Kids hols during termtime - 10 days max ?

hammy_the_hammer

gregg1 wrote:

No I know you are not having a go and like I say I don't expect people to agree with me as I am just going on personal experience on this one. Last year about half of my daugher's class went on a trip to Spain for ten days with the school. However, because so many kids from the class were missing on the trip, the kids remaining were not taught their timetable for the whole of that ten days as they did not want the other kids to get left behind. I know from talking to a few other people that this has happened in other schools as well. That is why I am so strongly of the opinion that kids should go to school in school time and holiday in holiday time. Sorry if my opinion offends anyone - its just the way I feel.

gregg i would hope that with a long planned school trip that the timetable has been altered within that year to accomodate the trip.
now for those like sue who think if it's ok for the school to do it... i would suggest that when that 1 trip probably throughout the whole of that childs senior schooling is offered by the school by all means seek authority to take that child away for the same week to wherever they wish to go.
i guess that's not the agenda though

gregg1

hammy_the_hammer wrote:

gregg i would hope that with a long planned school trip that the timetable has been altered within that year to accomodate the trip.
now for those like sue who think if it's ok for the school to do it... i would suggest that when that 1 trip probably throughout the whole of that childs senior schooling is offered by the school by all means seek authority to take that child away for the same week to wherever they wish to go.
i guess that's not the agenda though

Yes, that should be the case, I am going to keep a close eye on it again this year and if the kids left behind get the timetable they had last year I and quite a few other parents will have something to say about it. Quite agree with your other remarks.

Spendless

gregg1 wrote:

No I know you are not having a go and like I say I don't expect people to agree with me as I am just going on personal experience on this one. Last year about half of my daugher's class went on a trip to Spain for ten days with the school. However, because so many kids from the class were missing on the trip, the kids remaining were not taught their timetable for the whole of that ten days as they did not want the other kids to get left behind. I know from talking to a few other people that this has happened in other schools as well. That is why I am so strongly of the opinion that kids should go to school in school time and holiday in holiday time. Sorry if my opinion offends anyone - its just the way I feel.

The secondary school my friends kids are at does take them away in school hols. Her eldest is away this Friday for a week (1st week of easter Hols). Asking her about a year 6 trip her youngest did I discovered that it takes place within the first few weeks of the Autumn term. I always thought this was discouraged, to take kids away when school first starts back, and no I don't think it would have been fair on any of the kids who didn't go.

Sarahsaver

Schools do have the right to take children off roll if they are away on holiday for over 2 weeks if it has not been pre-arranged with the head. Our primary has a problem with extended holidays, and I can see it from both sides, after all you cannot just pop over to some places for a weekend, it takes people a long time to save up to go to India, Africa, the West Indies etc. I know one woman who stayed here with her kids whilst her hubby went to his father's funeral in India. I dont know if they couldnt afford it or if it was because of the school, but either way I really feel for people when they have a real crisis like that. Come to Leicestershire! We break up 2 weeks before the rest of the country. If people cannot afford to go away in the school holidays they shouldnt! Or else they should look for cheaper holidays.
DD's dad finds it hard to get time off to spend with her in holidays because people with families get priority for time off (even though he has weekends with her and shared hols through a court agreement).

gregg1

TurnaroundSue wrote:

Yes, but not all the children do go - when my son's school went skiing last year there were about 1/2 of his class did not go and they still continued with their education - what happened to the ones who went skiing, did they miss out? We could play bat and ball with this topic until the end of time and like Pippin says I respect your point of view and I'd like you to respect mine. I feel that my intelligence has been insulted and some of you have been rather rude. I thought this thread was meant to be about discussion and not hurling insults.

So I will end my part in this 'debate' still believing that there are double standards where the government/schools are concerned and no matter what anybody says I will not change my mind on that score - it's just a shame that I have been made to feel a bad parent who has no regard to her children's education, when in fact you cannot be further from the truth!

