Are the summer holidays too long?

This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 26 August 2025 in which Matt Bromley argues that a six-week summer break might be too long…

Towards the end of July, the school bell tolls one last time and the six weeks of summer stretch out like vast golden beaches. Although for some parents those beaches feel more like arid desserts as they wonder how they’ll fill the time – and how they’ll afford it. 

The long summer break is a throwback to a different Britain – a time when agricultural rhythms dictated the school calendar, and when children were more likely to spend their Augusts bringing in the harvest than on Roblox. But are the six-week holidays still fit for purpose in 2025?

For many parents, especially those on low incomes or without flexible jobs, the summer holidays are a logistical minefield. Childcare costs spike – in some parts of Yorkshire, a week of holiday club for a primary-aged child can set you back more than £150. Multiply that by six, and it’s little wonder parents talk about summer as a season of financial stress rather than sunshine.

Then there’s the hidden cost: food. During term-time, many children in low-income homes are entitled to free school meals. Those meals don’t just nourish bodies; they ease the household budget. In the summer, that safety net disappears. Charities like the Trussell Trust report spikes in foodbank use every August. For families already juggling rising rents, fuel bills, and supermarket prices, summer isn’t just long; it’s punishing.

Entertainment costs add up, too. Even modest outings – a bus fare to the park, an ice cream, a trip to the swimming pool – eat into limited budgets. And when money runs out, boredom sets in, which isn’t the end of the world – children need unstructured time – but in cramped flats, boredom often turns into isolation.

The cost of summer isn’t just financial, either: Research suggests children can lose over a month’s learning. And the impact is steepest among disadvantaged pupils. In classrooms where progress is already fragile, September can feel like a game of snakes and ladders: climb all year, slide back in the holidays, start again.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The long summer break offers something that a school timetable cannot: the chance to breathe, to reset, to have days without bells and homework. For many children, summer is when they learn life skills not measured by exams. There’s room for creativity: building dens, making up games, reading for pleasure. And opportunities to feed physical health, mental well-being, and a connection to nature. Friendships, too, deepen in the long days of August, unhurried by school schedules. 

The trouble is that these benefits aren’t equally shared. For children in families with money, transport, and confidence, the summer holidays are an open door to enrichment. For those without, that door stays shut. If you don’t have a garden, can’t afford the bus, or lack safe local spaces, the summer can mean six weeks indoors. If your parents work long hours to make ends meet, you might not see much of them. If your family is struggling with poverty, the summer’s challenges – childcare, food, isolation – can overshadow its potential joys.

In this way, the long summer break can – and data suggests it does – widen the gap between children.

We don’t have to choose between keeping the six weeks or abolishing the summer holiday entirely. Other countries offer different models: in many European nations, holidays are shorter but spread more evenly through the year. One option is to cut the summer to four weeks and redistribute the freed-up fortnight into longer half-term breaks in October and February. This could ease childcare pressure, reduce learning decay, and give families more flexibility for rest and travel at different times of year. Another is to keep six weeks but invest heavily in free or low-cost summer provision – sports clubs, reading programmes, arts projects – targeted at disadvantaged communities. This approach accepts the value of a long break while addressing its inequities.