MMD: Should you take the kids out of school for a holiday?

ceebeeby · 26 August 2008 at 11:03PM

Should be on bad mothers thread - cos we're about to take ours out of school for 3 weeks :eek: :eek: :eek:

It gets worse - DD2 sits GCSE's this school year.

Was only time OH, me and other relly's could all get the time off to go.

What a thing to admit on my 1000th post - and you won't be able to thank me either because it's sooooooo naughty!:o

dazchief · 26 August 2008 at 11:25PM

This is one topic that really frustrates me!
Life is not just about what you learn in a classroom and league tables. It is about experiences. And if the teacher from the previous comment can get his head out of his personal ofsted worries and focus on the children for a minute, he would realise that it isnt just about the costas, its about spending time as a family unit, which, in my opinion, is under rated in discussions, and the benefits far outway the costs from a family perspective on many levels.

In addition, I would welcome comments from other cultures and religions where it is known that their children can be taken out of school for longer than 2 weeks for 'religious' reasons. Whats the difference ? none !

brucie24 · 26 August 2008 at 11:34PM

Our local LEA now fines parents for taking children out of school without permission from the Head/Govenors. Both the Headteachers of my childrens schools (primary & secondary) have said explicitly that permission WILL NOT BE GIVEN for ANY holiday!

If we decide to take the children out without permission we face a fine of £ 50-00 per child per parent per week!

With 3 children (and as far as I know, a happy marriage;) ) that means a two week holiday would cost
us £600-00 !!!!!!!!!!!

Hence the answer to the dilema is NO I wouldn't.

sealady · 26 August 2008 at 11:43PM

I work in a school and it does make a difference when the kids miss an important piece of work, not because of exams but more about the way work is done in schools. You start a topic or piece of work perhaps on a monday and by friday that work is nearing completion, so when they come back to school on the Monday the teacher either has to start again or the child missing out completely and Now days the is so much silly pressure on the teachers about targets, grades, etc. From experience teachers normally only briefly plan a week ahead so asking for all the stuff the child has missed before it's been taught can be very time consuming for the teacher perhaps it's a parent responsibility for the child to catch up in their own time for the work that they have missed.

From the other side of the coin family holidays are important and sometimes the both parents and the school have to be flexible. We are very fortunate because our Head is pretty understanding about situations and if she can help she is always willing to understand and 9/10 times will approve holidays during school time. I know from experience as I am taking time off during term time for myself and both my kids

Spendless · 27 August 2008 at 12:33AM

Our LEA fines too if you go on the hol without getting permission, I thought it was £50 per child, hadn't heard of per parent per week- will have to look it up.

Yes, I would go, having recently discovered/realised we are unlikely to get travel insurance for dh unless we exclude cancer and we can't exclude it cos he is on regular checks to make sure it hasn't returned, if it does he will be having more treatment and we wouldn't be going away but we'd lose our money cos we can't insure against it. The only way I see us going away in next few years is to book and go between check-up appts, which means we can't get any 'earlybird' deals.

PaulGreenUK · 27 August 2008 at 1:18AM

1. You’re strapped for money and couldn’t afford a family getaway this summer.

Spend quality time with your family. Not money that you do not have.

2. Yet you notice a super-bargainous holiday to Majorca in the last week of September. It’s much cheaper than the sky-high peak season prices and within reach of your budget.

It may be within reach of your budget but, at what cost?

3. The catch is it would mean taking the children out of school in term time. The kids, aged 8 and 10, would miss ten days of lessons for the hol.

When you are 8 or 10 a "year" is a long time as it represents a larger fraction/percentage of your whole life. 10 days of lessons can make a difference!

How many lots of "10 days" are you planning on taking during their school days?

4. You’re worried about them getting behind, but think it will be educational for them to experience another culture.

Are you really going for the culture or going for the Sun? Will you try the local cusine or look for the all day breakfast?

5. Would you take them out of school for the holiday?

Does the benefit to "THEM" out weight the costs to "YOU"?

There is a big difference between an "education" and "qualifications". Having to attend school is part of their education. However, there has to be a way of filtering the candidates for a potential position. Qualifications are a starting point. A degree shows a standard of leaning!

Life is hard! We cannot always do or get what we want! Later in life those 10 days extra holiday could make the difference to "their" quality of life!

The question posed by the forum is for "Summer" holidays. However, "Christmas" is a peak time. Playing "devils advocate", do you suggest to your children that Christmas will be celebrated at an off-peak time as it is more cost effective?

It comes back to "old fashioned" values!

I am not a teacher.
I do not have children.
I do take holidays in the off peak season.
However, I do believe that time spent together as a family is more valuable than the location!

There will also be exceptions to the rule and on these occasions Children should be allowed out of school. However, to use "cost" as a reason is not a good enough reason!

Give your child(ren) the best that you can!

sleepyfrog · 27 August 2008 at 1:57AM

My 5 year old son was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and for the last year he has been stuck in a cupboard with 2 teacher's for 6 hours a week while we fight the LEA for a placement at a specialist unit. He has now got a place but are still waiting to hear when he will start - probably October. If the LEA are happy to have him miss so much time due to their lack of funding for proper teaching supervision they can't argue with me for taking him out of class for a holiday.

I am self-employed and can't get cover during the school holiday's anyway, plus being very fair skinned I can't stand high temperatures - so out of season holidays are our only option. Maybe if we had a summer ("like when I were a lass!") this wouldn't be such a problem, but the holiday firms definately don't make it any easier.

If the government don't want parents taking term-time holidays they should outlaw peak and off-peak pricing.

chocky · 27 August 2008 at 2:43AM

I've only taken my 2 out of school once for a holiday and as a compromise with the school, agreed to tack one week onto the half term week. To most children who usually have a good attendance record and are not falling behind, a week or two out of school won't make much difference.

The exception to this though I think would be if your child has SEN and has support in school. Such children benefit from routine and to miss a week or two of school, would have a detrimental affect on their education.

seven-day-weekend · 27 August 2008 at 2:51AM

This subject has been done to death numerous times!

But here's my answer again.

I think it is wrong to take them out of school in Term Time unless it is unavoidable (and 'cheap foreign holiday' does not equate with 'unavoidable' - go camping or stay with friends in the school hols instead). Not being able to have a family holiday AT ALL otherwise, maybe because of parent's work patterns, would be a good reason imho. So is something like Spendless' medical reasons above.

The reason I disagree with it is not to do with disruption in education -on the whole I don't think it would make any difference- but because I think the children need to learn that there are obligations in life and we cannot always do as we wish. The parents who agree with taking them out need to learn this too imho.

Does it matter if you have a holiday in Wales instead of lying burning on the Costa del Sol? Young children especially, will probably enjoy the Welsh holiday more!

Briefcase · 27 August 2008 at 4:48AM

Ask yourself the question:

Suppose your child's teacher / teachers decided they wanted to take advantage of a cheap holiday for a couple of weeks at the end of September meaning your child had to sit in a room twiddling their thumbs for two weeks doing nothing, would you complain?

Too right you would!

But what is the difference? You take your child out of school, they lose 2 weeks education. The teacher goes on holiday for 2 weeks, they lose 2 weeks education. Same result, but you would be up in arms if your child lost 2 weeks education due to the latter, but some would find the former totally acceptable!

Remember, we all pay for your child's education through tax.

The reality is (especially at the moment) that people have to adjust their tastes to suit their budget. So you cannot afford 2 weeks in the Costa Del Snogginos in August? Try something cheaper. Can't afford 2 weeks, try one week. Can't afford a whole week, how about day trips / overnight trips etc.

MMD: Should you take the kids out of school for a holiday?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free