OT - Student Free Days

[aussietravellers]

I am not sure if this is a Queensland thing or an Australia Wide thing but today we have a "student free day" across Queensland.

Now student free days, I just don't get them. We had a student free day on the last day of term 3 (so broke up on Thursday instead of Friday), well no school broke up on Friday but Friday was a student free day, so the kids didn't go to school. A couple of weeks ago, when school went back, school term 4 started on the Monday, but Monday was a student free day so the kids went back on the Tuesday. That was just two weeks ago! Now we have ANOTHER student free day. WE seem to have about two to three of these a term!

Now I don't understand this. I don't remember having 'Student free days" when I was at school, the teachers didn't need extra time then to prepare the classroom or have meetings, they would go back to school the week before to get their set up done or go the week after school breaks up to get it all finished. Why are there so many Student Free days, particularly at the beginning or end of a school term? My son's school has a grand total of 9, yes 9 student free days a year!

Anyway I guess I should complain, by this time, normally I would be out of the house doing school drop off, instead I'm sitting on the couch typing away on Dis With my son just heading down for breakfast after sleeping in.

I have just read an article from the Daily Telegraph

In 1981, schools had just one student-free day, while the number grew to three in 1991 and at least five now.

They are often called staff development days and occur at the start of terms one, two and three and on the last two days of term four.

My son's school has 15 weeks of school holidays! Surely these staff development days can be done during the school holiday time?

Oh well, that's my gripe for the day

 

[Mum from oz]

Tell me about it! Not that DS is in school yet but I do find them ridiculous. What floored me is when I found our how many weeks they have off for holidays in private school. I grew up going public and we got 6 weeks at Chrissy and 1 or 2 weeks off each time the rest of the year. DS starts school next year and I find our they have 8 weeks at Christmas, 3 weeks at Easter, 3 weeks in winter and 2 weeks in Sept/Oct. Is that crazy or what?

 

[aussietravellers]

Tell me about it! Not that DS is in school yet but I do find them ridiculous. What floored me is when I found our how many weeks they have off for holidays in private school. I grew up going public and we got 6 weeks at Chrissy and 1 or 2 weeks off each time the rest of the year. DS starts school next year and I find our they have 8 weeks at Christmas, 3 weeks at Easter, 3 weeks in winter and 2 weeks in Sept/Oct. Is that crazy or what?

Oh don't get me started on the school holidays

We usually have 8.5 x Christmas, 2.5 x Easter, 4 x June/July, 2 x Sept - Total really 17 weeks with the 1/2 weeks, then add 9 days of student free days its about 18.5 weeks, but they have dropped almost a week and a half off Christmas this year! I wish they had the 4 weeks in September/Oct as that's a great time to travel Overseas.

I will say though, when they break up at the beginning of the last week in November each year, that is a great time to take off travelling as there still are not a lot of public and interstate schools off then, so can make for cheaper travel deals.

Look now that I think about it. I think I need to get myself into the position of who organises school holidays and just reorganise, I would make them Disney Travel friendly

 

[miss.potatohead]

Victorian State schools now have their student free day on the first day of term, so it doesn't interrupt the 'learning' period during the term - my sister tells me the teachers use these as 'planning days' for the new term but it worries me to think they are 'planning' the term the day before they go back! Sometimes they are for Personal Development as well.

I went private for high school and yes, the saying my parents have, "the more you pay, the less you go" We hardly had days off through the term for teacher planning or whatever, the regular two weeks in between T1/2 and 3/4 and then three weeks between 2/3, plus finishing in early December. I feel for my sister who finishes school on the 22rd of DECEMBER this year.

And then there is university breaks - I am going to absolutely love this 4 month holiday I get in a few weeks...

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Student free day for us too! Go Queensland.

We have five weeks and 1 day of school left for the year.

9 weeks Christmas holidays
3-4 at Easter
4 in July
2 in September, I agree - make it longer here, great time to travel.


Lucky I can work from home ... (It's my lunch break so why wouldn't I go on Dis). I have to work to fund these holidays, taking time off to look after the kids is a waste of precious holidays.

 

[kylieh]

We have a student free day terms 2 and 3. Not 4. No complaining from me!

DD is non-government too, 8 weeks Christmas, 3 June/July, 2 Easter, 2 September. I would rather an extra week in September and April as well and drop two from Christmas!

Plus on top of all the special days - rehersals, excursions, camps, sports days, more rehersals, school event days, etc I don't know how she learns anything.

 

[austraveler]

My husband is a primary school teacher. In NSW in the public system there are 3 per year and each school chooses when they have them. I know it seems dodgy when they get so many holidays anyway but they use them for group training for first aid, computers, new teaching techniques etc.

 

[Jade+3]

For all the Queenslanders, the State Government has a survey about adding the pupil free days onto the easter break, so the kids get 2 weeks holiday at easter. I am all for it - it would give me an excuse to plan April holidays.

http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/proposal-holidays/

 

[meandmygirl]

For all the Queenslanders, the State Government has a survey about adding the pupil free days onto the easter break, so the kids get 2 weeks holiday at easter. I am all for it - it would give me an excuse to plan April holidays.

http://education.qld.gov.au/public_m...osal-holidays/

Thanks for that - just filled out the survey. First I had heard of it.