Year 10 to 11 summer break work

[Amber]

Well I feel that was a bit preachy and aimed at me KB; so in reply I will just say I am also an 'educator' with 30 years' teaching experience, and a parent of 3 very academically successful children; and an ongoing student of comparative education, as well as someone who feels passionately about equality and equity. And I don't think children need to be doing academic work over the summer. The helpful habits you refer to are in my mind best viewed as taking place in the sphere of families doing things together, exploring the world, as you say, taking time to chat to each other, reading, if you will, preparing and sharing food together...educating in the widest sense, as well as having a nice time without an eye on exam results.

I think as these posts show, there is more than one way to...actually as a cat lover I won't finish that, but perhaps there is no 'right' and no 'wrong'. I am totally fed up with the emphasis on academic progress as the only measure of success and value, and that is one thing which will always alienate some sections of society. It is actually quite easy to engage children's interest and 'educate' them; you don't need academic work to do it. I agree parents need to be involved but the way that particular message is put out tends to alienate large groups of society when actually just putting your phone down and chatting to a child can make an enormous difference. Libraries have their place, yes, and I used to drag mine off during the long holidays too to take part in the reading challenge and the associated challenge of finding all the books again at the end of it all; but so do the garden, the park, the kitchen...even the supermarket if you're brave.

Anyway, that is now off topic and I hope that fairy elephant's daughter is having a nice break.

[Yamin151]

Summer learning loss is not a new idea. It was certainly recognised by teachers in the late 60s.
Whether it matters or not is a matter of opinion.

I wasn't advocating children not getting a carefree summer holiday. It's also recognised that the summer break is a valuable time for physical and emotional development.

However, it can provide an opportunity for more 'academic' focussed learning outside the classroom. It's not just about what is learned from reading a couple of books and carrying out a few investigations ( hopefully teachers are rather more creative than setting a 'work sheet'). Good guidance can be a first step for families to start helpful habits. Finding a library ( assuming there is still one nearby!) and getting familiar with it and enjoying books together can make a real difference. As can getting children and parents to see their environment as somewhere to be explored, to start getting children to ask questions about the world around them.
It's not going to fix all the inequality but getting parents and pupils to engage in their education as a whole can make a real difference and this is one small way of trying to do that.

All that this sort of summer learning would do is accentuate the gap between those from middle calsss academic homes and those from poorer, less educated backgrounds. Far higher a proportion of those middle class aspirational families would complete the work. Giving out work over sumnmer does absolutely nothing to address the gap which exists because of the difficulties these less advantaged families have in supporting their children's work anyway, whether through lack of motivation or not feeling capable. Either way it is a woeful attempt at redressing the balance. And in the meantime, if we let it happen those who do feel they ahve to do it will then raise the bar for the rest of us. Whether summer learning loss is a thing or not, who cares? If its across the board then its a cross the board, and doesn't matter - again I point out Nobel prizes are being won by people who went through the same system! It will only matter if we make it a 'thing' and will only result in yet more pressure for our children and yet more gaps between the educationally diverse groups.

[Surferfish]

What about the length of the summer holiday? Is 6 weeks possibly too long a break? I believe that the 6 week break is actually something carried forward from historical times when many children were required to help out working in the fields during July and August, which obviously isn't relevant anymore.

Perhaps a 4 week break would be better? Long enough that pupils and teachers get a decent break and chance to recharge their batteries but not quite so long that children forget much of what they learnt the previous term. The other 2 weeks could then be added to the Autumn and Spring/Summer half term to make them 2 weeks long.

Also its obvious that the majority of people on this forum are from relatively affluent, middle-class backgrounds, who live in nice areas, possibly have one parent who doesn't work full time, perhaps are able to take a nice family holiday and can afford to arrange interesting activities for their DC's during the rest of 6 week break.

But what about the less fortunate children who are maybe from single-parent families who have to work full time through the summer to make ends meet. Six weeks of no school left to 'run wild' round a rough council estate isn't going to be all 'Swallows and Amazons'. For some children school provides an important structure to their lives that they don't get at home or even their only opportunity of getting a decent meal.

[Guest55]

Which weeks would you 'cut' in the summer? Public exams are in June would you move them? Students have to wait for results so there is bound to be a long 'gap' before a new term can start.

It sounds easy to shuffle the holiday but it might mean it was harder to get a family holiday - firms already struggle to cover the summer weeks. I can see it meaning even more term-time holidays which would rather defeat the object of what you are proposing.

[Yamin151]

And again, I am struggling to see who this benefits. And whilst the majority of people on here will tend to middle class educated maybe, its certainly not the case that most or even lots of them are affluent enough to afford what you say without sacrifice and struggle. Taking 11 weeks off is hard wherever those weeks are. I don't think the benefit of "possibly" not losing learning is enough to justify changing all that around. Arguably (with our weather!!!) its even harder to occupy kids if the holidays happen more in the winter.

[Guest55]

Another thing is I know a number of teachers who volunteer and help run Summer schools - I'm not sure they would be keen to give up one week of their four ...

[Surferfish]

It was just an idea to discuss and I agree that there are plenty of valid arguments against it as well as for it.

It seems that a council in Barnsley has already adopted this approach so will be interesting to see how it works out for them.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/educa ... 63051.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KB]

Just to clarify that my comments were not intended to be an attack on anyone and apologies if they came across as such.

[Catseye]

I have not read the whole thread so apologies if this has been said already.

I think 6 weeks summer break is too long it should be a max of 4 to 3 weeks and the extra 2-3 weeks allocated to the half term breaks.

After all how many of our children help with the harvest ?

btw, KB has never to my knowledge attacked any fellow forumite and is a true treasure to these pages. Well done madam/sir.

[JaneEyre]

btw, KB has never to my knowledge attacked any fellow forumite and is a true treasure to these pages. Well done madam/sir.

I entirely agree with this and I have also a profound respect for KB and knows that s/he is a poster to be read attentively.