A group of researchers reckon the long summer holidays do you more harm than good.
They say when you’re away from school for a long time you start forgetting what you’ve learnt during the year and holidays should be split into five eight-week terms, with only four weeks off for summer
The amount of holidays you’d get would be the same – but split into shorter chunks.
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So would shorter holidays make learning easier? Or do you think a long summer break is a good idea?
Unfortunately this topic is now closed but there are Comments pages on other subjects on the main Chat index.
Your comments
“If we cut down on holidays the children at school will become less focused on school work.”
Jake, 10, Liverpool, England
“Children in Pakistan have two or three months holiday – we should do the same.”
Qasim, 11, Lancashire, England
“It’s too short. I’m saying this because we deserve a long holiday, especially if you’re in secondary school when you do tests at the end of each year. We should get at least another week or two.”
Lily, 12, County Down, Northern Ireland
“I think the school holidays are fine because children need a well deserved break. Parents would start taking their children off before term finishes and children would be missing out on their learning!”
Maria, 10, London, England
“School holidays are brilliant; I think they should be longer!”
Johnandrew, 10, West Lothian, Scotland
“I think school holidays go on for too long because it seems like they go on for ages, but they only go on for six weeks.”
Megan, 10, Edinburgh, Scotland
“No, I don’t. Even though we get bored, I appreciate the time off, especially now that I’m almost in secondary school.”
Grace, 11, West Midlands, England
“Of course they are too long. After about three weeks, you’re bored.”
Ryan, 10, Dundee, Scotland
“I live in France and we have two months off for our summer holidays. I think it’s great! England should do the same.”
Lizzie, 13, Limoges, France
“Holidays are not too long. It gives your brain a rest. You also have time to spend with friends and family and go on holidays. Holidays Rule!”
Nicola, 11, Glasgow, Scotland
“I think it is a good thing to split the summer holidays.”
Georgia, 7, London, England
“I think the school holidays should at least have another week added because I have so much more to do!”
Annie, 10, Gwynedd, Wales
“Nonsense. The summer holidays aren’t too long – we can REVISE stuff that we’ve learnt if we run out of things to do! It gives you a chance to do stuff you can’t do the rest of the year! My parents haven’t been at school for years and they haven’t forgotten anything!”
Gemma, 10, Dubai, UAE
“I agree with the fact that we forget things, but when we get back to school it all comes back.”
Adam, 12, Quebec, Canada
“I think six weeks is good because you have enough time to go on holiday and spend time with your friends and family. If everyone is worried about forgetting things then just revise for 5 or 10 minutes a few times a week.”
Ellie, 10, Hampshire, England
“The school holidays are fine as they are and people will argue about how long they should be if they change them.”
Chloe, 8, Staffordshire, England
“I like the way the school holidays are. Six weeks is fine, it gives you a rest from your Sats.”
Caitlin, 10,
“My mum and dad had long holidays when they were at school and they didn’t forget anything. I think it’s silly to make children’s holidays shorter because it’s nice to have a long break before you go up a year!!”
Emma, 10,
“You learn a lot during the summer holidays through travel, games, meeting new people, trying new sports, fishing, mountain climbing etc. In Ireland we are off in July and August and that is just the right length.”
Mark, 12, Galway, Ireland
“I want the amount of holidays to be the same but in shorter parts so we don’t forget all our school work.”
Jade, 10, Oxfordshire, England
“Yes, I think the school holidays are too long because I always miss my friends and miss out on my learning too.”
Fatemeh, 11, Greenford, England
“No, they are not too long. I go to boarding school so I am at my school all the time and having 6 weeks off is brilliant.”
Johnny, 10, London, England
“No, it is good to have a well earned break so you are ready to start a new.”
Katy, 10, Surrey, England
“I actually think school holidays are too short. Children should spend more time with family rather than school, but it seems to be the other way around.”
Megan, 11, Coventry, England
“Of course they’re too long – you get bored.”
Daisy, 9, Suffolk, England
“No they’re not, because you need to get all your new uniform for next year and it gives you a chance to go on holiday!!”"
Geo, 10, Liverpool, England
“School hols are fine. There is nothing wrong with them. A shorter summer holiday would be awful! Working in 20 degrees heat – no-one would concentrate.”
Niranda, 11, Sussex, England
“I think we should have more time off in the spring and four or five weeks off in summer, because after six weeks of summer holidays I’m bored stiff!! But they don’t harm your learning.”
Chloe, 12, Sheffield, England
“We only get 12 weeks hols each year out of 52… come on that is so unfair. We should get at least 31 weeks.”
