ISN'T it time to give serious consideration to changing school holidays to meet with changing weather conditions?

The long hot days of August from mine and my children's youth have all but disappeared for the present generation, like my grandchildren.

The following is a weather blog record of August weather from the past few years:

August 2004: Warm at first, but a washout after the first week with some torrential downpours.

August 2005: Average overall, although it did record the latest ever date that 30ºC has been reached here on the 31st.

August 2006: Very disappointing. Average temperatures with very little heat. A huge contrast from a very hot and sunny July. The drop in the Central England Temperature (CET) average from July to August that year was a record.

August 2007: Very cool, the coldest since 1993. The only positive was that it wasn't a washout like June and July.

August 2008: The dullest in nearly a century. No heat whatsoever.

August 2009: Slightly warmer than average, but again no hot days.

This year, too, has been a washout and quite cool too. This is all very disappointing for children and frustrating for parents who often have to spend more to keep children entertained.

Long days on the beach, at the sand pit or picnic areas like Hubbard's Hills are much cheaper than bowling, the cinema and slot machines.

The BBC weather site has detailed data on the changing of the spring season and claims that it will have increased by 40 days by 2080.

In 2002 the earliest signs of spring in the UK were recorded as January 13 and yet we still deem the first day of that season to be March 21 and the first day of summer as June 21, when May weather conditions are much more like the month of June used to be.

Having spoken to mothers. many would like to see a change that would give a four-week summer break, probably in July, and then add an extra week at Christmas, when children are rushed back to school after new year during some of the coldest, darkest days of the year.

The other week might be added to the Easter break or perhaps the last week of June or make a longer autumn half-term break.

As a former educator I appreciate that work would be involved in changing timetables but it's not rocket science.

Diane Edmonds, Grimsby.

The Telegraph says

This letter writer makes perfect sense. Let parents and their children enjoy the better weather and amend the school holidays accordingly.