The Education Minister has said it is important that kids attend school on Monday morning. I agree that for many it would be preferable to hanging around home, unsupervised, But am fed up with the ignorant comments about the devastation that a few hours of lost schooling would wreak! Every teacher knows that this time of year is not academically useful (it may still have social benefits), classrooms are hot, kids and teachers have no enthusiam, blinds are shut and videos reign supreme. That is if the kids are not visiting theme parks and watching films for “activities weeks”, or on pointless “work experience” for most. And to think parents are fined for letting theyr children have greater educational experiences other than that offered by impoverished budgets. Yes children who miss school regularly throughout the year should have their parents justify, but schools employ people to gather the evidence, whilst teachers put on a film of variable evidence. (and PS. never get to see the end of a film that is over 60 minutes long).
So my strategy would be for schools to jack in the traditional curriculum after the Whitsun break and concentrate on sports, environment and art – mostly outside!