Aleisha, 11, Morayshire, Scotland
“Yeah!! Summer holidays are way too long. I get so bored and tired! Even on our half term I get bored and that only lasts a week or two!”
Akosua, 11, Kent, England
“They are not long enough!!!!!!! Don’t make them shorter.”
Larry, 10, Perth, Australia
“I think school holidays are fine, but sometimes they can be a bit too long.”
Emma, 11, Glasgow, Scotland
“They are really long. By the last day of the holidays I am almost glad that I am going back!”
Nishita, 10, West Sussex, England
“They are way too short. In America they get three months off!!!!”
Jodi, 11, Lancashire, England
“I think the summer holidays are just right and those who want them shorter would end up complaining that they’re too short!!”
Ilona, 11, Co. Waterford, Ireland
“Never are the holidays too long! We work all year and deserve a break. Yes you might be bored, but I can just knock for my friend!”
Ronnie, 10, Essex, England
“I don’t think holidays are too long because school is boring and holidays are fun!!”
Emily, 10, County Down, Northern Ireland
“I think holidays are just right. You need time to chill after a long year at school, but after a while you do get bored… I must admit!!”
Katy, 11, Yorkshire, England
“I think that school holidays are short and need to be extended by two weeks.”
Neil, 12, London, England
“I think school holidays are too long. In your first week off you will do everything and you will be bored by the second week.”
Kristie-Lee, 11, Birmingham, England
“School holidays aren’t too long because we need to relax. If they were shortened we would be too tired to learn and our behaviour would be terrible.”
Daisy, 9, Cheshire, England
“It is very short. I think we should have at least three months vacation. I remember everything that I have learnt.”
Yasmin, 9, Leicester, England
“I think it’s appalling. We work so hard, we definitely need a break to relax!!”
Isabele, 11, London, England
“I think they are too long because as things are getting more expensive there is nothing to do bar staying in bored, nice!!!”
Laura, 10, Oxfordshire, England
“I don’t think the summer holidays are too long. It is a time to relax and not be stressed about school work and tests.”
Emily, 12, Staffordshire, England
“School holidays aren’t too long. If anything they should be longer! If the government shortens the school holidays, I won’t be very happy.”
Stella, 10, London, England
“I think school holidays are too long. They get boring after about two weeks.”
Tia, 10, Leicestershire, England
“No way! They should be much longer – that way you will go back to school feeling more refreshed and ready to learn!”
Izzy, 9, West Sussex, England
“Well, summer is a long holiday, but not the rest.”
Aaron, 6, Lancashire, England
“Personally I think that they are too long. I just really want to get to high school! I think they should cut it down to 4-5 weeks instead. I always forget things.”
Alex, 11, Edinburgh, Scotland
“Holidays should be kept the same. The researchers had the same length of time when they were children so they shouldn’t bother the time length now!”
Justine, 11, Cheshire, England
“Yes, I think school holidays are too long. I find I get bored halfway through.”
Fhian, 7, Essex, England
“No, I think they’re too short! We spend nearly all our childhood working at school – I know it will help us, but come on give us a break!”
Kirby, 10, Cleveland, England
“I think the summer holidays are just the right length. If they were shorter some people wouldn’t be able to go on holiday for as long as they want.”
Emily, 10, Staffordshire, England
“I don’t think the school holidays are long enough in the UK. In Ireland, you get the whole of July and August off. I think us kids need that time off.”
Emma, 9, Dublin, Ireland
“I think school holidays are too long because there is nothing to do.”
Chloe, 8, Kent, England
“Yes, I do think the holidays are too long because every summer I get bored. We do need a long break to refresh ourselves though.”
Laura, 12, Essex, England
“No, they’re too short. I think we should have one more week.”
Chloe, 9, Clwyd, Wales
“I don’t think they are too long! We need a break at some point in the year!!”
Jessica, 10, Birmingham, England
“Of course they are. You run out of things to do and just get plain bored if you don’t go on holiday. It’s like sitting in the house, going to the cinemas, pools and shopping then you’ve done everything and there’s nothing left to do to keep you away from boredom.”
Laura, 11, West Sussex, England
“I think that it’s a rubbish idea because I look forward to the summer holidays all year.”
Ella, 11, West Sussex, England
“I think we should have four weeks in the summer, but have four weeks in winter to play with our presents and toys.”
Chantel, 9, Merseyside, England
“No school holidays aren’t too long, they’re too short. School’s boring and the holidays are the best things ever invented.”
