “I always said take off summer and put an extra week or two on Xmas so kids could have more time with toys etc. The summer gets too long for them.”
And Janet Griffiths said childcare isn’t always easy to find when schools are shut: “I believe the holidays should be spread more evenly throughout the year. It’s difficult for working parents to find care for such a long holiday during the summer.”
Stephanie Rhian Daly would also like the school holidays more evenly split throughout the year. This is what she suggested.
“Personally I’d like them to be cut down to four weeks, finish school end of July/ beginning of August and have all of August off, extend October/November half term holidays to two weeks, also extend Whitsun half term holidays to two weeks, we could leave February half term as one week.”
Nikki Nash also wanted a month long summer rather than six weeks, but she wanted families to choose when the other two weeks were taken.
“I think it would be a good idea to have four weeks summer holidays and then a two weeks flexible request. Not all working parents can get the school holidays off.
“It would be great if we could use the two flexible weeks to book as and when we need them. At least when the children have a week off parents can spend time with them. Out of the six weeks off I can only get two weeks off work. I can book any time off just not school holidays due to demand. So no don’t shorten their holidays just need to be more flexible.”
Andrew EJ also favoured a four week break.
“Summer is a time when the kids can play outside and not be stuck in their bedrooms on Xboxes etc and families can go on holiday home or abroad.
“Six weeks is too long and the kids get bored. Maybe a balanced measure would be four weeks during August and extend the half term at the end of May into three weeks going into June.”
Dean Brenton-Davies said a three week break would make the annual scramble to book to go away even harder.
“People complain how much more holidays cost during summer, it will cost so much more with everyone trying to get a holiday in half the time.
“What about those who are on fixed shift rotas, if their time off don’t fall in the three weeks then they can’t have a family holiday.”
The parents who want longer, not shorter, summer holidays
Andrew Thomas said rather than halving the school summer break it should be lengthened.
“I’d increase it to eight weeks. Education can be sort in a variety of settings and providing children have support in the home environment, then learning via experiences and trips can outweigh the final few weeks of school, when many are watching YouTube daily.
“Many children have excelled in lockdown and shown the home environment can provide a good educational setting. Unfortunately, not all had the same opportunities and the gap between some children widened enormously.”
Zoe Elizabeth would also like more school holidays: “I don’t think kids get enough holidays. I love having my kids home and spending time with them.”
Just as all adults are different, so are children. Gemma Williams pointed out some need routine more than others.
She said a three week summer would “hugely benefit ALN parents whose children struggle out of routine”.
“It can be a hellish time for some and makes the process of reintegration in September even harder.”
With so many different things to consider and so many people and businesses affected by school summer holiday it is certain that any changes will need to be very carefully thought through.
What researchers have told the Welsh Government about changing the school year
An assessment of the idea, published by the Welsh Government in January, concludes that more evidence is needed.
In a list of lengthy recommendations the assessment concluded:
- Due to the mixed and inconclusive nature of the evidence identified in this review, it is recommended that any proposed programme of school calendar change in Wales should incorporate high quality and thorough evidence gathering, at all stages, from planning and consultation stages, through to setting out a clear rationale, and to assessing implementation and impact.
- Full and thorough engagement and consultation are recommended. This will allow the very broad range of groups affected by these changes to articulate what the potential impacts might be, will reveal effects not anticipated by policy makers, and will help ensure that robust monitoring and evaluation activity explores what matters to these groups.”
And it cautioned:
- The views of groups who may not usually readily participate in this type of activity should be sought as a priority.
- It is recommended that the reasoning and logic behind any proposed changes to the school year be clearly set out. This should include details of anticipated outcomes, including benefits such as learner progress, attainment, health and wellbeing, practitioner health and wellbeing and workload and family life, and the economy.
- How and when these outcomes and benefits are expected to manifest themselves, and how they will be evaluated, should also be given explicit consideration and clearly described.”
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