4 day week for schools?

I very much doubt this will happen and if it did I would think the teachers would still be teaching on day 5 but just online as in lockdown. One of the issues is school budgets are set a whole year in advance, so no account taken of rising costs, heating, food for lunches and teachers salaries. Schools are all now all funded from different sources, eg some are academies, some are still LA schools, free schools etc It’s a nightmare for school staff. My own daughter is a primary school teacher and I’m shocked at the amount of things she buys out of her own pocket and how much “unpaid” hours she works. She’s been in school three times during these holidays in addition to three training days. They are paid for the training days but not paid for holidays, their salaries are based on term term and then split across 12 months for both teachers and payroll convenience

Yes I listened to an article yesterday when they quoted exhaustion, lack of respect, lack of protection supplies during lockdown as some of the reasons why so many had left the job-causing a shortage of staff to run the nurseries.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62496728
Nursery closures: Parents left without childcare as providers shut

Just throwing this into the conversation! Makes sad/interesting reading.

Australian schools have four terms with two weeks break in between each apart from Christmas when they have about 8 weeks holiday.

Fleurpepper it was the mention of most French holidays being 2 weeks apart from the summer. I literally cut and pasted the item from information on the French school holiday website. My sister’s UK school has 2week half terms, but they finish later than us e.g. not until the end of July, so their summer break is less than 6 weeks.
I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of more free/subsidised childcare in the UK.

I suppose it all comes down to how supportive the state is of working parents. There is much more help in France in terms of childcare allowances, parental leave and flexible working. Trade unions are very strong here still and family life is valued above all else. Children also start full time education in the term before they are 3yrs, so most are full time at 2 and a half, nursery care is either free or heavily subsidised by the state.

Indeed - the more you pay, the less you get!!

Fleurpepper

My GCs go to private schools in UK- they have much longer holidays.

Some of our children went to private school, as you say longer holidays. This was fortunate as my family hime was abroad and we could fly out before the prices went sky high.

It was a standing joke amongst the parents that when the fees went up they would add on another non-pupil day.

My GCs go to private schools in UK- they have much longer holidays.

Mollygo

Normandy girl,
Comparing UK schools with France always makes me laugh. There are already so many complaints about the length of the school holidays in the UK.
I read that
The Ministry of National Education (Ministere de l’Education Nationale in French) sets the dates for the school holidays in France. French schools have five holidays throughout the year: All Saints’ holiday, Christmas holiday, winter holiday, spring holiday, and summer holiday. The breaks are usually around two weeks each, apart from the summer holidays, which last about eight weeks from early July to early September.
Can you imagine the outcry if that was suggested here?

All Saints = autumn half term in UK
Christmas = the same
winter hol = Feb. half term
spring hol = 2 May Bank Hols in UK

they do have 2 weeks more for Summer

So not much difference!

I remember that! I thought it was really beneficial for the children to have a few days to wind down after all the Christmas stuff. I used to dread when they came back exhausted on 2nd Jan. You just knew half of them would be off sick a couple of weeks later.

Joseanne

Mr Bursar sitting next to me says that would be counterproductive. If you turn the heating off on Thursday night the school would be too cold to operate in on Monday morning! Many are old Victorian buildings which lose heat quickly.

Some teachers on here might remember the year they made the Christmas holiday longer to try and save on heating.

Luckygirl3

*However, they're offloading the responsibility to schools without increasing their budget to pay for increased costs.* Indeed so.

If the government is planning handouts to households because they recognise the hike in bills is unmanageable, then they must do the same for schools. There is no way schools will have based their financial projections on this massive increase in costs - they do not have a crystal ball.

Will the Government be shivering at work?

Oh, no, I thought not.

Normandy girl,
Comparing UK schools with France always makes me laugh. There are already so many complaints about the length of the school holidays in the UK.
I read that
The Ministry of National Education (Ministere de l’Education Nationale in French) sets the dates for the school holidays in France. French schools have five holidays throughout the year: All Saints’ holiday, Christmas holiday, winter holiday, spring holiday, and summer holiday. The breaks are usually around two weeks each, apart from the summer holidays, which last about eight weeks from early July to early September.
Can you imagine the outcry if that was suggested here?

However, they're offloading the responsibility to schools without increasing their budget to pay for increased costs. Indeed so.

If the government is planning handouts to households because they recognise the hike in bills is unmanageable, then they must do the same for schools. There is no way schools will have based their financial projections on this massive increase in costs - they do not have a crystal ball.

Callistemon21

And - uniform has to be bought from a specified outlet.

Which is appalling and smacks of 'funny handshakes'

Callistemon21

I don't know a lot about academies but DN used to teach in one. He has left to join a state school so I assumed they were differently run.

DGC go to school in Wales.

All academies are state schools. Some state schools (especially primary schools) are not yet academies. I don't know of any state secondary schools in England which are not academies, although that's not to say there aren't any.

Callistemon21

growstuff

Callistemon21

It is not a proposal by the Government:

The Government issued a response on April 21st 2022; “The government has no plans to require schools to make Friday part of the weekend. Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, well-being and long-term development ….”

Is that Wales or England?

So the government can put all the responsibility on schools and teachers - and blame them, while not giving them the money to pay for their energy bills.

No, not Wales.

The UK Government has stated that it is not responsible for education in devolved countries (in the first link).

I don't know who the supposed 'parents' are who tried to bring the petition to the Government but, as far as I can tell, it is not a Government idea but one which is circulating in the media.

Sorry, I was just clarifying.

Of course it wouldn't be a government idea. They're keen to be seen as the "good guys" who won't allow schools to close, just as they did during the height of the pandemic.

However, they're offloading the responsibility to schools without increasing their budget to pay for increased costs. School budgets are already stretched and there isn't much slack in the balance sheets. Headteachers will be the ones who will have to make the decisions about where cuts will have to be made.

And - uniform has to be bought from a specified outlet.

I don't know a lot about academies but DN used to teach in one. He has left to join a state school so I assumed they were differently run.

DGC go to school in Wales.

Seems a ridiculous idea! My AC have difficulty finding care for their children in school holidays - it's a nightmare for them ! and I do as much as I can . A four day school week will add to the stress many parents are already under regarding child care.

Callistemon21

eazybee

Thank you Luckygirl and Growstuff for the information about 'non-profiting' academy trusts. Another source of income is the insistence on school uniform embroidered logos, only obtainable from the school shop, with at a ridiculous cost.

State schools specify the same.

Academies are state schools. Most state secondary schools in England are now academies.

Welshwife

The people who say the little ones only play most of the time are just showing complete ignorance about what goes on in most good nurseries and infant schools. The trick is to make what the children are doing so interesting and such good fun that they ‘think’ they are playing.
When teaching reception children and it came to parents evenings I always put out the first exercise book the children used with their current one - and usually the ones in between - most parents were very surprised when they saw the actual progress which had been made during the school year.

I used to do the same with exercise books even when I taught older children, their parents were given their books to peruse on parents evenings and then they could discuss them with me. Nursery and Infant class teaching is hidden in "Play" activities a lot of the time. It is observed closly and used to aide progress.

Some state schools

eazybee

Thank you Luckygirl and Growstuff for the information about 'non-profiting' academy trusts. Another source of income is the insistence on school uniform embroidered logos, only obtainable from the school shop, with at a ridiculous cost.

State schools specify the same.