Ellen, 10, Glenrothes, Scotland
“I think that the summer holidays are a bit too long because you get bored and you could be at school learning more important things for when you are older.”
Sacha, 11, Surrey, England
“I think that school holidays are fine now. Of course though, if I had the chance to change the holidays I would make them longer!”
Georgia, 11, Sheffield, England
“I don’t think that school holidays are too long. My teachers assign us some homework over the summer and I take some short summer classes to help me remember everything I’ve learnt and it works really well!”
Luna, 11, Houston, USA
“Oh my gosh, no way! My family lives all around England and Germany and I don’t see them very often, so I don’t even have enough time with six weeks to visit them all! And I still need time to see my mates.”
Anna, 12, Grantham, England
“No school hols aren’t too long. We need a break from six months of school, it’s enough time to relax and get ready.”
Sarah, 13, Liverpool, England
“No way, school holidays are just right. I can remember most things I learnt before the holidays and so can most of my class.”
Ella, 11, Staffordshire, England
“I don’t think that school holidays are too long in fact I think they should be longer for about two more weeks or so.”
Luke, 10, Kingswinford, England
“I don’t think school holidays are too long because when you come back to school you start to remember what you have learnt.”
Katherine, 11, Rayleigh United Kingdom
“No! We have holidays to refresh our brain, chill out and have fun!”
Clare, 12, Manchester, England
“I think that a long break is better than a short break because you get the chance to travel around the world and when you come back, normally the teachers remind us of what we did before.”
Simran, 11, Birmingham, England
“No! Personally, I think they are to short!! If anyone changes the school holidays, it should be longer! Especially the summer holidays, because people want to enjoy the summer while they can. This summer is supposed to be a good one as well! A long summer break is a good idea.”
Kaytee, 12, Plymouth, England
“No way, I love having that six-week holiday in the summer and as long as I do a quick recap when I go back to school I’m fine. And the holiday gives me time to do my school shopping !”
Barbara, 11, Linlithgow, Scotland
“I don’t think that are school holidays are too long. In my opinion I think that they should be made longer.”
Jessica, 13, Salford, England
“School holidays are to long for kids, as there is no point in being off school bored. Especially when you are in year 6, you just want to get to high school! Six or seven weeks is too long for children to be off school for as there is plenty of other holidays taken of school like Easter and Christmas. I think the summer holidays should be about four weeks long as that is plenty of time to take a break and maybe go on holiday!”
Ellie, 11, Manchester, England
“No way! School holidays are to short! I sometimes forget things learnt from school, however, when I go back to school, I remember them.”
Georgia
“I live in Ireland and we get a whole 3 months off for summer holidays from the start of June to the end of august. I think all countries should get that amount.”
Robert, 12, Dublin, Ireland
“I think longer holidays are better because you need a break from school, so that you don’t feel stressed¿”
Jem, 13, Whitby England !
“School holidays are far too long.”
Tracy, 11, Kent, England
“I don’t think school holidays are to long! They sometimes do get a bit boring, but they go to quick!”
Amber, 12, Plymouth, England
“No, I think they should be even longer. We work too hard in school and we deserve a break.”
Fatema, 11, London, England
“I do not think the summer holidays are too long, I think the school term is too long because it goes on for six and a half months.”
Isobelle, 9, Newcastle, England
“I like the idea of having six weeks off as after all, that is a month and two weeks I always go on holiday for two weeks. So it leaves me with four weeks when I get stuff ready for the next school year ahead.”
Zoe, 13, Essex England
“Yes they are too long. people keep forgetting what they’ve learnt.”
Caitlin, 9, Ballymoney Northern Ireland
“No! They are too short! More holidays!”
Emily, 10, Stanwell, England
“I think it is good having a long summer holiday so we can say goodbye to all our work,=.”
Rose, 11, Ipswich, England
“No! I think school holidays are too short! Changing the holidays to four weeks is silly because you start a new year/school after the summer holidays so you would be learning new stuff anyway!”
Beth, 10, Devon, England
“I think school holidays are really long because after a couple of days I get very bored.”
Lisa, 11, Wallasey, England
“I think that the summer holidays just aren’t long enough. If they were any shorter I don’t know what I’d do.”
Eadaoin, 10, Antrim, Ireland
“In America they don’t have half terms they just have a really long summer holiday.”
Simran, 12, Hounslow, England
“I don’t think they are long in the UK, in Ireland you get all of July and August.”
Oisin, 9, Coothill, Ireland
(Article from CBBC)