Time for teachers to shorten holidays

There is an old joke; ‘the three best things about being a teacher are’ ‘June, July and August’.

Joking aside, if teachers are serious about tackling inequality in education, the best way they can do this is by shortening their holidays. Families on low incomes dread the 12 week summer break, as they have no money to give a structured environment to assist their children’s development. Better off parents can afford summer camps, Irish colleges, etc.

When September arrives, school pupils who were not productively stimulated during the long break, are a lot more likely to take longer to adjust to the school routine, plus they have forgotten much of what they learnt in the previous term.