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

Basil_2

I wouldn;t hesitate. I have taken my 7 yo boy out of school for the last three years and will continue to do so until the holiday companies stop trying to rip me off to the tune of over £1000 to go during the summer holidays. I'm not selfish at all, my boy has had fantastic long-haul holidays experiencing different cultures and languages which we couldn;t afford to do if we went during the summer holidays thanks to the rip-off travel companies. our school allows 10 days authorised absence anyway but even if they didn't I would take him out. It is a personal choice and I don't have to justify it to anyone. I wouldn't take him in a Sats year or at the start of any important year but I will be the judge of what is best for my child.

HalfPint

balliol wrote: »

Definately not! My kids are now 25, 21 and 16 I have NEVER taken them out of school for a holiday, its simple if you cant afford to take them during normal school holidays then dont go, education is very very important. Consider also that your kids are in a good school that is difficult to get into, the school is within its rights to take your child off its register if they are absent (barring illness )for 10 days or more, you may then have to send your kids to a school you really wouldnt rather! I know its harsh but its important, we took our kids away every other year so we got a really good holiday during school holidays instead of 2 mediocre ones.

Yes, education is very very important but so is family holidays and family time, whether it's mediocre or not. Children can learn so much on holiday, social skills, some phrases of another language, cultural differences, appreciation for nature and the countryside etc and they learn all of this without our instruction! I think any school would have a hard time kicking your children out for a one off term time holiday.

4isnotenough

KatP wrote: »

If you don't like it don't have children quote] :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Oh man, why did I never think of holidays before I had my kids?

crystal_clear

At the ages mentioned i would not think twice about taking the one family holiday at the end of september. and catch up later on anything missed.

I would however like to say that its about time the goverment was a bit more accommodating in this respect rather than dictating when school holidays will take place 6 weeks in summer is a joke we all get penalised for this. Yet if they made may bank 2 weeks and october 2 weeks and summer only 4 weeks this would then open the market to a lot more families. Although October used to be mid Oct I have also noted that it is getting later and later and more in to November so even a week away then is hard to miss school term time as a lot of resorts close on or around 31 st Oct . Why has this week moved so late in to the month its neither use nor ornament for family holidays without disrupting school terms.
Thats my little rant over gl everyone

Crystal

lady_stardust

Getting the benefit of another culture in Majorca?!? Don't make me laugh!

It's not a great time to go on holiday when the kids are just getting settled into their new school year, possibly with new people in their class and a new teacher, so under these circumstances I wouldn't.

airheadgreg

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

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!

I think that holidays are luxuries that are neccessary, so if you think that children should only be taken out of school unless it is unavoidable, then that means that no holidays at this point. I know people who haven't had holidays in years because of clashes with holidays and the price, they are no worse off than other people who go every month, holidays are not a neccessity, they may appear to be in the current social climate but they are not.

On the other hand, I would take out my kids especially if they were still 8 or 10 and at the beginning of the school year for a holiday without feeling guilty. But that is just me.

barri_2

brucie24 wrote: »

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.

I'd take them to the Eur. court for Human Rights. OR say the kids were sick. OR just don't pay the "fine". A week or 2 at that age doesn't matter. Ex teacher.

therichnessinside

Experience another culture???? !!! Majorca???!!!! Yes very educational. Haha. My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is: Okay take them out of school if you must. You can always find out from Teacher what they've missed and get some home tuition to fill in the missing bits, like crucial maths things or whatever. Which would be the responsible thing, obviously. But please don't kid yourself or me that a hol in Majorca is for educational purposes.... I may be slow but not that slow. :rotfl:

stationaryace

plain, simple yes. but only once or twice during their school life and not every year.

Jambala

ceebeeby wrote: »

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

This thread made me sign up and post! I teach primary school, and I find nothing more frustrating than some parents' slapdash attitude to their children's education. Believe me, I've seen it all!

You ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT take your children out of school for a holiday. That's what the school holidays are for - all 13 weeks of them! I appreciate that some people can't afford to pay for a peak-time holiday abroad in July/August, but if that's the case then DON'T! Take a cheap holiday in the UK for a year, stick the rest of the cash in a high-interest account, then use that to pay for a holiday in the sun the next year.

My experience is that most people do not appreciate how much today's children have to learn in such a short space of time. The curriculum is absolutely PACKED, and time off causes problems because children miss the earlier 'building blocks' that subsequent lessons/skills rely on. This is unfair on the child and unfair on the teacher, who has maybe 35 other children in the classroom, and cannot afford the time to sit with a child who's been sunning it up for a fortnight, and has missed key lessons.

I totally agree with the poster who says that children should be given a broad range of experiences. But time has been built in for these experiences (i.e. school holidays) and children's education should be the top priority.

- JB