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

OberonSH

My family took a lot of time out for holidays when I was a kid - but it was to spend time in Egypt for instance, not just to catch some rays on a Spanish beach. I came back able to count in Arabic, and having some insight into the cultures I experienced, not burnt to a crisp and the holder of a 'Best Painting' award.

I think you have to look at the age of the child & the type of holiday - I wouldn't take a GCSE year kid out to a 'slumming on the beach' holiday, but I might take them if the place was something to do with their course, for exampe.

In my own story - I always took work away with me, and certainly don't feel like I missed out, and neither did my teachers. We always plan an 'educational' part of our holidays with our own kids, as we're not beach-bunnies, and as they're pre-school it's not so important, but if they were older I'd go in and see what the school said they would be missing, and agree to take work away and ensure my child was up to speed.

We intend to offer a high level of support to our kids through school, as to be perfectly honest I don't reckon 1 teacher trying to control 30 kids, plus teach a subject most of them aren't interested in is a bit of a lost cause anyway.

grumpyeggman

If you send your kids to a private school (they break up for their summer hols 3 weeks before state schools) you can get a cheap holiday in before your main safari holiday.Most private schools have 9 weeks for summer.:rolleyes:

aplegjnf

OberonSH wrote: »

My family took a lot of time out for holidays when I was a kid - but it was to spend time in Egypt for instance, not just to catch some rays on a Spanish beach. I came back able to count in Arabic, and having some insight into the cultures I experienced, not burnt to a crisp and the holder of a 'Best Painting' award.

I would like to point out that even just lounging on a spanish beach can be quite educational! In fact the best educational holiday with an uninspiring parent can be worse than a cheap beach holiday with a parent who finds opportunities to teach! Our family went to spain for 6 weeks last september ( 4 of us for less than £1000 with car hire as well!- it's great to be a home educator :rotfl:) and the following are some of the things my children learnt without even thinking about it.

The fact that there *is* sun for a continuous period is a real experience for British youngsters!
The fact that the sun goes down at a different time.
How hot it can get!
Spanish shops closing for the siesta, and why- very cultural.
The late evening socialisation and street cafe bars; it's not just a holiday thing - it's a way of life.
The sand on the beach is much different to what we get in England.
Even in majority ex pat places the signs are in spanish,so they are introduced to another language
You *can* get local food - no-one makes paella like the locals.
The prices of stuff in the supermarket reflect cultural differences... wine is so cheap why?
The attitude of the serving staff is usually so much kinder to children abroad, why are they more family friendly?
The blue of the sea is so different.
These are things just for starters staying by the beach, that's without any excursions you could do.
Let's be a bit more open minded eh:A
P.

dralphs

Hi all

I wouldn't take my kids (10 & 13) out in september or first couple of weeks of each term or if they had exams/sats looming but at other times i would if i could.

Unfortunately my wife works in a school so we have no choice but to go during school holidays, hence we go camping to reduce the cost.

What doesn't help though is the Government/LEA/Schools don't seem to realise that people often (like teachers) don't have a choice in when they take their holiday. Until recently i was allocated a week off during the summer period, which was May to Sept and once everyone had been given their first week we could bid for a second week but no gurantee of getting it or it being adjacent to week 1.

Its also very annoying that schools can't sort out their holidays to coincide with oneanother:mad: and scrap the inset/teacher training days during term time.

In our situation, our kids are in primary and secondary schools, whilst the wife works in another secondary school. All are in the same LEA and within 5 miles of each other, yet this september they all start back on different days with the wife going back first causing me to take leave or incur extra costs on childcare:mad: They did the same in July with 3 different finish dates!

To make it worse we have a 6 term system, which often means we have a bankholiday giving a 4 day week and then a 'term break' a week later for 7 days or other odd number. Easter the other year was a joke. Kids had late february term break of a week, back for two weeks then two 4 day weeks due to Easter bank holidays, then two weeks then the 'Easter Holiday' of 8 days.

Because the term breaks are often not for a whole week or two weeks (Easter/Christmas) if you want a two week holiday you have no choice but to take your kids out of school, with permission or not :mad:

Gingersnap17

I'm a nurse and a mum as are the majority of the people that I work with. There are only 7 weeks of summer holidays and, as a result, we can't all manage to get time off work to take holidays with our families when the schools are out. The only way that my family and I have been able to take a holiday together in the last 2 years is because we have taken our children out of school due to the fact that I have been unable to get holidays from work in the summer break. It's something that I would rather not do but I believe that time spent with my family comes first.

to_the_max

It's not always about the money, getting annual leave to coincide with school holidays can be difficult, particularly when both adults work! Taking time off as a family can be hard to juggle even without taking into account costs of activities and holidays.

