Would longer school days and shorter holidays benefit children?
The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has suggested at a conference that longer school days and shorter holidays would benefit children. Which of these statements best matches your own opinion?
- 13% said I think that longer hours and shorter holidays would have a negative effect.
- 84% said I think that longer hours and shorter holidays would have no overall effect.
- 3% said I think that it would be worth investigating to see whether the changes would benefit children.
- 0% said I think that longer school days and shorter holidays would definitely benefit children.
Comments
said on 25 March 2014
It's disgusting and as I'm just 10 we can't have more time we want to do more things to relax and just chill out and be normal
said on 7 March 2014
Children will be at school longer than their working parents. Children need to spend time with family.
said on 18 November 2013
I I personally feel the 5/6 weeks holidays is too long, most children forgot what they have learnt after a long weekend, let alone a long summer holiday. A month off should be enough.
said on 13 November 2013
The added time would kill the children already struggling with the system as it is. School is like a child's job. Would you being told to work more and get shorter breaks boost your work ethic? It is idiotic to think this would lead to improved performance.
said on 11 November 2013
Let children have a home life as well. Much of my learning as a child was when I was outside the classroom, enjoyed the outdoors, reading books and learning from my family.
said on 7 October 2013
My auntie is a child minder,she works very hard indeed,she has to plan and revise and complete a incredible amount of paperwork as well as looking after a group of children.....she doesn't get six weeks "rest". 4 weeks of summer holidays would still allow plenty of time for riding bikes and climbing trees and having family time...without parents who work having to worry quite so much about child care,i love to spend time with my children and i think everyone involved..teacher,pupils and parents need down time. a slightly shorter summer and maybe a slightly longer day say maybe a hour would benefit everyone,the hour could be used for homework maybe,so us parents can do fun things with our children when they get home instead of struggling with helping them to do their homework. worth a try i think.
said on 1 October 2013
Why don't we try ?
said on 17 September 2013
I disagree with Mr. Goves idea. Teachers already spend enough time in class. We need this summer holiday so we can recharge our batteries. Children learn by playing.
said on 14 July 2013
Longer school days with daily opportunities for sport, drama and music taught by specialists would benefit pupils. It would reflect the rich experience of private and public school pupils and fulfil Article 29 from the UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD that education should enable each child to achieve their potential. At the moment, only those children whose parents can afford to pay, truely have the opportunities to develop their sporting and creative skills.
said on 13 July 2013
I work through most of my holidays! Children need time to be free and get a bit bored rather than always having activities on tap.
said on 12 July 2013
Children are exhausted by the end of each term; a phrase on everyone's lips... 'the children are ready for a holiday!' The same goes for the question of longer days. I work in a year 1 classroom and I often have children that are like nodding dogs by the end of day story time. Also speaking from a parents point of view, why should my children miss out on the long care free summer holidays spent riding their bikes and climbing trees outside. This is a fond childhood memory for me and I wish the same for my own children. You cannot optimize learning when children are exhausted.
said on 12 July 2013
Children would not benefit from this, it would make school more boring if they go there for longer and with less time off. They would no try their hardest in lessons because they want a holiday from school and it's work.
said on 3 July 2013
I like the British model. You still get six weeks summer vacation. And you get half term weeks too. I know that if this were done all over the U.S. it might affect some vacation spots, but I think the country could handle it.
said on 2 July 2013
Half way through week 11 of a long 13 week term leading up to the summer holidays and the Year 4 children are already exhausted, argumentative and tearful. Longer days as well? I don't think so! Out of interest, when are the teachers supposed to plan all of this extra teaching? And are they allowed a little time off to spend with their own families?
said on 29 June 2013
As a parent I would not like to give up six weeks summer holiday. Longer school day would effect my family life negatively. I like spend some time with my daughter after school. No change thank you.
said on 25 June 2013
The children are exhausted and the teachers are too. Both need to recharge their batteries in order to be at peak performance. Teaching fills one's evenings and weekends during term time. We are "on stage" providing four interactive fun educational shows each day. We write the script, we perform and we have to critique it too plus analyse the audience's response and give them all a personal reply...and the teaching day is only the tip of the iceberg. Childhood is not just about creating a future army of worker drones. We have come so far as a civilised nation, to let it all unravel in order to return to the Dickensian perspective.
