Should the school summer holidays be shortened to four…

Should the school summer holidays be shortened to four weeks?

With the school holidays almost upon us, the ECHO is asking readers whether they would prefer a shortened summer break of just four weeks.

Some Liverpool schools will have almost seven weeks holiday this summer due to inset days being added on - but over the border in Wales, a public consultation is due to begin over whether the summer holidays should be shortened.

A report commissioned by the Welsh Government has presented three different options for a shake-up of term times, all of which would see the summer break slashed.

This comes amid concern that disadvantaged pupils lose progress over the long summer break. The alternatives mooted include a four-week summer holiday, with three weeks at Christmas and two-week breaks in October, February/March and May.

Is this something you'd welcome in England? Do you think cutting the long summer holiday would be a good thing, or would you like your kids to experience the same six weeks of freedom that you did?

Would shortening the summer holidays make it more difficult to take holidays, or would it help with childcare?

Take our survey below to tell us what you think, or have your say in the comments section.

Other options being looked at in Wales include a five-week summer break with three school terms of about 13 weeks each, or all school holidays being two weeks apart from a three-week summer break.

Welsh education minister Jeremy Miles said: "Exploring options for change can enable us to support curriculum planning and delivery, tackle disadvantage and educational inequalities, and support learner and staff well-being."

But Head teachers' union NAHT Cymru director Laura Doel said: "Those who identified current arrangements as their preference, were presented with a series of alternative options with no choice of retaining the status quo. The key question is how changing term times would improve outcomes for learners. This remains unanswered."

As teachers prepare to take a break and plan the next school year, children will be looking forward to having more time to play, while some parents will be scrambling for childcare or seeking out new ways to keep the little ones entertained.

Let us know what you think should happen with term times, and we'll share the results soon.

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here