I’m a little demob happy this afternoon as I started my two week half term today!  As a Special Needs school we appreciate that 7 weeks’ Summer holidays can be really tough for our students and their parents and carers so we shortened ours and added another week to half term.  I think this works really well for all parties and would like to see other schools do similar.  For my little ones, we’ve a lot to fit in to their one holiday week and a few extra days would be more relaxing.  It’s been a long tough half term for my children and in the holidays they need time to relax, have fun and be refreshed for an even busier half term.  I’m not sure one week is sufficient for this.

However for the present, I have a week of me time, well between the hours of 9 and 3!  I am going on a work conference on Tuesday but it’s on something I’m really interested in and have waited for ages to find the right course content.  I have chosen time in lieu so perhaps I can creatively use my day off later in the year.  The rest of the week is devoted to little jobs, creative projects and coffee and lunch with friends, real adult conversations in child free environments!   I sometimes think that when I meet with friends our chats are like machine gun fire, fast, short bursts of news before we get interrupted by a child.  I’m looking forward to relaxed and measured conversation!

I have always loved half term in October, we have lots of family birthdays and as a child it was always spent with grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins in Scotland.  It’s a holiday of Hallowe’en fun, crisp, bright walks, the novelty of dark nights and wearing hats and scarves but without the pressures and busyness of Christmas.  It’s one of my favourite holidays of the year and the two week break is perfect timing.  Vive les vacances!