I’ve seen this issue raised a few times now and it is significantly more complex than boiling it down to teachers “whinging”. There are huge practical and contractual considerations to consider.
Firstly, what sort of provision are you recommending? For childcare or for academic purposes? If the latter, as your first point insinuates, how does that impact upon the transition into the next academic year, particulary for primary school leavers? How does that impact upon subsequent breaks in curriculum and upcoming half terms? Or are you recommending a 21 week term? How does that impact upon the mental health and well-being of both pupils and staff? If for childcare purposes, how do schools determine which children are entitled to be there? Or are you suggesting that all pupils attend as they usually would but in a less formal setting?
How do schools ensure that their settings are adequately staffed? While teaching staff are salaried, what about the support staff, admin staff, catering staff and cleaning staff who aren’t? Teachers are a mere cog in the machine. Schools don’t function effectively without the others. If they are necessitated to be there, who pays them? Does the government fund it? I can assure you that budgets are incredibly tight.
What about parents who disagree with your suggestion entirely? Parents who have been working relentlessly during this period will have had parts of the six week break booked off with work for a long time already. Are their children forced to attend, or can they have time off to spend time with their parents? What about the teachers, particularly in secondary schools, that have been working hard to plan, mark and assess from home? Or the school staff that are still entering the school building on a fairly regular basis to provide essential childcare? Aren’t these people entitled to a degree of rest? What about school leaders, who have worked tirelessly in spite of shambolic guidance from the DfE? They earn well, but in my own context I can certainly say they’ve been worth every penny, now more than ever before. Ultimately, what about the children, who have already had their worlds turned upside-down? Is formal schooling during the summer holidays the best use of their time as they prepare to move into the next academic year?
So many considerations. Personally, I think that the academic benefit isn’t enough to support the opening of schools during the summer holidays. There is a better, more sustainable argument for the opening of schools for childcare provision, similar to the way they’re being operated right now. Some schools would be able to manage this more easily than others, as has been the case so far during the epidemic. With that, you enter the realm of unions. Why should some teaching staff work during the summer while others do not? A big can of worms in itself.
To answer your initial question: my answer would be that the odds are very, very low. But it’s an interesting suggestion and certainly one worthy of mature and complex discussion.
