19 Jul 49% of parents in East Anglia want shorter school holidays
This week, schools across the country break up for the six-week holiday, but nearly half (49%) of parents in East Anglia said they think the school summer holidays should be shorter.
The survey of 2,000 parents by tuition provider, Explore Learning, revealed that 64% of parents in East Anglia think their child’s academic ability drops over the summer holidays and 33% of parents in the region believe children forget what they learnt during the school year.
Nearly half (49%) of parents in East Anglia said they struggle to get time off over the summer holidays. Finances are also strained as 47% find it hard to pay for family holidays as they are so expensive.
Keeping children entertained is another battle with 44% finding it difficult to keep their children busy and 63% of parents saying their children get bored over the holidays.
Reading is the most popular educational source of entertainment with over half (56%) of parents saying they read together. Museum visits 48% and using online resources (42%) are also ways learning is kept in summer routines for parents in East Anglia.
Charlotte Gater, Head of Curriculum at Explore Learning which provides English and maths tuition to 35,000 children each week says: “Six weeks is a long break from learning so it’s understandable that parents are concerned. It’s reassuring to see that the majority of parents recognise this and believe that reading, writing and maths should be kept in routines in some way. It’s great that so many families make the most of online resources and enjoy cultural, educational days out like trips to museums. These are perfect ways to keep children entertained and to learn new things in a fun way as a family over summer.”
