Barnsley schools getting summer holidays cut. Hopefully the start of a trend

[Crimson Dynamo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36443336

A council has become the first in England to cut the school summer holidays to under five weeks.

Barnsley Council in South Yorkshire has announced the term dates for the academic year 2017-18 with a shortened summer break.

There will be a longer school holiday at October half-term.

—-----–-------------


Tbh the October one should be axed but hopefully this will see a trend for more learning and less pointless holidays :fc:

[Kizzy]

I'd say give them longer at christmas, for some kids it's really hard to get to and from school in the bad weather so to avoid as much of that as poss is good. Mind you I know this is the UK and we can have snow until june haha!

[Niamh.]

Primary schools here close for 9 weeks and secondary schools get about 12weeks (those that aren't doing exams)

[_Tom_]

I only had 4 weeks summer holiday, though it was an academy!

[joeysteele]

I'd say give them longer at christmas, for some kids it's really hard to get to and from school in the bad weather so to avoid as much of that as poss is good. Mind you I know this is the UK and we can have snow until june haha!

I'd agree with longer at Christmas.

[Cherie]

Primary schools here close for 9 weeks and secondary schools get about 12weeks (those that aren't doing exams)

That must be a nightmare for working parents though I did enjoy 12 weeks holidays :love:

[user104658]

Kids learn more out of school than they do in it, so I disagree about more pointless school time learning generic crap. However if they were to keep the same number of weeks spread more evenly across the year, I'd be OK with that. 7 weeks over the summer is about 2 weeks too long... They start getting restless and bored.

[Cal.]

Kids need the break - especially with the amount of pressure being piled on. The people proposing these ideas and backing them are being incredibly selfish just because they're not at school anymore. Let the kids enjoy themselves before they become older and have to step into working life:

[Cal.]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36443336

A council has become the first in England to cut the school summer holidays to under five weeks.

Barnsley Council in South Yorkshire has announced the term dates for the academic year 2017-18 with a shortened summer break.

There will be a longer school holiday at October half-term.

—-----–-------------


Tbh the October one should be axed but hopefully this will see a trend for more learning and less pointless holidays :fc:

More learning? For about a month and a half before the holidays teachers have no idea what to do with pupils and most of school is spent watching movies ect. It'd be easier if they went on holiday sooner.

[Niamh.]

That must be a nightmare for working parents though I did enjoy 12 weeks holidays :love:

I know, I can't begrudge my lot their long break in the summer time because one i look back at my own childhood all my best memories are from the long summers :flutter:

[Crimson Dynamo]

Kids need the break - especially with the amount of pressure being piled on. The people proposing these ideas and backing them are being incredibly selfish just because they're not at school anymore. Let the kids enjoy themselves before they become older and have to step into working life:

and your evidence for this is what?

[Daniel-X]

Idg what's so good about cutting holidays back, sure they can drag a little sometimes but I think six weeks is what you need to refresh yourself for the new year when you go back. Anything under 5 weeks is a bit ludicrous TBH and I don't see the appeal of a longer October half term, a week in October is ample.

I always have six weeks/six and a half weeks usually and it's what I need to refresh myself before I start back. I'll be having about ten/eleven this time round because there's no need for me to stay after exams so I'll be gone they think by Thursday.

I agree with Cal too, not really with secondary schools but certainly with primary that the last four/five weeks used to consist of basically doing naff all work and just watching films and having extended breaks etc. Especially after Y6 students finish their SATS which finished at the start of May they have what about ten weeks pissing about? Why not just let them do at home they're eleven years old :shrug:

[arista]

Yes LT
makes good sense

Wasted time
we do not need for Our Future Workers and Troops

[smudgie]

Nah, keep it as it is, let the little darlings have their time off in the summer.they spend enough time indoors on their technology as it is. Sunshine and fresh air does them the world of good.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Nah, keep it as it is, let the little darlings have their time off in the summer.they spend enough time indoors on their technology as it is. Sunshine and fresh air does them the world of good.

yes bu they dont they spend it indoors moping around, they need summer school that gets them out in the hills and trains them for later life. Letting them sit at home is disgraceful

[Rob!]

