Have a Good NEWS

Bored already? Are school holidays too long?

For most teachers, is the great history of the school day that they don 't to go somewhere in the vicinity have one. But when the sun goes down, appears to be deserted playgrounds across the country, argues Barbara Ellen parents, the summer holidays are too long.

"For many parents are over the long holiday headaches and expense.

Not only are you non-stop are to provide entertainment for weeks on end, now it seems it must also be an element of "home school" and "self improvement" will allow your child one of those who fall behind him.

The expected result would run around the more affluent parents to keep up with the tutoring, extra reading, rural walks, library visits, chosen sport. Meanwhile, the poorer parents stressed hasn 't have the time or the money to compete in order. "

Teacher Francis Gilbert (wonderland @ francis) believes that it 's wrong to make:

"I'd like to say to a lot of parents I come across: Forget all that nightmarish 'hothousing' advice that clogs up the press, and just pay some attention to your child! Talk to them about what they're interested in, share meals with them, enjoy being in their company…

That 's enough, the summer holidays are a good time to chill out, no matter how rich or poor you are. Leave the teaching to the teacher. "

Students and Sara Abbasi makes a heartfelt plea:

"Please, Mr. Gove, let alone our summer break!"

She calls on parents to have a rethink, too:

"A couple of weeks in the summer fun can not turn a child into an illiterate maniac Maybe it 's time for reform is -. Not in school term, but in the neurotic, pushy attitude of the parents'.

More education news from the Guardian and Observer

• Jessica Shepherd (@ jessshepherd1) says Cambridge dons an expected vote of no confidence in the universities minister, David Willetts, pass on this evening. Details from her, as they come in.

• Generate Britain 's biggest test board, AQA, is planning studies with an interactive test that are harder or softer depending on how a candidate is leading. He says the students are wasting time fighting issues that are either too easy or too difficult for them. The Board proposes that an individual examination, the candidates take to create online.

• Comedian and actress Tracey Ullman is back on the British stage after a 20-year absence in a new play by Stephen Poliakoff about the importance of teachers and the public service ethos in our lives. He wrote the piece before the news of cutbacks in education:

"I didn 't in response to what had happened to write, but it is clearly a relevant issue at the moment. ... It is a look at people who have given their lives to public service."

Erika has been • Fred Whitehead (@ FrederikaW) asked what teachers had as a gift on the last day of the school year.

Owen77 set the bar high:

"Am a primary school teacher, and this year got the usual wine, beer, chocolate stuff, but 3 years ago my pupils all chipped in to get me a Nintendo Wii. Which was nice."

Alexi Wonderland said:

"A Nintendo Wii? Damn. Tinies I have an amazing hand-sewn stuffed giraffe from the one my mother made. Best Present. Ever."

Dapperdanielle was enthusiastic:

"A garden gnome. He traveled to the Highlands with me this summer, and photographed was all kinds of things (with the sheep on the beach, on a mountain). Norman 's trip report was the basis for a geography display to beginning of the term \. "

DollyPop said:

The economist criticized a teacher at my school to receive a gift from a parent, suggesting it was 'a form of bribery'. Bribe to him to do what? Teach your daughter better than anyone else? Give her an A if she might have earned a B? A very thin and potentially offensive argument and deeply ironic, given bankers have ? 14 billion in bonuses received in the last academic year. "

Antgunvoy recalled:

"My cousin works in the provinces, in the North Country you see. She says that people up there are so poor, but so, so kind. A youngster from Grimethorpe brought her a pot of chicken-feet stew as a leaving present."

Timthemonkey us and said:

"The ex was (and to my knowledge) a teacher, and they 'd come home with enough flowers to start a flower shop to many packets of Jaffa cakes supporting their tube one days habit, and once, bizarrely, a sketch of one of their year 9s drew of her in the buff. Despite their supposedly modeled it and not be totally embarrassed by it was the accuracy of it is pretty scary. "

Education News from the Web

• The number of students shift places fell by almost two thirds, as young people shun the tuition fee hike in 2012. Only 5940 18-year-olds applying to university this year have decided to move to start their course by the autumn of next year, compared with 15 701 last year, figures show ucas.

9th September, London.

Make the most of media opportunities to \ your school's profile to raise

Whether it 's sharing the good news or dealing with a crisis that must be principals and school leadership teams will be able to handle the media in all its forms. This one day seminar in cooperation with the SEAM is important for new and aspiring heads and established principals who wish to update their knowledge. It includes a session on social media.

September 20, London.

Using Social Media to improve the student

As tuition fees rise, so too do student expectations. Social media is an effective, low-cost way to manage this challenge. This seminar will explore newly conceived best practice, techniques and strategy for all higher education staff: academic, communications, recruitment, marketing and strategy.

Jeevan Vasagar on Twitter

Jessica Shepherd on Twitter

EducationGuardian on Facebook

Free online classroom resources on the Teacher Network

Subscribe to an RSS feed listings Cribsheet

Interested in social policy as well? Sign up daily for the society