And I will end my part in this debate by saying you sound like someone has touched a nerve!! I am sorry but it seems to me that you are entitled to give your point of view but if anyone else does then you accuse them of being rude when in reality other people feel just as strongly as you do about this subject. I never said you were a bad parent. What I have implied is that I think it is very naive to think that a child's education would NOT suffer if parents are going to take their kids out of school for one or two weeks year in and year out to go on holiday. That is my view and, like you, I am not going to change it!!!!!

hammy_the_hammer

gregg1 wrote:

And I will end my part in this debate by saying you sound like someone has touched a nerve!! I am sorry but it seems to me that you are entitled to give your point of view but if anyone else does then you accuse them of being rude when in reality other people feel just as strongly as you do about this subject. I never said you were a bad parent. What I have implied is that I think it is very naive to think that a child's education would NOT suffer if parents are going to take their kids out of school for one or two weeks year in and year out to go on holiday. That is my view and, like you, I am not going to change it!!!!!

and your views gregg are shared by the majority of parents, teachers , teachers unions and government.

hammy_the_hammer

i would also make the observation that these school trips are not offered generally across the whole school. my experience is that 1 year will be offered that kind of trip ONCE in their time at school.

hammy_the_hammer

TurnaroundSue wrote:

I know it is a while since anybody has posted on this thread, but my son came home from school today and told me that he has a rugby tournament next Wednesday in school and that he would be missing his lessons for that day. My son's school also went skiing last year for 9 days in term time (which my son didn't go on as we couldn't afford it!!). It seems very hypocritical of this government to say that we cannot take our kids out of school for holidays, yet it is okay for the school to arrange a trip in term time or a rugby tournament. If they feel that strongly - why aren't these arranged in school holidays!!!

I would love to take my kids on holiday in the school holidays - it makes life easier all round, as for instance in the summer holidays 2 weeks are covered without having to worry what you are going to do to entertain them for 6/7 weeks - expecially if you work also!! Mr OH is a paramedic and he cannot say when he wants to take his hols - his summer leave this year is the first 2 weeks of September. It means that the only time we can go is June - he is also working Xmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so the quality of time we will have as a family in any one great stretch this year is very limited. I think that 2 weeks off school is important for us as a family, especially as their dad is working over all the summer holidays/christmas.

I get really angry when people just assume that kids are taken out of term time just because of money - this isn't always the case - sometimes parents do not have the luxury of that option!!!

sue this is an example where onlookers can't understand what is going on ...i quote from your above posting about your mitigating circumstances for taking the kids out of school...

"Mr OH is a paramedic and he cannot say when he wants to take his hols - his summer leave this year is the first 2 weeks of September. It means that the only time we can go is June "

his summer leave is in september so you take the kids away in june ?????
if he's a paramedic is he not entitled to ask for time off in the school holidays ?
i've posted before that there's a very small minority of people who contractually may not be allowed to take time off in the school holidays eg a decorator who works for a company who does school contracts. i really can't see that being the case for a paramedic. if year after year he isn't allowed to take time off in the school holidays he should contact his trade union or process a formal grievance against the employer. somebody in his paramedic department surely gets the chance to be off for some time during school holidays ??

Zziggi

As things currently stand, if a parent asks for permission to take their kid out of school for a holiday and then the Head says "no" - does the parent have a right to ask for a writen explination of why/how the head came to their decision? If so, isn't it opening up a whole area for parents to challenge the head's decision on the basis of the head operating a biased (discriminatory) policy?

Personally i have a bit of a problem with asking the school's permission to do XYZ with my kids - i mean, whose kids are they? By having to seek the schools approval it comes across as if it is the school who is in charge of the kids. I am "only" the parent. i find "informing/telling" the school what's going to happen to be a little too direct (even if in effect this is what you are trying to do). However I am all for negotiating with the school (i.e. on at least an equal footing). The problem is with these discretionary holiday absences is that it is putting the school in a (too) powerful position IMHO.

elisebutt65

Our school uses a points system - so many points for percentage abscence, so many points for closeness to exams, what year they are in, whether they've had holiday earlier in the year and then points deducted if there is a clear educational purpose.

If you score under 8 points then holiday is approved.

It's all totally logical and makes it easier to understand head's decisions and parents can also work out before hand whether to even book the holiday - lol