Yes LT
makes good sense

Wasted time
we do not need for Our Future Workers and Troops

:umm2:

[Ashley.]

This is good, and it should be the case for all schools, primary and secondary. Children are having too much time off in my opinion, and we should prepare them for when they eventually start working and won't have the luxuries of twelve weeks off each year.

[Crimson Dynamo]

This is good, and it should be the case for all schools, primary and secondary. Children are having too much time off in my opinion, and we should prepare them for when they eventually start working and won't have the luxuries of twelve weeks off each year.

And one week is plenty at Christmas

[Greg!]

Wow some right child haters on this thread. Kids should be allowed to enjoy their childhood. Long Summer holidays are the best thing about being young and I have so many good memories from them

[Greg!]

And one week is plenty at Christmas

Incorrect

[Cherie]

Wow some right child haters on this thread. Kids should be allowed to enjoy their childhood. Long Summer holidays are the best thing about being young and I have so many good memories from them

I believe LTs kids regularly tie him up and leave him for dead, he is quite vengeful about it :hee:

[Crimson Dynamo]

Wow some right child haters on this thread. Kids should be allowed to enjoy their childhood. Long Summer holidays are the best thing about being young and I have so many good memories from them

:nono:

what we are saying is that they should be in school learning more so that they can enjoy a productive life, especially the ones from homes whose parents are feckless

[Greg!]

They go to school enough anyway to "enjoy a productive life", making them go in more often is pointless

[T*]

try me bitch

[T*]

@barnsley

[Northern Monkey]

Well if they got longer at Christmas like Kizzy said then i would'nt be against it.However as Niamh said summer is more fun for playing out and stuff.I used to love summer hols.

[Mystic Mock]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36443336

A council has become the first in England to cut the school summer holidays to under five weeks.

Barnsley Council in South Yorkshire has announced the term dates for the academic year 2017-18 with a shortened summer break.

There will be a longer school holiday at October half-term.

—-----–-------------


Tbh the October one should be axed but hopefully this will see a trend for more learning and less pointless holidays :fc:

Are you winding up or just a sadist?

[T*]

Are you winding up or just a sadist?



He's All of the Above :smug:

[Kizzy]

Having just been to a supermarket on a friday afternoon in the school holidays.....BAN THEM ALL!!!!
Keep all the brats in school permanently!

[T*]

:thumbs:

[Morgan.]

yes bu they dont they spend it indoors moping around, they need summer school that gets them out in the hills and trains them for later life. Letting them sit at home is disgraceful

Coming from someone that is still in high school and about to enter year 11, this is completely wrong. I find that we are tested constantly - pretty much ever week in various subjects - and monitored way too closely. Our school in particular seems more interested in uniform than education so to get six weeks off in the (hopefully) hot summer is a breath of fresh air.

Yes, some days I might be sat at home but I'm learning skills that will help me when I do leave school and have to 'fend for myself'. And when I'm not sat at home, I'm with friends socialising, because I know it can be a lonely world with no contacts.

I just wanted to put my viewpoint across, as it's coming from someone who will experience this. And yes, you might think it'll only affect me for one more year, but I know that there's loads of people that are going to find the extra stress and pressure really hard - and there's some that already are doing.

[Morgan.]

Having just been to a supermarket on a friday afternoon in the school holidays.....BAN THEM ALL!!!!
Keep all the brats in school permanently!

You've only just seen a fraction of teens. Our generation is looked down upon (I'm not aimin this at you, bit just in general), and I know this from experience and it shouldn't be this way.

[AnnieK]

Children are children not mini adults....learning takes many forms including their "holiday" and play times. Their brains are still developing and should be allowed down time during which they are not forced to sit and concentrate in a school setting. I do believe that parents should minimise tech time and get them active though.

