One in six parents have said the summer holidays should be cancelled as they believe their children 'have missed enough school and need to spend the time catching up', a survey has found.
Schools were shut on March 20 as part of the government's lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic, with many pupils and parents attempting to ensure they maintain their education at home.
But a survey of more than 7,500 parents by Childcare.co.uk found 18 per cent want the summer break to be cancelled as a result.
Of those in favour of axing the break, just under 75 per cent said their children have already spent too long away from the classrooms and need to make up the time missed.
More than half (58 per cent) also argued that prolonging the time away from formal learning 'will be very detrimental to their education'.
Parents also voiced their support to open more temporary schools so children can 'return as safely as possible'.
Other popular reasons to axe the holidays included parents who said their children have hardly done any work since schools were closed more than three months ago, and those with concerns over starting new schools in September.
However, the majority of parents surveyed (82 per cent) want the summer holidays to remain in place, with many arguing it provides a time to relax and take a break.
Just over half believe children will catch-up quickly when schools are allowed to open their doors, and 42 per cent argued their own kids have been getting a good education at home and don't need to catch up.
Just under 40 per cent think the lockdown measures won't have a long-term effect on their child's education, and a quarter say they are enjoying having their children at home and aren't in a hurry for them to return to their studies.
Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk, said: "After a few unpredictable months we are now starting to move out of lockdown.
"However with the summer holidays around the corner naturally the question being asked is will children still have a summer break, or will schools remain open to catch up on time missed in the classroom?
"We wanted to find out how parents felt about the subject, with many understandably concerned about the impact school closures is having on their children’s education.
"That being said, it was still surprising to see that one in six parents think schools should open over the summer holidays to compensate for the loss classroom time of the last few months."
