Heatwave now, but what’s the betting…?

Tabbie YES Schools break here today!

Sago

I always feel for parents when schools break up and the weather turns.
It’s so expensive to entertain children, day trips etc.
The alternative is to go abroad but temperatures are really to high in July and August.
The school holidays need to be revised
The October and May half terms could be lengthened and the the traditional 6 weeks reduced to 4.

Think that is an excellent idea Sago.
These half term holidays, especially Easter need to be revised. As Easter dates can vary by up to nearly four weeks from one year to the next

The six weeks holiday is far too long and disruptive.

Grandmaofone

Cossy, yes indeed, start schooldays earlier, this means
parents will possibly be able to drop younger children
to school whilst on their way to work

My grandaughter age 14, in a hot country, starts at 7.50 although they are expected to be in the yard by 7.40,
parents then continue on to their place of work
School finishes at 2pm
although many pupils linger and ‘hang out’ finish
homework in company, waiting to be picked up

now completed end of term exams she is at
home until 1 September
she will have forgotten everything she knew by then

Why should she forget everything she knows by having a long time off in the Summer? Children are receptive to learning and even if immediate recall is lacking it should still be in their brains somewhere.

midgey

I think it’s Nottingham that has terms in blocks of eight weeks and then a fortnight off, bank holidays are just fitted into the pattern. Summer holiday is a month. Seems such a sensible idea all round, everyone knows where they are and can plan accordingly.

That sounds much better.

I think it’s Nottingham that has terms in blocks of eight weeks and then a fortnight off, bank holidays are just fitted into the pattern. Summer holiday is a month. Seems such a sensible idea all round, everyone knows where they are and can plan accordingly.

Sago

I always feel for parents when schools break up and the weather turns.
It’s so expensive to entertain children, day trips etc.
The alternative is to go abroad but temperatures are really to high in July and August.
The school holidays need to be revised
The October and May half terms could be lengthened and the the traditional 6 weeks reduced to 4.

Why do children have to be entertained? I would have hated to be 'entertained' when I was a child. A day out was such a special time, on remembered it for a lifetime. The rest of the time i just wanted to be either outside running around or curled in a corner with a good book.

Cossy

Methinks it’ll be next week! Wet Wimbledon!

Nooooo! Don’t even think it!

I'm not sure what the best dates for school holidays are. From my memory weather can be as follows;
June - can be unpredictable, with maybe heatwaves or lots of rain.
July - mostly warm and dry with possible heatwaves.
August - often rainy and never any heatwaves!
Note: we did actually have a heatwave last August and I was most surprised. I had put my fan away because once July is over I have never before needed it!

The rainy August phenomenon is not new because my mother mentioned in 1956 August was cold and miserable in the UK and Europe. Google says statistically August is the wettest of the three summer months.

July is much more likely to be hot and dry but August is traditionally 'holiday month' so how can that change?

Cossy

nanna8

We find that the colder the Winter, the hotter the Summer. Would that apply there,too ? I seem to remember you had a fairly cold Winter.

I think, other than a few days, we had a pretty temperate winter!

Definitely temperate. I've had half hardy perennial plants survive in my NE garden which would normally die of cold in the winter.

But wet, wet, wet! We had two months of continual rain in January and February, fields of liquid mud...

We're going to have to get used to this heat; this is the effect of global warming and there's not a great deal of enthusiasm for doing much about it...

I enjoyed the long summer school holidays and I don't recall my parents 'entertaining' me: I just got on with hobbies, reading, going up town with a friend, etc.

I personally welcome the rain and cloudy weather. The extreme temps we have had and several subtropical temps at night as well as high humidity has not been good for man nor beast and certainly isn’t good for those who have gardens. Also I believe is already a hose pipe ban in Kent.

Cossy

Methinks it’ll be next week! Wet Wimbledon!

Yes, you can usually bet on inclement weather for Wimbledon.
And we’re not far from there, so 🤞we’ll be due for some more rain!

No.
There's another heatwave predicted for mid July when schools break.

Glad it was temperate - I heard a lot of whinges from folk over there at the time. Who to believe ? I suppose it depends where you live in the UK . Every year they tell us we are in for a very hot Summer. Sometimes we are, sometimes not. Random.

Our schools finish for the summer holidays tomorrow.

nanna8

We find that the colder the Winter, the hotter the Summer. Would that apply there,too ? I seem to remember you had a fairly cold Winter.

I think, other than a few days, we had a pretty temperate winter!

We find that the colder the Winter, the hotter the Summer. Would that apply there,too ? I seem to remember you had a fairly cold Winter.

Sago

I always feel for parents when schools break up and the weather turns.
It’s so expensive to entertain children, day trips etc.
The alternative is to go abroad but temperatures are really to high in July and August.
The school holidays need to be revised
The October and May half terms could be lengthened and the the traditional 6 weeks reduced to 4.

This suggestion was made when my eldest daughter started Primary School. She's 54 now.

The only thing that got me through school was the thought of six weeks summer holiday. Six weeks when I didn't have to go there and try to fit in with all the other children.

last year? or possibly the year before, the way dates fell,
her school had 3 ! whole weeks holiday over Christmas
and New Year, too long a time, missing her schoolfriends

Cossy, yes indeed, start schooldays earlier, this means
parents will possibly be able to drop younger children
to school whilst on their way to work

My grandaughter age 14, in a hot country, starts at 7.50 although they are expected to be in the yard by 7.40,
parents then continue on to their place of work
School finishes at 2pm
although many pupils linger and ‘hang out’ finish
homework in company, waiting to be picked up

now completed end of term exams she is at
home until 1 September
she will have forgotten everything she knew by then

The summer holidays do seem to be grey and wet much of the time which makes life difficult for parents. I remember having to spend a lot of money on cinema, swimming pools and other indoor activities with three needing entertainment.

Witzend

…that it’ll turn cool and rainy once the school summer holidays start?
Judging from previous form, that is.

this weather is a fluke
rain will be most welcome

I couldn’t agree more. For young children 6 weeks is a very long time not to be in school, older ones get bored, from a working mum perspective 6 weeks childcare is expensive all in one hit.

My true view, start school days earlier, end earlier, and split into 4 terms with equal amount of holidays at the end of each term and no half terms.

Methinks it’ll be next week! Wet Wimbledon!