School holidays

[enigma]

Where I am - in Scotland - the kids are having five and a half weeks for summer holidays as opposed to last year's seven weeks. I'm not quite sure why the holidays have been cut this year but I was wondering how many weeks the kids in the rest of the UK are having. So how many weeks are your kids having off school?

[yinyang]

I'm just outside Glasgow and my girls are getting seven weeks, give or take a day or two. Are you getting extra days at Xmas or easter to make up for the shorter summer holidays?
How you coping? Kids bored yet? I wish the weather would start being a bit more summery. x

[enigma]

Hi Yinyang. I'm probably not a million miles away from you then. I'm in EK and our kids finished up on the 29th June and go back on 7th August. Mind you, maybe by then i'll be dying to send them back lol. That was the best bit about being at school when you were a kid though - the long summer holidays. As far as I am aware they aren't getting any extra days during other holidays to compensate but i'll check when my daughter goes back to school and comes home with her new calendar of term time holidays.

Oh I know what you mean about the weather! Been a bit of a washout so far hasn't it? So much for our sizzling summer and flaming June! I keep saying we're only in June ......... July ........... When WILL the summer start?!! I'm not quite at the ripping out hair stage but it's early yet - give it time. They only finished up less than a week ago. I dare say as the weeks go on i'll be at breaking point lol. How about you?

[yinyang]

You're very close to me, my husband works in East Kilbride in fact.
Our schools finished on the same date but girls don't go back until the 16th.
We've survived the first week intact. They were playing out in the garden earlier when the sky suddenly went dark and there was a cloudburst. Wee souls just got their brollies and carried on regardless - ' it's summer and we're going to play outside!'
Tomorrow they get to shopping with my mum and I, sure that will thrill them no end.

[nuttymum]

Weird! We're in essex and the boys break up on July 20th and go back on Sep 4th. Just as your kids go back is when we actually going away caravanning...Weird!

[Le Chat]

Southport, north west England. My kids are at a private school and they get 8 weeks holiday. They break up this Tuesday!! It used to be 9 weeks, but the school decided on a 2 week half term in October and dropped a week off the summer holiday.

[~Wingnut~]

Here in sunny North Yorkshire we break up on the 24th July and go back on the 4th September. So that's about 6 weeks. I work at the school too so it's my holiday too :o)

[devil99]

last year mine had 9 wks off!!!! it was because they had the summer hols then went back and were then off in sept, now they finish later on in july and don't go back till sept!? it's all very confusing is'nt it?.

[enigma]

That's really bizarre YingYang! Fancy living close to each other and yet the kids having different holidays to each other. How odd. You would think that schools in the same region would have similar breaks. When we visit family and friends out near Stirling, their kids holidays are different too. Our kids finish up and return earlier than their kids - even the Easter holidays are different which I found surprising. It would seem that the kids in EK have drawn the short stick in terms of summer holiday entitlements, in comparison to other kids - or at least, from what I have read here. God love your wee girls and good on them for not letting the rain spoil their fun. Lots of fun to be had jumping in the puddles anyway! I don't know how old your wee ones are but the shopping centre in EK is running various activities throughout the summer holidays (I love that centre, It's my second home ....... much to my husband's horror lol) and they will be having guest appearances from various kids characters and running various fun activities for them. I'll post a link to the what's on page when I have finished here.


Quite varied answers here but as I said to YingYang, I guess that my daughter has drawn the short straw in terms of holiday entitlement. I haven't even checked with my other two kids' nursery to see when they are due to return but I am presuming that the return date will be the same.

Eight weeks? Nine weeks? Oh my goodness. How did you cope? My dear (late) old granny's daft expression is running around in my head now "I think i'll head to the hills and take my knitting" Really bizarre. Why would anyone want to sit on a hilltop and knit when stressed out? I never did get that. Oh and Wingnut, lucky you. If it wasn't for the scores of screaming kids, it would be the perfect job lol.

[enigma]

Talking of weird Nuttymum, I remember when I was about 10, going on holiday with my family to Butlins in Minehead. We were there for a fornight and the first week was really bizarre because the English kids were still at school so there weren't that many kids about and the pool was half empty.The second week was chaotic though when the camp was bustling with kids. I should have made better use of the pool in the first week when I had my chance lol.


Here's that link YingYang. Should be good for the kids :


http://www.shopek.co.uk/content/default.asp?pa ge=s7_6&newsid=656&back=s7

They normally have giveaways and prize draws etc. The last event was at Easter and it was the pirate ship. It was erected in the Centre West mall and it was free entry. The kids got to walk the plank and fall into the 'sea' (ball pit) , hoist masts and do general piratey things. My son fell asleep and missed out on it but my girls loved it. They had to take a 'pirate oath' at the end, sing a piratey song and pledge their loyalty to being a pirate. They were then given a balloon sword and had their faces painted and a painted tattoo on their arm. That's why I love that centre because they do so much for the kids - especially free things, which is quite refreshing. So why not do your shopping in EK and let the kids join in the fun? It's Always something different for them to do.

[yinyang]

Thanks for the link, enigma. Always good to get new ideas. Just woken up to another rainy day. :(

[EngTeach]

I guess I'm lucky here in the states. Our last day of school was June 27 and the kids go back Sept 4. As a teacher, I report on Aug. 30. This is in NYC. Schools in different areas have been out as early as mid-June. We have different Spring breaks too. In NYC area we have the week off at Passover, and then just Good Friday. If the two holidays fall together we then have Maunday Thursday, Good Friday and the week following Easter. The timeoff falls around the Jewish Holidays generally. (Except at Christmas) We also have a week off in Feb. called Presidents' Week. Back in then 70's (when I was little) that wek off was called "Energy Conservation Week" b/c of the oil crisis. We are slowly moving to year round schooling here in the states, as many feel the school calendar is antiquated as it was formed around the farming schedule many years ago. I am not for this year round bit. I like my summer vacation!!!

[gina32]

a school near me only has 4 weeks for the summer holidays but the rest of the year the terms works out as 8 weeks school and 2 weeks off and this goes although the year

[gina32]

correction-althrough

[Paul_Rook]

I live near london and the kids here get 6 weeks

[xhxmxsx]

my stepdaughters break up on 20th july and go back either 3rd of 4th september we're in essex

[annie0000]

All kids in Scotland will get the same amount of holidays overall, but each region differs in exactly when they get them. We have 7 weeks in Stirling - broke up on 29 June go back 20 August. In some areas kids get two weeks in October, In some places where they are rebuilding schools, they have adjusted the holidays so that they get a longer break at a different time to allow completion work without the kids being there. Does this apply to you enigma? Mistakes can be made though, both Stirling and Clackmannan schools got an extra week last year as they had been given a week short the year before. It was the teachers who complained, not the parents or kids!!!