[Kizzy]

You've only just seen a fraction of teens. Our generation is looked down upon (I'm not aimin this at you, bit just in general), and I know this from experience and it shouldn't be this way.

Teens?.. it wan't teens it was under tens :/

I was joking btw, I don't have anything against kids big or small.

[Crimson Dynamo]

we need summer school where children learn about cars and debt and marriage and self defence and how to question bogus things like religion and ghosts and crap like that

not sitting on their arses taking selfies of puddings

[Morgan.]

Teens?.. it wan't teens it was under tens :/

I was joking btw, I don't have anything against kids big or small.

Sorry, I was just getting into rant mood and it's a massive situation for me as I feel sometimes older generations don't understand how hard school can be sometimes. I know they had stricter punishments, but I've only just managed to convince my dad how bad and unhealthy constant testing is, especially when all of your free time over weekends is either spent up revising, helping around the house or doing other things that you don't want to do.

Sorry for the massive paragraphs :joker:

[Morgan.]

we need summer school where children learn about cars and debt and marriage and self defence and how to question bogus things like religion and ghosts and crap like that

not sitting on their arses taking selfies of puddings

1) No, that would only pile more stress onto us and that's the last thing we need, adults go on at us for needing to enjoy our teenage years, yet are also the ones implementing these programs.
2) That's what are parents are for, they are there to teach us things like that. It's not a matter of hiring people to do it when it's right there I front of us, for free.
3) You can't take a selfie of a pudding - unless the pudding can work a camera phone?

[Kizzy]

Sorry, I was just getting into rant mood and it's a massive situation for me as I feel sometimes older generations don't understand how hard school can be sometimes. I know they had stricter punishments, but I've only just managed to convince my dad how bad and unhealthy constant testing is, especially when all of your free time over weekends is either spent up revising, helping around the house or doing other things that you don't want to do.

Sorry for the massive paragraphs :joker:

There's been no corporal punishment for a long time, when I was at high school the worst punishment was detention you had to do something really bad to be excluded even for one day. To me it seems stricter now with things like isolation and getting sent home for having the wrong shoes or length of trouser :/
I bet your dads heart bleeds for you as he sets off at the beginning of his 48hr week at work :laugh:

[Cal.]

:nono:

what we are saying is that they should be in school learning more so that they can enjoy a productive life, especially the ones from homes whose parents are feckless

You don't have to concern yourself with those matters. It's their problem not yours

[Cherie]

You don't have to concern yourself with those matters. It's their problem not yours

I believe LTs kids regularly tie him up and leave him for dead, he is quite vengeful about it :hee:


His kids are feral, it concerns him a great deal :fist:

[Morgan.]

There's been no corporal punishment for a long time, when I was at high school the worst punishment was detention you had to do something really bad to be excluded even for one day. To me it seems stricter now with things like isolation and getting sent home for having the wrong shoes or length of trouser :/
I bet your dads heart bleeds for you as he sets off at the beginning of his 48hr week at work :laugh:

Tbf to him he works from 8-6 Monday to Friday, and 9-12 weekends doing hard, manual work but when he was at school there wasn't as many things we have now, like GCSE's for example.

[Kizzy]

Tbf to him he works from 8-6 Monday to Friday, and 9-12 weekends doing hard, manual work but when he was at school there wasn't as many things we have now, like GCSE's for example.

There were exams and teachers prior to 1988 :laugh:

[Denver]

Send them all to permanent summer camp

[Morgan.]

There were exams and teachers prior to 1988 :laugh:

I know that, but not GCSE's in their current form and I think it's only getting harder.

[Kizzy]

I know that, but not GCSE's in their current form and I think it's only getting harder.

Personally I think O levels were harder, I was in the first year to sit GCSEs in 88 and the work we did was easier than the stuff we'd done in middle school at 11-12 with the old O level textbooks.

[T*]

Personally I think O levels were harder, I was in the first year to sit GCSEs in 88 and the work we did was easier than the stuff we'd done in middle school at 11-12 with the old O level textbooks.

