There are two popular theories about the origin of the school summer holiday: one, that it came about because farmers needed their children to help with the harvest; and two, that the school calendar was tailored to the long holidays of the Victorian professional classes. Many public school parents worked as lawyers or in Parliament, and had a recess between July and September. Neither idea is relevant to today’s students, but a six-week-minimum break remains – although, perhaps, not for much lo