I have taken my children out of school for a couple of days tagged on to half term. I had to get permission from the school, which was granted but not easy! I checked the school calender and arranged the holiday so that it would not clash with the SATS, what happened? They changed the school calender with only a few weeks notice! Ha, even when you try your best to reduce the impact you still can't win.

In Kent the 11+ exam dates have changed from January 2009 to September 2008, so even with an August family holiday we were still studying. (But at least it was in the sunshine.)

crystal_clear

Jambala wrote: »

Hi Caterina


You mention the constriction of the national curriculum. Certainly in SATs years, this is an issue, as OFSTED have identified. But in most of the schools I have seen, the children get a rich, rewarding curriculum with opportunities for tasting new food, visiting different landscapes (Belgium this year), etc., as part of a structured education programme. In my school the children put on plays to their parents based on texts studied in literacy, they run websites, make films, presentations and podcasts, sing in the choir in church, learn different languages, play county sports as a school team, join athletics and dance clubs, program computers, attend a breakfast club, etc. etc. and this is all run alongside (and to complement and enhance) the national curriculum. This cannot be done during a fortnight's holiday in Majorca :-)

As I said before, I think a child makes massive gains by visiting another country, by spending time with family and friends, and by interacting with people he/she would normally not get a chance to. I entirely agree with you here. But this should be done during the 13 weeks set aside for it: the school holidays.

Good points but I would still take my children out of school at the ages originally mentioned and time of year if it meant I could afford a family holiday abroad.
I have had 3 of mine finish comp so far only 1 more to go yayyyyy!!! and I have always avoided school term time for holidays, but thats not to say i haven't over run a holiday by a day or two into term time. This was always clarified before hand as to what there timetable was yeilding for them before hand.
Which brings me to the original quote above. Belgium holidays this year, My previous 3 have brought home holiday forms from school for these educational holidays and I had to say in turn to each of them I am sorry but I really just cannot afford this - These school planned holidays are an astonishing price and to be honest for the cost of sending one at the schools price we could have taken all of us away for the same price and it would have been educational at the same time (We like to go out site seeing walking and discovering lots of things) Not sunbathing on a sunbed no thank you . Also I maybe a little protective of my children but if they are going away then I want to be there for fear they may be harmed (accidents happen) and I am there mother its my job to care for them no one elses.

Regards
Crystal

kernowbird

I wouldn't think twice about it!
Time with the family and visiting new cultures are more important and more educational than 10x4 or 5 hrs of cramped classrooms!
Plus, think of the money saving education they'd get!!:rotfl:

Lilyfae

As a teacher I find this highly hilarious.

At 8 and 10 a week away from school will have negative consequences as the primary curriculum particularly in maths and english are tightly packed and primary schools sadly operate a teaching culture of once the page in the book is done, its done. (regardless of whose precious children are in majorca or dubai or wherever)

As a secondary teacher, I see kids lolling in three weeks into september/january/may burnt to a crisp as parents have taken them on cheap vacations at the start of new terms, these kids usually can't catch up, often they don't want to catch up, and nine times out of ten don't want to pay attention because they want to show off their tan/braids/henna tattoo/cheap jewellery they shouldn't be wearing in the first place.

From what I have seen, these kids cannot concentrate and get back into the swing of things for a further week or so, usually due to the jet-lag/lazyitis.
This is serious detriment to a child's education which isn't about listing off the countries of Europe or their times table, its getting into patterns and learning the skills to interpret the world around them.

I'm not saying every parent that takes their child away in school time is incapable of teaching their children these skills and about the local culture, however I think that people are very naive and condescending towards what schools do for their children.

Oh and btw I would love to take holidays! I can't afford to go in the summer but I'm not allowed to take time out of school because a week away would damage your children's education.

Jambala

BOOTY wrote: »

to be really honest, the primary school my kids go to tend to spend a large chunk of there term time doing off campus sports, full day sports days and endless day trips to do art and even more sports. i wouldn't hesitate to take the kids out of school for a holiday seeing as the school doesn't really seemed to be bothered about the important subjects such as maths. and as long as my kids attendance is above 96% for the whole year (which it usually is) i don't think some real quality time with the family is a bad thing.

Your child's primary school should be teaching their pupils 1 hour of literacy and 1 hour of numeracy per day, depending on the age of the children. I'm sure they ARE VERY bothered about the "important subjects such as maths", as you put it. If they were not, their results would reflect this and the LA would have intervened, followed by OFSTED, who would have hit them with a stick. Have you checked your school's report on the OFSTED website? Have you voiced your concerns to the school?

There are some really negative attitudes towards schools in this thread, as a previous poster has pointed out. Parents should be working WITH their school; this 'parent & child vs. school' approach does no-one any good. Parents and schools want the same thing, after all's said and done - the education and welfare of your child.

- JB