Half-term early

[Clamzy]

Does anyone know why the half-term holiday has been taken so early this year?
Shrove Tuesday is not until next week and Easter starts 6th April so it's most unusual.

[ummmm]

Mic...they don't really get a holiday....they get to work from home.

[starone]

ummmm, a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. Unless someone has first hand knowledge of what happens in schools, you will never make them believe.

[sophie_1003]

To be fair ummm the holidays are great; I will be working from home A LOT and went into school today but I won't deny that they are a big appeal of teaching but they are so needed! I would be good for nothing (as would the children) if terms were any longer!

[annie0000]

ours have 8 weeks plus a day and a half off this summer - that's just a bit too long I think.

[sophie_1003]

Wow!! Lucky them!

[annie0000]

they will have a fortnight with us and then 6 weeks in out of school care - and I'll take the half day at the start and the day at the end off with them. Apart from anything else it'll cost nearly £1.5k in childcare and they'll be begging to get back to school by the end.

[sophie_1003]

Yeah not lucky parents and it is a long time for the kids; I was thinking of the teachers!

[annie0000]

yup sophie - they usually have 7 weeks plus the day and a half - not sure why they have the extra week this year. They didn't go back after Christmas until 9th Jan - they have this week off, 2 weeks at easter, a day in May - 2 days at beg of June, 8 weeks in summer, a day in Sept, a week in Oct, 2 days in November and then back to Christmas again.

[sophie_1003]

That's unusual; we went back 3rd Jan and have a week now then 6 weeks at school to Easter, a week's holiday in between Easter and summer then 6 weeks holiday for summer.

[Jonathan-Joe]

Schools under the Department of Education must open for 380 half-day sessions (190 days) in each school year.

[factor-fiction]

Overall the course of a school year schools always have the same number of holidays, but the length of each half term is dependent on the timing of Easter. Half terms are usually 6 weeks or 7 weeks. This year the early Easter meant that many schools had two 7 week half terms before Christmas followed by two 6 week terms to Easter.
Many schools went back immediately after the New Year bank holiday and had a 6 week term which meant finishing on Friday 19th February. Easter is early this year so schools will generally break up next on 30th March, meaning the next term is 6 weeks also.

After the early Easter most schools will have slightly longer summer term.

[Clamzy]

Thanks for all the replies - it seems it's not as early as I thought.
In my day when Easter was early (sometimes in March) schools would break on the Thursday before Good Friday and take Easter week and the following week.
That was before the Rt Hon. Kenneth Baker interfered.

[factor-fiction]

I wasn't teaching when Kenneth Baker was in the cabinet but I'm pretty sure that the Baker days didn't lead to more/longer holidays for students- it just meant that teachers/TAs had to have in-school training days in lieu of some holidays.
I'm enjoying half term but I have just spent 2 hours marking books. I'll be doing the same every day of the holidays

[ocelotjanie]

Holidays vary; it's like Easter, never the same, either early or late or neither - the critical part is when do the clocks change as it makes such a difference. By the way teachers need their hols - most stressful job I have ever had, anyone who doesn't know should try it, industry is a laugh a minute in comparison.

[factor-fiction]

mikmak: "A bit like I've never seen a farmer on a bike"
I haven't heard that one but I've heard lots of people say "You never see a poor bookie?".
I always want to say back- how do you know? A chap just trundled past my house on a bike- maybe he was a farmer or a bookie (or a teacher).