Re: Happy Camping!

In message <1121863235.366420.254520@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, chalky <gslchalky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes

Paul Harris wrote: 
In message <tZeDe.7078$yP3.3251@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Stephen
Rainsbury <stephen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
>
>They did an opinion survey the school holidays, the majority wanted to keep
>things the same as now, with 6.5 weeks holiday, but we were over ruled as
>somehow it saves money, I have no idea how, but you can bet your bottom
>dollar that the last people to benefit will be the actual school kids.
>
Can I suggest that they save money by reducing holidays during the warm
summer period giving more holidays during the cooler parts of the year
equals a saving on heating bills.  Unless of course anyone else has a
better theory.


Actually the proposals do not centre on financial reasons. The school
year will still be 190 days for pupils and 195 for staff.

I was just addressing Stephen's point that it he was told it saves money by putting forward a possible scenario in which it could be seen to save some money by not being open as much during the colder part of the year. I didn't doubt that there were lots of other reasons but thanks for giving us some insight into what was behind the decision to try it.

The reasons for the change to a 6-term year are variously:
1. Consistency across the country. (LEAs and schools currently set
dates for holidays, terms, etc, and these can differ widely.)

Of course with some doing this and some not they have achieved totally the opposite.

2. Terms of uneven length disrupt curriculum planning and delivery,
particularly when the spring and summer terms are decided by the date
of Easter.

I never could fathom how Christmas was always the same date each year and Easter moved around.

3. Parents tend to take their kids out of school in term time when
there are increasingly varied holiday patterns.


I can see it might help with that.

4. The most radical changes are to extend the october break. Surveys
show that pupil and teacher sickness and exclusions rise in an extended
autumn term. A longer break in the middle is hoped to relieve the
stress that builds up as the term drags on towards christmas.


It's a real shame the rest of us don't get similar chances :-)
--
Paul Harris
.

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