However, the break won’t be cheap or easy for many families this year. A late Easter and an extra bank holiday for the Royal Wedding mean many children will have been in school for only as few as six days in April.
The Federation of Small Businesses fears the abnormal amount of school and bank holidays will leave many firms short-staffed. It’s a hot issue on internet forums.
Testing parents' patience: This month's exceptionally long holidays can be costly and stressful as parents struggle to stop children getting bored
A mother, writing on Netmums, said: ‘I work nights, so my partner is having to book three weeks off work to look after my daughter so I can sleep. I can’t believe how long they’re
having off. It’s completely ridiculous. It’ll be expensive, too.’
New research by insurer and financial services provider LV= confirms many parents’ fears. It estimates the Royal Wedding bank holiday alone has added £206 million to the cost of looking after and entertaining children this year.
Families are likely to spend £76 a week just keeping children busy with things to do over Easter, along with £84 for childcare.
The company surveyed more than 2,000 adults and found that 51 per cent were excited at the prospect of two bank holidays in quick succession after the Easter break — for the Royal Wedding and May Day — as they will have more time to spend with their family.
However, one in ten was concerned about how they were going to afford the extra costs, and 12 per cent were worried about how they were going to keep their children entertained over the longer break.
Mark Jones, of LV=, says: ‘All parents know days out aren’t cheap, especially once you add travel costs, food and drink to the entrance fee for many attractions.’ Some parents are also concerned at the sheer volume of homework their children have brought home over Easter.
Many pupils have been given folders full of work to stop them falling behind over the long break. One 39-year-old mother, whose six-year-old son attends a London primary school, says: ‘The amount of homework he’s brought back is totally ridiculous.
‘Not only does he have reading, spelling and times tables, he has to write stories and complete a geography project on something he’s not even been taught yet.
‘It’s as if the school is expecting parents to do the job of the teachers just because of the way the bank holidays have fallen this year.
‘It’s unreasonable, particularly for families who want to go away over Easter. Why should we be doing the job of teachers when they get to have time off?’
Margaret Morrissey, of family pressure group Parents Out Loud, agrees. She insists young children need a break from the grind of studying. She says: ‘It’s a major issue if schools are giving children so much work that they’re effectively expecting the same lessons to carry on over Easter at home, with the parents doing the work for the teachers.
‘It causes tremendous pressure on children and defeats the object of having a break from school. This is a particular problem this year. We seem to have a national obsession with having children sitting and learning every single day of the year.
It just isn’t necessary. Children need a rest.’ Some parents also worry about the impact of the longer break on teenagers studying for GCSEs. Away from the structure of lessons, some teenagers may struggle to knuckle down to vital revision.
George Turnbull, Ofqual’s exam expert, points out that recreation should be part of the revision programme, but it must be earned — and some sacrifices made, such as getting up an hour earlier each day to study.
A spokesman for the Department for Education says: ‘It’s unfortunate that all of these holidays have fallen so lose together, but it could not have been avoided.’ ( dailymail.co.uk )
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