said on 23 June 2013
The ability for concentration doesn't allow longer hours and shorter holidays, you only have to think about teachers going on courses - they are exhausted at the end of the day. Giving children more education will not equate to better education nor will they achieve more. Exhausted teachers from planning more and teaching more will not create better schools, just disillusioned teachers. Quit messing with education Gove!
said on 19 June 2013
I think Michael Gove ought to do a degree in Child development before he makes sweeping statements! Children look forward to their holidays and their brains need down time to! For goodness sake is nothing sacred!
said on 17 June 2013
I think this is a really bad idea, in a world where child attainment and enthusiam to learn is dwindling, is forcing more school time really the best way to go? I think more thought needs to go into lessons and the actual subject of a childs school time. I only left school 4 years ago, and having gone into the education sector just seeing some of the things available now almost makes me jealous of how much things have changed and how many new methods of learning there are. More needs to go into finding a childs strength and building on that, rather than the way in which schools shun "creative" or different talents. I was always pushed away from creative subjects as i was "one of the smartest in the school" and now i look back and wish that i had have been able to do what i wanted to do. People seem to forget that these are the years in which peoples lives are shaped and changed in more ways than these pencil pushers can imagine.
said on 15 June 2013
Children are often very tired at the end of a school day. If we had longer school days then there should be no homework or a homework time built in before they leave the school. Teachers work extremely hard to plan and teach. I think they need their holidays to rest and recover. In the independent sector where children often board there is a range of other staff who take over child care and supervision at the beginning and ends of the day. There are also other physical activities, trips and events to occupy and stimulate children when they are not sat in the classroom. It is worth pointing out that on average the independent schools have longer holidays, the children have longer days and the results i.e academic achievement is often better. I have taught in both systems. There are benefits to both. If Michael Gove actually worked at the chalkface he might not come up with so many proposals he would probably be too tired to think them through!
said on 10 June 2013
I'm never sure which age range Gove has in mind for these changes or is it straight across the board? If he means kS1 children then it shows how little he knows. They are exhausted by the end of each term. Then what do I know - I've only been teaching them for 36 years!!!
said on 2 June 2013
Children are already tired by the end of the current school day. Instead Mr Gove should look in to providing after school sports clubs, and other clubs, free of charge. This would continue the Olympic legacy, fight the obesity crisis and allow children to develop social skills and teamwork skills.
said on 23 May 2013
Pupils do get really tired by the end of term, absences always increase at this time as pupils are more run down. It is really important that pupils have time to just relax and play. Yes it is difficult for working parents, I know I have been there, but why did we have children ? Just to leave their upbringing totally to school - or to enjoy quality time with them - time to play together - time to encourage sports - time to socialise out of school to make different sets of friends. I wanted my children to be to be educated by school but brought up by me.
said on 21 May 2013
I teach primary children and they simply could not cope with a longer day. The summer holiday IS too long but the children need a break - it would be better to divide the year into four terms and spread the holidays out more evenly.
said on 19 May 2013
Possibly altering the holidays to a five term where summer is four weeks may benifit children but definately not longer school days.
said on 12 May 2013
Surely Michael Gove has no real idea about children and what really benefits them or about the teachers who are working tirelessly so that our children receive a wonderful education in the difficult climate our government is creating for us all. Its time they asked teachers what really benefits our children and that they listened to us for once and it's time teachers were given the respect and regard that we deserve. Longer days indeed! Our children have long days already, especially when you consider that some are only 4 and 5!
said on 12 May 2013
Michael Gove needs to come and work at my school for a day, he has no idea about the stresses and strains of a teacher's day! I would love to be just the 'teacher' in a classroom finishing at 3pm instead of the social worker, carer, healthcare professional and disciplinarian that I appear to be on an every day basis! As usual he is portrayed in a nice leafy, white, surburban middle class school with beautifully behaved children learning in the background. Good luck Gove, you are succeeding in pushing out all the professionals in the world of teaching who actually care about the lives of the young minds we teach. You are turning education into a business, thanks again for taking all the education services off us and turning them into traded services. There will come a time when I may as well work for Tescos, well rant over and a weary and tired teacher signing off!
said on 12 May 2013
Would be nice if the staff would be considered at some stage instead of everything we do being for the children! After all, this is our career, lifestyle and we have our own children to think about too.
said on 11 May 2013
Children need time to play and be children. We already send them to school earlier than many countries with no obvious beneficial result from this. They are usually very tired by end of term and unlikely to concentrate well.
