Michael Gove axes six-week summer holidays for schools – what do YOU think?

As a former Deputy Head and class teacher for over 22 years I actually favour less holidays in the Summer as I always dreaded the first few weeks of the new Autumn Term – as kids had forgotten loads over the 6 week break.

But where do you stand over the proposals?

Michael Gove floated the idea earlier this year when he complained that the structure of the school term ‘was designed when we had an agricultural economy’ and no longer serves us in the new digital age.

Here’s the article in The Guardian

“The tyranny of the summer school break – an unbroken six weeks of freedom for pupils and inflated holiday costs for their parents – could soon be over, after the Department for Education announces that all schools are to get the power to set their own term dates.

The change is included in the government’s deregulation bill, which removes the role of local authorities in fixing the dates of school terms and leaves the decision to school leaders and governors.

However, some school leaders warn that too much variation could lead to chaos for families with children at different schools.

Academies, free schools and voluntary-aided and foundation schools already have the ability to set their teaching hours and term dates. Among those doing so is Boulevard academy in Hull, which plans to reduce its summer break to four weeks. Andy Grace, the headteacher, says the extra two weeks of school will help parents who struggle with childcare for the longer holiday.

The new legislation extends the freedom to all state-maintained schools as the education secretary, Michael Gove, pushes for a rewriting of state teachers’ terms and conditions through the independent School Teachers’ Review Body.

The change is due to take place from September 2015, affecting the 70% of state primary schools and 30% of state secondaries still under local authority control.

Read more here