Can a shorter summer break improve pupils’ performance?

Thousands of pupils across Nottingham had to stay at home today, as teachers went on strike against plans by the city council to cut the summer holiday and introduce a new five year term.

The long summer holidays are seen as one of the perks of childhood. “When I think back to my childhood,” one parent told me, “I can’t remember sitting in a classroom. What I remember is playing outside all summer long.”

But could the long break actually be bad for some children’s attainment? Nottingham City Council thinks so. If the authority gets its way, it will become the first in the country to cut the summer break. Children will still get the same amount of holiday overall, but it will be spread out more evenly over five terms.

Teaching unions, however, are against the plans and picketed some schools this morning. Sheena Wheatley was one of those waving a placard. The regional secretary of the NUT told Chanel 4 News: “We weren’t properly consulted on this, and it affects working contracts.”

Summer break a ‘chance to recuperate’

But was this really just about Ms Wheatley and other teachers wanting to keep their long holidays?

“No, although I do think the summer holiday is important, as it gives teachers and pupils a chance to recuperate. But no teachers I know take the whole six weeks off,” she added. “They spend much of that time marking, preparing for exam results, and for the new term. If you cut the holiday, after we’ve done all of that we won’t actually get a break.”

The city council though, believes it will be better for children. The authority points to research which suggests that children from poorer backgrounds fall behind those that are better off, because they don’t have the same opportunities over the break and can forget what they’ve learnt. Middle class children are more likely to visit museums, go travelling and enjoy other educational activities.

“My own children are a good example,” says Dr Peter Gates, a university lecturer who has studied the research. “They get to do all sorts of activities, including horse riding and karate, but only because I have a car and the time and money to organise things for them. It’s a lot more difficult if you don’t have the resources. It’s more difficult for some parents to provide stimulating activities, not because they don’t want to, but because they simply can’t afford it. And there is some evidence that children can forget what they’ve learnt.”

Does the summer break lead to ‘learning loss’?

Most of the research into so-called summer learning loss comes from the USA, where schools enjoy two to three month breaks over the summer. One major study reported a drop in pupils’ test scores equivalent to about a month of education after the long summer holidays, and a disproportionate effect on less well off students, whose reading skills plummeted while those of middle-class pupils actually improved.

The familiar school calendar here, with a six week summer break, has been much the same for over a hundred years. But when the National Foundation for Education Research looked at whether changing the pattern of holidays would improve results, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, it found the evidence inconclusive.

Other countries, such as Finland and Japan, have summer breaks which are just as long as in the UK, and yet pupils there consistently outperform their counterparts here in international tests.

Opinion divided

The council said it carried out a consultation and that it has the backing of parents, especially as some can find it difficult to arrange childcare for the long break. But the consultation has been criticised. A survey of governors by the city of Nottingham governors association found more than 81 per cent were against the change.

Channel 4 News spoke to parents this morning who agreed childcare over the summer can be a problem. And yet, they still felt it would be a shame to cut the holidays. “It’s what childhood is all about isn’t it? It’s a tradition. It would be a shame to see it go,” said one mum.

Dr Gates is also cautious about the proposed changes. “If the problem is that kids have nothing to do for six weeks, they still won’t have anything to do for four weeks.”

He warns that it’s not enough simply to change the holidays. “What you have to do is to invest in free, good quality facilities for children of all ages,” says Dr Gates. “Not just youth clubs, but real meaningful activities and things in the community that all kids can get involved in.”