Education has changed since then... The GCSEs are getting ramped up in difficulty and it's going to be HELL for year 10s. Thank **** I was born in 2000:

[Kizzy]

Education has changed since then... The GCSEs are getting ramped up in difficulty and it's going to be HELL for year 10s. Thank **** I was born in 2000:

Well that is kind of my point Tom...
I'd say it is going back to the O level style, not everyone got to do those as they were so hard which is what the 11 plus did, sort out who was put forward for O level and who for CSE. There is GCSE foundation and higher now maybe they want more to focus on achieving at the higher paper?

[Ammi]

...looking at the term dates, this isn't reducing any holidays though, just spreading the school year out differently..?...that's something which is always talked about, so maybe will eventually be what will happen../4 week summer/two week half terms etc...it would have to be something that all schools agreed on though, for it to work because many parents have children at more than one school so having their children off at different times would be awful...it'll be interesting to see if the academies in Barnsley get on board with it as well, so we can see it given a chance....

[VanessaFeltz.]

is this a joke?

let people enjoy their lives little bit just because you have less holiday doesnt mean you have to take it off on little kids.

[lewis111]

What's the point in making kid's lives more stressful just because that's what it will be like in adult life, kids deserve to have some fun and a summer holiday is the perfect time, why add more to the Octobee holiday when nights are short and the weather is crap
they'll run out of stuff to teach younger children if they force them to be in school 5/6 weeks longer every year.

[Ammi]

What's the point in making kid's lives more stressful just because that's what it will be like in adult life, kids deserve to have some fun and a summer holiday is the perfect time, why add more to the Octobee holiday when nights are short and the weather is crap
they'll run out of stuff to teach younger children if they force them to be in school 5/6 weeks longer every year.

..yeah I have to say that I prefer the holidays to be longer in the summer for that reason, that the days are longer for children to be able to enjoy outdoor play at it's maximum ..obviously because of that, attractions are open later as well..and they cost a lot of money for a family day out so opening later in the evenings gives much better value...(also less chance of rides etc having to close with bad weather and generally more pleasant to walk around in warmer weather ..)...

[Morgan.]

Personally I think O levels were harder, I was in the first year to sit GCSEs in 88 and the work we did was easier than the stuff we'd done in middle school at 11-12 with the old O level textbooks.

My mum was in your year too, but she said that marking was crap so they had to nationally change the mark schemes or something? I mean my year are the lab rats for the 1-9 grading system and I hate it.

[Morgan.]

Education has changed since then... The GCSEs are getting ramped up in difficulty and it's going to be HELL for year 10s. Thank **** I was born in 2000:

This is true, I mean if you don't get a C on a maths higher paper you leave with a U.

[user104658]

Under 10's really need the break to be honest, they're all exhausted by the end of the year and need time to recharge. Outdoor play is essential though, they need that time to build themselves up physically with activity and plenty of sun (hopefully, although you do still get UV even when it's grey!) before going back to another year sat at a desk.

I guess we're lucky as we live somewhere quiet with plenty of young kids so plenty of outdoor play in summer. I can see why it's an issue for "city kids" who are basically stuck indoors with tech unless it's an actual planned activity... That must be boring as ****.

[Cherie]

...looking at the term dates, this isn't reducing any holidays though, just spreading the school year out differently..?...that's something which is always talked about, so maybe will eventually be what will happen../4 week summer/two week half terms etc...it would have to be something that all schools agreed on though, for it to work because many parents have children at more than one school so having their children off at different times would be awful...it'll be interesting to see if the academies in Barnsley get on board with it as well, so we can see it given a chance....

Its in the OP Ammi the list summer week will be added in October so the overall holidays remain the same, in some ways I think it makes sense, kids have 5 weeks off in summer and families could use the time in October to go abroad for some sunshine before winter, it's difficult to do that and sometimes not cost effective for a week