Six-week school summer holiday could be reduced to four, new plans show

The summer holidays for schools could be shortened to four weeks under new proposals. A report suggests that the traditional six-week summer break should be cut down to four weeks.

This change could be beneficial for students, parents, and teachers, even though it would significantly alter the usual school calendar. The idea of a four-week summer holiday instead of the standard six weeks is being looked at as part of changes to the “to a school calendar that has been stuck in place since Victorian times,” according to a report on addressing education inequalities after the pandemic.

This report, which was revealed by PA news agency, is expected to be fully published after Easter. The report is likely to suggest that summer holidays in state schools should be shortened from six weeks to four, while half-term breaks in autumn and winter could be extended from one week to two, Wales Online reports.

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The summary of the report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, says: “Spreading school holidays more evenly across the year could improve the working lives of teachers by making term lengths more equal.” This change could make planning easier and help reduce the fatigue and pressure experienced by teachers and students during the long autumn term before Christmas, reports Wales Online.

One of the authors of the report, Lee Elliot Major, who is also a professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “It’s time to reform a school calendar that has been stuck in place since Victorian times.” Mr Major suggests that spreading school holidays more evenly could boost happiness in students and improve teachers’ work lives. It can also ease the financial load on parents managing the costs of child care.

In the report, he adds: “It’s often safeguarding worries that play on the minds of teachers who are acutely aware that abuse, neglect and mental health do not take a break over the holidays.” A study cited in the report found a decline in mental well-being in children aged seven and 14 after returning to school post long summer vacations.

Children from less resourceful backgrounds were most impacted, which could potentially hamper their learning once they return to school. According to the report, fostering happiness and social skills in children is just as significant for their future success as academics like reading or maths. Altering the school holiday schedules could be a straightforward measure to enhance children’s overall well-being and academic performance.

However, some argue that resources should rather be invested directly into schools instead of exploring cost-free alternatives. Geoff Barton from the Association of School and College Leaders comments: “We are better off focusing on the immediate challenges in education, such as the staff recruitment and retention crisis.”

Extracted quotations from the submitted text: “It’s often safeguarding worries that play on the minds of teachers who are acutely aware that abuse, neglect and mental health do not take a break over the holidays.” “We are better off focusing on the immediate challenges in education, such as the staff recruitment and retention crisis.”

Extracted quotations from the rewritten text: “It’s often safeguarding worries that play on the minds of teachers who are acutely aware that abuse, neglect and mental health do not take a break over the holidays.” “We are better off focusing on the immediate challenges in education, such as the staff recruitment and retention crisis.”

Dr Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT, has emphasised the need for investment in “high-quality services” for children to address the combined impact of the pandemic and underfunding in schools.

He stated: “These proposals to shorten the school summer holidays are nothing new. Depressingly, what is also not new is the lack of credible evidence demonstrating that such changes would improve educational standards. The last 14 years have seen schools trying to fill the gaps as wider children’s services and support for the most vulnerable have all but disappeared.”