said on 10 May 2013
I think too little attention is paid to the differing needs, educational and otherwise, of children of different age groups. What is desirable or beneficial for children in secondary schools is not necessarily so for Infant and Junior aged children. European and Scandinavian models show that younger children benefit from less formal settings with higher adult :child ratios, but this has not been acknowledged by our current Government. Nor is time spent at home with non-working parents. We need a more child-centered approach rather than a continuous drive to provide cheap child-care in the guise of education.
said on 8 May 2013
I feel children need to have a balanced school /home life. It seems Mr Gove is trying to provide free childcare for mums and dads rather than thinking of the needs of the children.
said on 8 May 2013
Teachers work incredibly long hours as it is both in and out of school. Increasing work hours will have a negative effect on teaching staff. Holidays may seem long to some people outwith the profession but it isn't long in comparison to the yearly hours we equate.
said on 7 May 2013
Dear Mr Gove I suggest you use MPs to pilot longer days, fewer holidays... Don't forget to add two years of pay freezes. Then there is also data analysis, meetings, report writing, parent interaction, behaviour management, inclusion and mainstreaming (with minimal funding), not forgetting Ofsted and all the delightful curriculum changes. Whoops, nearly forgot to mention retiring at 68, paying more into a pension that we probably won't even be alive to see...
said on 2 May 2013
I think the children would not benefit from longer school days. Shorter holidays would benefit some children, particularly those with less routine at home.
said on 2 May 2013
Ideally a longer day would allow more teaching time, however as pupils, especially in Foundation and Key Stage One, get tired they will take in less and the extra time will not be as productive.
said on 1 May 2013
Children are tired enough as it is. After a full day in school their brains are saturated!
said on 30 April 2013
You are only a child once. Please let them enjoy it. There will be big implications for prices of holidays - forcing parents to take children out of school. It would be nice if Mr Gove could actually complete one of his changes (still waiting for new curriculum) rather than thinking of new ones.
said on 30 April 2013
It would be better if we had less hours in school, because we are under a lot of stress with homework and 6 and a half hours of school!
said on 29 April 2013
Children need time to be children without having their every minute structured and organised for them. They already get tired at the end of term. School is not a cheap child minding service and most primary teachers don't actually have much spare time as it is - certainly not complete holidays as portrayed in the press!
said on 28 April 2013
A longer day is not suitable for many children, they need time out of school to be children and experience sports clubs, play, family life and rest time. Please do not take their precious childhoods away!
said on 27 April 2013
I believe the children would benefit more from shorter days,less holidays and also they would learn more if the formal education beginns at the age of 6 or 7year olds.let them enjoy their childhood and stop putting pressure on them from very young age.
said on 22 April 2013
Regardless of whether it would benefit the kids, teachers would very quickly lose motivation in a job we already we work very hard in. Increasing the work load by such a substantial amount will burn teachers out, they will lose enthusiasm and the quality of learning will decrease. I'm a big advocate of chn being given the right to play and the right to a childhood. Kids need the time to be kids. I don't think this is a fair move on any party.
said on 22 April 2013
I think you will lose all of the passion and dedication that teachers have for their job.
said on 19 April 2013
Children are much less responsive in the afternoons anyway so longer hours would have no effect on learning. In fact it would be detrimental as they would then be even more tired the next day. Shorter holidays would also be detrimental as children need time to be children and allow their learning to be assimilated. Creativity is a vital part of learning and sitting in a classroom does not allow it to flourish. I am not happy at the thought of my child having to spend more time at school than with me, thank you very much.
said on 19 April 2013
I think it would put children under pressure that they don't need.
said on 19 April 2013
I think longer school days for Primary school children would have a negative effect. I think that the long summer holiday could be made shorter and the extra time added on at Christmas and Easter.
Anon said on 29 June 2014
Children should not be at school for a long time. They are only children for a very short time in their long lives and they should enjoy it outside of school. Adults have a choice to have children and have to make financial sacrifices. Longer school days so people can work longer hours and spend even less time with their children will do nothing to support the family unit. Plus out of school clubs like Brownies, swimming, etc would struggle to stay afloat if the kids are in school or have to deal with tired kids. Parents need access to decent childcare at a reasonable price. Too much red tape. The tax payers already pay for a lot. Privatising schools for profit is not a good way to use public money either. Rant over!