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

shellsuit

hjdx wrote: »

Ok, so I'm a teacher. Clearly you're going to know which way I fall on this. But still, a few thoughts to stir up the pot.

If you think its ok for your children to miss 10 days of school, can I have the next two weeks off then? Sure I've got 24 Reception children, but you'll cover me right? I mean, you have the necessary university qualifications, a year of probation, and have 6 years of teaching experience to know what to do with my class right? I'll get a cheap holiday, and I'm sure your children "won't suffer" if I leave them in an empty room for 10 days ..... <sarcasm off>

Why is it seen that a holiday abroad is a "right" nowadays?

Quality time with your family can happen here, and does not have to be done in a two week stretch.

If you take you children out of school during term time you tell them that school is not important. By your actions, you're doing that without even saying a work.

Two of my RECEPTION class are on holiday right now. When they come into school finally later in the term they'll have missed the easy sloping in of the staggard start, and they'll have missed direct teaching on 8 letter sounds. And they won't easily catch them up. They'll have a hard time, making them stressed and upset, and they'll not have made friends when all the other children were making friends.

Fine, the example has children at 8 and 10, so my experience does not apply directly.

Sure, school is not the be all and end all, but we ALL have things we don't understand from school because we were off, or ill, or not paying attention.

Children these days have such a need for stabilty, and being demonstrated to by actions that they must be responsible, they must keep going when things are hard. They must go to work every day even when they don't want to. Taking them on holiday in term time says "school is not important, you don't need to prioritise it".

Family time is what weekends are for. What on earth are you doing with your weekends that mean you are not spending quality and relaxing time with your family?

I have extensive documented measurable experience with children who have taken the maximum 10 days per term off and are much much more than 30 days behind their year group educationally, developmentally and so on. They had potential to be much further on, but their parent(s) taking them out of school has damage this potential. Yes education is not all about school, yes children need to be happy and relaxed to learn, yes quality of life is important. But, don't you think there is a reason WHY school is compulsory?

I love holidays, now we can afford to go on them. As a child I loved days out just as much.

Erm, maybe people are working weekends. Not everyone works Monday to Friday like a teacher

scootw1

Personally, I don't think anyone should take their kids out of school to go on holiday. I never once had a holiday when I was a kid (only the odd day trip on a Saturday) and didn't think anything of it. Is it really that necessary for people to have a holiday every year? Some people think they are hard done by if they don't get at least two holidays a year. School is there to teach children the necessary skills they will need later in life. Parents take their kids out of school so that they can have their precious holiday and those kids then grow up and can't get a decent job as they don't have the right skills. It just shows a lack of responsibility from those parents IMHO.

Incapuppy

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alwaysskint96

andysuth wrote: »

Unless you count the hoards of brits thorwing up over each others naked bodies in Sh!g-a-luf there's no real culture to be gleened.

Take them to China or India or something.

Consider time of year as well, it'd be really disruptive to go during the first month back at school.

I would and will take my kids somewhere during school time, but not Majorca.

-Andy.

Why go to magaluf? Soller, Lluc and pto pollenca are much nicer

KittaKatta

I would take them out of school, and when they go back, keep an eye on them and make sure that they get back on track. It shouldn't be too hard at their age.

Ccaz01

We have just done this. We had 2 weeks in Greece which we returned from on Thursday. There is no way we could have afforded to go in the school holidays, but the benefits we have had as a family unit have been brilliant. We spent quality time together without the interuptions of mobile phones, computers and televisions. It was just the 4 of us and we relaxed and pleased ourselves in the sunshine for the whole 2 weeks. The children look sunkissed and are glowing and my husband and myself feel more mentally equipped to handle the next 12 months of working and bill paying!!!! There has to be something to look forward to in this time of doom and gloom. Both myself and my husband work very hard and take our work and home responsibilities seriously, and we both feel that quality time has to be made with your family or thats when problems set in. Its all very well for government fat cats to sit in their ivory towers preaching what we should and shouldn't do but I don't think they have a clue what it is like for your average person living in modern day Britain.:mad:

jorich

it's all very well for the people saying they would only go with the school's permission as long as school does actually give permission at all. Ours NEVER gives permission offically, even though they will off the record say it's ok, because the offsted report marked them down for low attendance - which I would like to add was NOT as a result of holidays but sick time and other absences. I would like to point out that you also generally do not get a fine unless you exceed 10 missed unauthourised days.
I have taken my 5 year old out but tagged days onto easter or half term, this was further complicated by the fact that our schools holidays last easter were not actually at easter at all!!

Keen_Saver

We have just been fined £100 (£50 each parent) for taking our 9 year old on a weeks holiday, what annoys me the most is the lack of consistency, some schools are ok with letting pupils have holidays some are not, it's not fair.

Jambala

Keen_Saver wrote: »

We have just been fined £100 (£50 each parent) for taking our 9 year old on a weeks holiday, what annoys me the most is the lack of consistency, some schools are ok with letting pupils have holidays some are not, it's not fair.

Blimey!

Is this the only week you've taken him out of school for? Is his attendance otherwise good?

Cinders2001

Keen_Saver wrote: »

We have just been fined £100 (£50 each parent) for taking our 9 year old on a weeks holiday, what annoys me the most is the lack of consistency, some schools are ok with letting pupils have holidays some are not, it's not fair.

I'm soooo glad I home school!!!