England’s school summer holidays should be cut to four weeks, report says

Thought should be given to cutting the school summer holidays in England to try to help pupils, parents and teachers, according to a new report.

A four-week summer holiday instead of a six-week break could be part of changes "to a school calendar that has been stuck in place since Victorian times," according to a new report on tackling post-pandemic education inequalities.

The report, which is due to be published on a date to be fixed after Easter, looks set to call for changes so summer holidays in state schools are cut from six weeks to four, while half-term breaks in autumn and winter could each be extended from one week to two.

The summary of the report, which is part of a Nuffield Foundation-funded project, states: "Spreading school holidays more evenly across the year could improve the working lives of teachers by making term lengths more equal.

"This would make planning easier and help to alleviate mounting fatigue and pressure faced by teachers and their pupils during the long autumn term before Christmas."

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Decisions on school holidays are made on a local basis and do vary in different areas of England already.

"There's mixed evidence on the benefits of spreading holidays more evenly across the year and we think it is probably best that these decisions continue to be made locally with the views of families and school staff being taken into account.

"A wholesale national change would involve considerable disruption at a time when we are better off focusing on the immediate challenges in education, such as the staff recruitment and retention crisis."

You can read the full report HERE.

We asked residents in Lancashire what they thought about the proposal.

This is what they had to say:

Sophie Foster said: "I think we'll lose a lot of good teachers! They need the breaks just to catch up on their workload."

Becky Till said: "I agree they are too long. By the second week kids are bored."

Natalie Porter said: "For some kids it's a great idea. Even four weeks is too much for some of them."

Caz Louise said: "I agree six weeks is too long. My son has ASD and routine is what is needed, but after he's been off for six weeks and got used to it then we have to get him into going back routine."

Sarah Jane Tompson said: "No! Love the school holidays, there is so much more to life than school. Enjoy your kids and make those memories. They won't be young forever."

Em Appleton said: "It means no odds to me. I'd just like the holiday companies not to charge the earth during them."

Carol Crawford said: "We love the long summer break. It's never long enough. When my brother and I were in secondary school we had exactly two months holiday in the summer - it was brilliant."

Ann Purkis said: "I am all for a four week break. Much easier on working parents. Maybe they can roll the two weeks over for "annual leave" for kids to have a holiday at other points in the year."

Chris Lucie said: "An extra week in May or June when the weather's actually nice would be good. Usually miserable in August."

Robyn Lee said: "How about no break at all. Those kids are hardly in school."

Nicola Batey said: "It will certainly help working parents."

Sue Broadhurst said: "My children get anxious about going back after six weeks and don’t want to go back, so I think four weeks will benefit kids more and it won't take as long to settle back in."

Laraine Brown said: "Agree. It would help parents a lot."

Helen Marie Brown said: "Not a chance, The school years are very short. Enjoy your kids being off school. They need a break from it too."

Maria Spirit Medium said: "Couldn't wait for summer holidays when l was at school. Kids start school too young and spend too much time in a classroom in my opinion."