FED-UP parents are begging for summer holiday to be slashed to four weeks to lighten the load of childcare over summer.
More than half of parents would back a shorter break, a poll by charity Parentkind has revealed.
GettyParents are demanding a shorter summer holiday for kids[/caption]
GettyThe price and pressure of finding childcare for six weeks has led to families to complain about the long break[/caption]
GettyA poll found over 50 per cent of parents want a shorter summer holiday[/caption]
The call to cut the holiday comes just as state schools in England prepare to break up, leaving parents bracing for six weeks with the kids at home.
Chief executive of the charity Jason Elsom said: “The long summer break is a challenge for some parents.
“Most want to knock two weeks off to give teachers and children a month off instead.”
Parents say the long summer causes serious headaches and that they struggle with trying to finding cover at work and attempting to keep children entertained.
Elsom added: “A shorter summer holiday would help with costs and childcare, which would be particularly welcome at a time when some families are struggling to keep their heads above water.”
Parentkind’s survey found 53 per cent of parents support cutting the break to four weeks, while just 33 per cent are against it.
Among parents of kids on free school meals, the support jumps to 47 per cent, showing a strong link between holiday length and financial pressure in the household.
Parentkind says some low-income families have told them they’ve even skipped meals during term time to cover school costs.
Many families said they’d prefer longer Christmas breaks or two-week half-terms instead of the long summer slog.
Teachers are also on board, with 62 per cent saying they’d accept a shorter summer.
Nearly a quarter of teachers back a straight four-week summer, while 38 per cent favour trimming it to five.
Only a third still want to keep the traditional six-week break.
Private schools already have a longer break, with pupils getting from eight to nine weeks form early July to early September.
Some even stretch to up to 10 weeks, depending on the school.
In Ireland, students also get long summer holidays the length of summer holidays varies slightly between primary and secondary schools.
Irish primary schools typically have nine weeks of summer holidays whereas secondary schools enjoy a whopping 12 weeks.
Across the Chanel, France has an average school summer holiday of eight weeks, siimilar to the UK.
However Italy veers closer to Ireland, giving students 11 to 12 weeks off school from early June–mid September.
In Germany it varies state by state, but on average pupils have a six week break.
However childcare costs in the UK in summer are almost three times higher than after-school clubs, now averaging £179 per child per week, according to charity Coram.
Experts have also raised concerns that children regress academically over long holidays, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Elsom warned that for struggling households, a six-week break can feel “more like survival than a holiday”.
The government is under pressure to rethink the school calendar, with Parentkind calling for a full national debate on how holidays are spread through the year.
The idea of two-week half-terms is gaining traction among both schools and parents.
Some UK schools have already trialled shorter summers and longer mid-term breaks, with mixed responses.
In Wales, a plan to shorten the summer holiday by a week and expand the October half-term was put forward in 2022.
It was shelved after consultation responses were sharply split among teachers, parents and unions.
However childcare prices rising and many parents at breaking point, pressure is mounting for England to rethink the six-week summer.
A government spokesperson said: “We recognise the school holidays can be a pressurised time for parents, which is why this government is putting pounds back in parents’ pockets both during the holidays and in term time.
“We are expanding free school meals to all children whose households are on universal credit, introducing free breakfast clubs in primary schools, and rolling out 30 government funded hours of early education from September – saving families money and helping them balance work with family life.
“We are also continuing to fund free holiday clubs through the Holiday Activities and Food programme which provides six weeks of activities and meals for any child from a low-income family who needs it.”
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