Don't tell Cliff....

Summer Holidays are scrapped.

Michael Gove says so, from next year 70% of Primaries, and 30% of Secondaries can choose their own holiday dates, and the main freedom is to knock a couple of weeks off the summer break and stick them elsewhere.

So you could get a 7 term year, like at some private schools, with fortnight holidays every seven weeks.

It's up to Heads and governors.

Don't know about you, I've learned to go with the flow, make the best of whatever you're asked to make the best of.

It will be hard for parents of children who go to different schools if the new holiday dates don't match. It'll also be a nightmare to book an EasyJet flight to Alicante, a hotel or a package anywhere for anybody, so I'm hoping that school's will give a bit of wiggle room to carers. Well, to all parents really.

But on the whole, don't you think Michael Gove has got this right? It's crazy that our school's are shut down for 6 weeks as a result of the need for children to help get the harvest in! 

Maybe we should have cashed in and leased our children to local farms as cheap labour. 

Don't laugh. A social worker once told me about a couple who were rejected as potential foster carers. They owned a small farm. The assessing social worker was left in no doubt they were looking for nothing more or less than getting money to have a couple of robust fostered teenagers work for free with the milking and feeding!

The only shame is that I remember, and I bet you do too, the heady feeling of joyous freedom from the drudge of school on that final day walk home. The sensation that you belonged to yourself, no-one could tell you to sit down and be quiet, or check your work. For 6 weeks.

But boredom would hit soon enough. Seems to hit faster nowadays.

So all in all well done Mr Gove.

Former looked-after child Mr Gove.

The Secret Foster Carer