Jayne Dowle: Summertime blues as school holiday cut short

This decision has come as a complete surprise to me – and I’m a parent. I vaguely remember something about consultation in a newsletter a few months from my daughter’s primary school. I had no idea that the change was so imminent. Neither did classroom staff themselves. Simon Murch of the National Union of Teachers says his members thought that the consultation was continuing and no decision had been reached.

‘Recipe for chaos’: Yorkshire council is first to cut school holidays to just five weeks

I should say right away that I am technically in favour of a shorter holiday. While I believe that a decent summer break is important for all concerned – children, parents and teachers – I do think that a month and a half off school is too long.

There was a time to introduce a more sensible approach to the calendar. That time is not now. Not before the whole thing has been properly thought out, consulted on and planned. And not against a background of educational upheaval. Countless schools in Barnsley are either in the process of, or considering, conversion to academy status. Isn’t this disruption enough for all concerned, without a re-drawn school year to take into account too?

Let’s not be fooled though. This is not about a shorter school break. It’s about a longer school year. The decision must be seen in the context of the ongoing battle to raise educational standards in Barnsley.

Although there are individual schools which perform pretty well, it’s fair to say that attainment levels at both primary and secondary level fall short of national standards across the borough. Shorter holidays mean more time in the classroom.

As Councillor Tim Cheetham, who speaks for education in Barnsley, says: “The main differences to this year’s dates from previous years will support educational outcomes for pupils, by reducing the long summer break which can lead to learning loss.”

However, what councillors and officials have failed to take into account is the fact that almost half of Barnsley’s primary schools have already become academies, as have four out of 10 of our secondary advanced learning centres.

This spells potential for chaos. Schools which remain under council control will follow the new rules, breaking up for a shorter holiday on July 31 from 2018 onwards, and taking off two weeks in the autumn.

Meanwhile, academies will be free to set their own holiday periods. Can you imagine what it could be like if you are a parent with children at different schools, all off at different times?

And if you work as a teacher, or indeed undertake any role in an educational establishment, the situation becomes even more complex. I have a friend, a primary school teacher, who also happens to be the parent of seven sons, six of whom are still in education. Her case is extreme, but consider the logistics of trying to juggle childcare and 
run a safe and efficient home when every member of her family is potentially on holiday at different times.

There’s also the knock-on effect on the October half-term. I suppose that the extra week had to go somewhere, but why not split it up and add half to the Spring Bank Holiday and the other half to Christmas? It’s these times of years when parents need the flexibility to take a break together, not in the middle of October when the only thing to look forward to is the dreaded Hallowe’en.

Even those who are lucky enough to be able to afford to go away on holiday face a limited choice: camping in Devon when it gets dark at 5pm is no fun, and neither is an out-of-season holiday resort on the Med.

Another week off in the dreary autumn months is a nightmare, basically. I’m lucky that my two children, now 10 and 13, are old enough to occupy themselves when it’s wet and cold outside.

However, the memories of rainy days stuck indoors with two bored and fractious under-eights are horribly fresh in my mind. It’s cruelty to parents, if nothing else.

It is also deeply ironic that at a time when education in Barnsley needs all the help it can get, this move will deter teachers from filling permanent vacancies here. Would you want to walk into an ill-thought-out experiment? Nick Bowen, principal of Horizon College, a well-regarded secondary school, admits that the change will “lead to difficulties in recruitment and retention of really good staff”.

If the concerned members of Barnsley Council would focus their efforts on ensuring that our children are taught as well as possible by the best possible staff, instead of forcing unwieldly changes upon us all, we might have a better chance of giving our children the education they deserve.