Schools and Bank Holiday Mondays

StupidSexyFlanders · by **StupidSexyFlanders** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:20 am

Is it just my SD's school that closes every Tuesday after a bank holiday Monday or is this a new thing across the board? This never, ever happened when I was in primary or secondary school - you got the bank holiday Monday and that was it, same as everyone else.

mammymcphee · by **mammymcphee** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:28 am

never heard of that either SSF.
god they get some amount of holidays these days don't they!

Bigsurprise · by **Bigsurprise** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:34 am

Is it an Educate Together school? Friends who have kids in these schools always complain about this.

StupidSexyFlanders · by **StupidSexyFlanders** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:35 am

No, not an Educate Together school, its a Catholic school. Its ridiculous, and a pain in the arse to be honest as it means we have to find a childminder for the day when it seems all the other schools are back. I don't see the sense in it - is the bank holiday Monday not enough?

Rocksie80 · by **Rocksie80** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:42 am

I think some schools have started adding extra days to Bank Hol weekends, but reducing their mid-term breaks from e.g. a full week to 3 days.

Synergy · by **Synergy** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:44 am

No, mine doesn't close on tuesdays either. Maybe they're in-service days and they timed them that way to give the kids a longer break. We're having our in-service the fri after the referendum so that we'll have a nice long weekend.

StupidSexyFlanders · by **StupidSexyFlanders** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:53 am

Rocksie80 wrote:I think some schools have started adding extra days to Bank Hol weekends, but reducing their mid-term breaks from e.g. a full week to 3 days.

Nope, they got two weeks mid-term break at Easter!

Bigsurprise · by **Bigsurprise** » Tue May 01, 2022 10:57 am

yeah it sounds crazy. Actually just spoke to a friend who has kids in the Educate together and they are off Tue & Wed!!!

marles · by **marles** » Tue May 01, 2022 11:00 am

The Easter holiday is set at 2 weeks but there are a number of discretionary days which can be taken over the course of the year.For example a school might only take 2 days at the February Mid-term and then use the 3 extra days to make a long weekend longer.
I know of schools that might take a week off in May using the bank holiday to only be closed for 4 days. The only set holidays are Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
I've heard of a few schools closing all next week,some are closing the Friday after the Bank Holiday to make another long weekend.
It is a long term with no other days off except for the June Bank Holiday weekend.

highbeam · by **highbeam** » Tue May 01, 2022 11:07 am

marles wrote:It is a long term with no other days off except for the June Bank Holiday weekend.

I have a few friends that are primary teachers and moan about having a long term. How often do they need days off? God what a long stint they have between their two weeks off at easter and their two months off at the end of June with only 2 bank holidays in between. God love them :duh:

I haven't had any days off except bank holidays since Christmas and won't until my wedding in September, there's a long term for them! Sorry rant over but if you heard some of the crAp they come out with over holidays it really annoys me.

galwaygirl2010 · by **galwaygirl2010** » Tue May 01, 2022 11:26 am

A work colleuge was giving out about this yeaterday also - her kids school is closed on thursday 31st May for the Referndum and they are also closing on the Friday which happens to be the weekend of the June bank holiday so the school closes on Wednesday evening and reopens the following Tuesday :eek

marles · by **marles** » Tue May 01, 2022 11:43 am

highbeam wrote:
marles wrote:It is a long term with no other days off except for the June Bank Holiday weekend.

I have a few friends that are primary teachers and moan about having a long term. How often do they need days off? God what a long stint they have between their two weeks off at easter and their two months off at the end of June with only 2 bank holidays in between. God love them I haven't had any days off except bank holidays since Christmas and won't until my wedding in September, there's a long term for them! Sorry rant over but if you heard some of the crAp they come out with over holidays it really annoys me.

I'm a primary school teacher who happens to be on maternity leave at the minute.
I respect how hard it is for people who have a certain number of days as holidays during the year. I'm only saying the above as I have always found teaching to be very intense and all go for the school day.I don't wish to start a discussion on the merits of teacher's holidays.I know myself from my personal experience that the children and the teachers are exhausted come the end of a term.That is why I made the above statement. I can honestly say that coming up to a mid-term etc.. is incredibly exhausting. There are (up to) 33 or more little people demanding a piece of you and needing more time than you could ever give.

I appreciate the rant and believe me I totally see where you are coming from with regards to a limited number of days for holidays.

vinoqueeno · by **vinoqueeno** » Tue May 01, 2022 3:51 pm

Each school must open a standard number of days. On top of this there are 3 discretionary days that the schools can close. The Hallowe'en mid-term break, Christmas holidays and Easter holidays are all set by the department. After that there is an option in February to either take a full week or only 2 days and obviously the May & June bank holiday weekends are set too.
The 3 discretionary days are then used by each school to extend weekends or, in some cases close on days like 8th December. Others use their 3 days to finish earlier in June or in your SD case SFF to extend long weekends. Then, if schools chose to open earlier in August than the 1st September they can add these days to their discretionary total and therefore close other days during the year/extend their holidays in June.

On a personal level, please don't dissolve this thread into a teacher/school bashing thread. It's a job like anyone elses where we work hard and do our best. We do enjoy our holidays as much as the next person but that was the perk of the job just like other jobs have other perks. Also - faraway hills aren't always necessarily greener so please keep this in mind.

candlequeen · by **candlequeen** » Tue May 01, 2022 6:21 pm

Ohmigosh I hadn't heard of this before - my son goes to a Catholic school too and they only ever get the Monday of a Bank Holiday off.

I personally think that the summer holidays should be shorter and they should be given more time off in January when it's cold. I feel so sorry for the poor little things going back after Christmas when it's bitter cold.

Ours must use discretionary days to start at the end of August, I don't think it's been September 1st in the three years my boy's been going.

christmasbride2012 · by **christmasbride2012** » Tue May 01, 2022 7:31 pm

marles wrote:I'm only saying the above as I have always found teaching to be very intense and all go for the school day.I don't wish to start a discussion on the merits of teacher's holidays.I know myself from my personal experience that the children and the teachers are exhausted come the end of a term.That is why I made the above statement. I can honestly say that coming up to a mid-term etc.. is incredibly exhausting. There are (up to) 33 or more little people demanding a piece of you and needing more time than you could ever give.

+1

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