School Holiday Dates Could Change to Avoid Hot Summer Months

NEW Proposal to change the dates for the summer holidays to make life easy for teachers and students in hot weather.

Kevin Bates, president of the Queensland Teachers Union, said its proposal was about rethinking school terms until all classrooms could be air-conditioned.

“We want to recognise that our classrooms, with the way the climate is changing, are getting hotter in the summer months,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane’s Craig Zonca.

“It makes it really tough for kids to learn.

“In February this year we took the temperature inside some of the classrooms in Ipswich and it was up around 42 degrees.

“At that temperature it’s a situation where children really can’t learn.”

Public schools currently finish on December 14 and return on January 22. Under the new proposal, the Christmas break would be from December 22 to February 5.

If the plan was to go ahead, the Christmas holidays would start December 22 with children returning to school on February 5.

“If we can rethink the school terms to create a greater leeway between the warmest weather and when people are starting school, we should consider this as an option until we can air-condition every classroom,” Mr Bates said.

“Really, we want to get air conditioning in classrooms and that means students can learn regardless of the time of the year.”

He said the proposal to move holiday dates was still in the early planning phase.

As a Tasmanian I have noticed that Queensland and some other states, start their holidays a lot earlier than we do. Maybe all states should be the same dates? We usually don’t finish the year until Christmas week and we go back early February.

Share your thoughts below.

20 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 19 Oct 2022
    1:30 pm
Well this never happened. I guess they just installed Air con.

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 27 Dec 2018
    7:57 am
This is interesting, it will be good to know if it becomes official

- - mom81879 said
  - 19 Nov 2018
    12:46 pm
No matter what tge steps see, you don’t escape all the hot days. Summer goes for 3 months, spring goes for 3 months and can get quite warm too

- - Blossom said
  - 02 Sep 2018
    10:47 am
They could have longer terms during the cooler months and shorten the Summer ones. That would give them a longer school holiday break in the hottest weather. I don’t know whether Qld. has 3 or 4 school terms. Perhaps have 3 = longer terms during the cooler months.

- - mickey8982 said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    8:08 pm
In NZ its always been finishing the week before xmas and returning early feb, which would be better. Coz Australia Day is always in the first week of school, and just makes it harder for them to get into routine again with a day in between off, if it lands on a day in the week

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    1:25 pm
Interesting, but it’s not a huge change and we can still get hot days before or after that.

- - rovermum said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    10:49 am
In Victoria, our terms finish just before Christmas and generally return first week in Feb.

- - mom65147 said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    9:33 am
holidays would start just before xmas wonder about that,
I would like to see school terms going back to three which gives children a longer holiday the current two weeks is too short. this would also address the hot weather over the xmas break

- - sambii said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    8:12 am
Rather than changing the holidays, shouldn’t the students and staff be provided with better learning and teaching conditions?

- - rachel1970 said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    6:34 am
Why don’t the schools have air conditioning?? You would think ALL schools have air conditioning.

- - mom104788 said
  - 15 Aug 2018
    5:04 am
In Victoria, we start school holidays late (just before Christmas) and return in late January. Where we live (North West Vic) it’s bloody hot in summer, but all classrooms have air conditioning!! And we live in a rural part of the state, literally in the middle of nowhere!!

- - Miss.marwee said
  - 14 Aug 2018
    11:56 pm
I don’t understand why a school in this day and age does not have air conditioned classrooms. If the schools budget is that low why aren’t they fundraising for airconditioners, or asking local retailers to support the school and possibly donate them. Very confused. Does this mean they don’t have heating either?? Umm
- musicmum replied
  
  15 Aug 2018 , 1:48 am
  I agree, how cruel to keep kids in hot classrooms.
- - ~Loui~ said
  - 14 Aug 2018
    10:26 pm
I’m in Victoria. The weather here always seems the hottest after the kids have already gone back to school – that’s through February and March. One week is hardly going to make a difference when the hottest days will still be to come.

- - becstalou said
  - 14 Aug 2018
    11:30 am
It’s pretty hot in December too. They like to have staggered school holidays to ease congestion and allow businesses to take advantage of a longer premium period.

- - Ellen said
  - 14 Aug 2018
    4:09 am
I wonder if moving the holiday a week further in December would make such a difference ??

- - mom114371 said
  - 13 Aug 2018
    5:19 pm
When I was at school and had 3 terms that was our school holiday period but has now changed to 4 terms and has changed how the holidays run
- musicmum replied
  
  15 Aug 2018 , 1:47 am
  Yes, why was it changed to 4 terms seems to be too much disruption for families.
- - mom81879 said
  - 13 Aug 2018
    2:20 pm
I can’t see why Queensland can’t be the same as the rest of Australia
It makes sense to avoid the intense heat of summer

- - mom90758 said
  - 13 Aug 2018
    1:55 pm
Here in WA this school year started on January the 31st and will end on December 13th.
Next year it will start on February 4th and end on December 19th. More or less similar to what is proposed for Queensland thus. I find it a great idea!