Kids hols during termtime - 10 days max ?

spursman

i apologise unreservedly bylromarha i didnt know your circumstances i thought maybe you were a supply teacher.
we went away at Xmas for 11 days in Egypt for £700 the whole family, in fact it was £2100 but only cost £700 thanx to the lovely beef in gravy.
Another downside to kids on holiday in term time they dont make any friends my daughter has got loads of pen pals( msn messenger pals) from children she met on holiday, last August in Tobago the children used to go down & have lunch by themselves, then go & enjoy themselves around the complex, so they had a holiday & so did their parents on our last nite our daughter went out with a group of 15 children, gave us the oppurtunity to have a romantic meal together on our last nite. When we went to Zante in 2000 we went in term time(my wife didnt work from the birth of our daughter til our daughter started school apart from some supply work) our holiday was the last 2 weeks in may(before mse days still got it very cheap with a Tropicana £150 off voucher + 2 weeks for the price of 1) whole holiday cost £215 for all 3 of us. 1st week my daughter was the only child there in a hotel(blocks of villas) that had over 300 rooms potentially 1200 people 2nd week there were 3 more kids then last 3 days there were probably 50+ kids as it was then half term week.
But obviously it would be different for families with more than 1 child anyway whatever i say isnt going to change anyones mind but remember those mums who smile & pat you on the back for taking a stand are the same mums complaining to my wife & the school governors about the school attendance record putting your school at the bottom of the league tables

jaymac_2

I'm a teacher too and as I work part time I have been able to be flexible about holidays and have had no compunction about taking my children out of school for holidays BUT I would never choose to go in May. SATs for most age groups, GCSE and AS levels all start about then. Schools like to have children in class before SATs and exams for revision. The dates of SATs and other exams are on the DFEE web site so any parent can check these dates and choose to go afterwards - schools usually relax for a week or so then so children don't actually miss much.

Rachel85

I think it will depend on a number of factors. Firstly the age of our children - if they are about to sit exams such as SATs or GCSEs then I would imagine that you will find it harder to take them out of school.

Whether you have taken them out of school will also be looked at. If, for example, you take them out of school every year for 10 school days then they may get funny about it, however if they never or rarely miss school for holidays, and are unlikely to again, then it will probably be allowed.

Your only other option is to state that they will be away for 10 days and then when you get back write to the school and say they were off for an extra 2 days or so due to illness. If you're going abroad blame food poisoning - they'll be unlikely to question it.

hammy_the_hammer

i also think that schools know that if they didn't try to keep the lid on these term time holidays ie it's a small minority at present who take the kids out of school the consequences could be quite severe. if it starts becoming the norm and acceptable to have your fortnight off the numbers will increase year on year until schools have to start writing off doing anything of substance throughout the summer season from may to october

kazd

We have taken our children out of school for holidays twice, once for three days and once for 5 days. This year we had not intended to take a holiday as last years three weeks in the summer hols cost us £8k. Then people started talking about what they had booked. So my argument was that if we were to take them out this year it would be the last time as my eldest starts Secondary in Sept and we would not take him out of school then. However, have now been overuled by dh and we are not going. He has a real issue with taking them out termtime.

If my son gets in to the school we are hoping for then they do not allow any term time holidays. I am hoping though in the next few years to go to Aus and that would have to be for a min of three weeks at Xmas, so we would require an extra week.

sloppychops

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16665260%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=exclusive%2d%2dterm%2dtime%2dhols%2dboost%2drise%2din%2dtruancy%2drates-name_page.html

Rickycowslip

Trouble is - sticking to the rules means that exotic foreign holidays will be restricted to the more well off in society, those kids from families on average salaries would not be able to experience the wider world. When I say exotic I mean those other than a week in Torromolinos which could be argued has little educational benefits.
Even two weeks in a Eurocamp tent in France in the Summer holidays is well over £1000, compared to £400 in June. Two weeks for a family in Portugal in Summer holidays you're looking at £3k. So we end up with 30% of kids going to France/Portugal, and 70% of kids going to Pontins (which they'd probably enjoy as much, but doesn't really stretch their cultural experiences...)

Becles

Rickycowslip wrote:

Trouble is - sticking to the rules means that exotic foreign holidays will be restricted to the more well off in society, those kids from families on average salaries would not be able to experience the wider world.

That's life though. Exotic holidays are a luxury not an essential part of life.

Or are we going to provide sports cars, champagne and truffles to families on average wages too

jonesMUFCforever

Becles wrote:

That's life though. Holidays are a luxury not an essential part of life.

Or are we going to provide sports cars, champagne and truffles to families on average wages too

Sorry Becles but this is a load of tripe!
In fact you came across as a snob.
Every one has a right to a holiday whether they go abroad or take it at home is up to them!

cheekymole

I agree ejones, we are taking our daughter out of school this year for the first time evr for a holiday because to go to the other side of the world for just two weeks is pointless.
DD will learn far more from the experience than staying in school having Christmas parties