PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Most parents are counting the days until the end of the school holidays, with many believing the summer break is too long, a study has found.
A survey of more than 400 parents of children aged between five and 16 showed that three quarters could not wait for schools to open again.
Most of those surveyed by parenting website Parentdish, said they felt relief, excitement or happiness at the thought of their children returning to the classroom.
The report said "frazzled" parents were trying to balance work with the demands of looking after their children over the summer, with 43% of working parents saying the holidays were too long.
Tamsin Kelly, editor of Parentdish.co.uk, said: "The long summer school holidays can be tough for parents, especially in these harsh economic times, when couples have to take turns taking holidays and time off work to look after children.
"We weren't surprised that parents were looking forward to life back on an even keel with the beginning of term,- but we were shocked to see that as many as three quarters of parents can't wait for the holidays to end.
"The good news is that so many parents seem to have taken stock of their lives during the school holidays and are viewing the new school term as an opportunity to make positive changes to their lives."