Help r.e letter to headmaster.

dizziblonde

Take yer kids out if you want - but don't blame the school if something important is covered in class while they're off on holiday and as I said before, my line is that I won't set work for parents who take their kids out on holiday - the work will be set, and delivered, in the classroom during the course of the normal school week... the fact it's not being taken up because you're off wherever is not my choice. I'll offer something like an exercise book to keep a diary of the trip but pages of worksheets to be handed out - no.

I don't think that's unreasonable to be honest (no doubt people will come on and bash me for it but I went into detail about my reasons for this in a previous post).

Paddy2eyes

Why make the kids take an unauthorised absence from school rather than a parent take an unauthorised absence from work. Im sure your boss would love to put in a bit of extra effort to prepare some work you can do while you are away.

bonty44

gabyjane wrote: »

Actually after reading it all again i think some of you are out of order tbh, just becasue we can afford to go away and can't go when some of you think we should i get slated for it?? There are people with all different backgrounds etc on here and just because it is a money saving site means nothing..we are not rich by a long shot and as i have said in other posts i have more than one job as does dh so we work bleeding hard for our time away.
If i was such an uncaring mother and didn't give a toss about dd's welfare and education i wouldn't even ask on here would i. we would just send in the form and go..don't know why i bother on here some times..
Again we can onyl go at certain times and holidays are out so that's why i asked for advice.

Gabyjane, I don't know why this thread has become so heated when there are hundreds of families taking their children out of school to go on holiday each year. I'm a part-time teacher and I take my children out from time to time for long weekends because I sincerely believe that travel is education in itself. I've taken them to Stockholm for the Saint Lucia festival in December, Paris to see the galleries (no, not Eurodisney), Venice and Morocco (and no, I'm not loaded, I took a huge salary cut to be part-time to spend time with my kids and I can only afford to take the to such places thanks to EasyJet and making the most of long weekends).

All I can say is have a chat with the Head, who I am sure will be understanding, and have a lovely holiday.

Watch as I get slated now ...

barnaby-bear

gabyjane wrote: »

Peachyprice i was reffering to the part where barnaby bear quote:

'chav-kids whose parents didn't value education - was always a holiday to Disneyland or a cruise

this was just stating that we do not have a 'chav kid' and we do value education..lets face it what are chavs known as? people common as muck with not much money etc? so no i don't think they could afford our holiday...maybe they could i couldnt care less...what is the average holiday abroad now? do/can many people afford to go away? the fact is we work hard for our money and if we can afford to go on one what business is it for others to judge? i am not big headed and do not boast about money but it does annoy me when peole think you get it handed to you on a plate.

I wasn't talking about the OP - I was talking to Polish Guy and his ascertion that it was cost driving people to do that and that at my school it wasn't the really hard up families who did this - it was ones with designer trainers who wanted flashier holidays than they could afford and who prioritised a foreign holiday and didn't care about the education of their kids or the effects on the rest of the class or the extra work load put on the teachers. I still maintain the fines send the right message that it isn't ok for the majority of parents to do this and the authorisation/fine process should reflect this. If there are legitimate reasons for being unable to take a holiday any other time such as daddy being on tour in Iraq, policing a terrorist alert etc then it seems fair for the system to subsidise the cost of the disruption. Whether the general tax payer should subsidise people's employment contracts with private businesses is another matter. Interestingly private schools usually include it in their contracts that parents can not take term time holidays.

barnaby-bear

freakyogre wrote: »

Personally I know both her and her partner work blo*dy hard for their money, so why shouldn't they spend it on whatever they like?

But why should they not also contribute towards the cost of the extra tuition to get the kids up to speed and the extra workload on the teacher.

poppyolivia

For three years on the trot we have asked for time off school, got it no bother and they refused to give extra homework (said there was absoultely no need for a wk)..in fact I said to the head teacher not so long ago we are actually going in school holidays next time and she told me not to and to go when its cheaper!!!lol (but we are going in holidays)

Suppose it depends on the school. There are plenty more kids here off with the sniffles longer than we are on holiday, so do I feel guilty?? Do I heck!

dizziblonde

Why this assumption it's perfectly OK to ask a school to set extra work when you're CHOOSING to take your children out of school where there's lots of perfectly good work set? That's what I don't get - I don't especially care if you take your kids out, it's your children's education, it's your children's lives at the end of the day - but to think it's acceptable to demand more work from the school as a replacement for what they would be doing if they were where they should be... that just shows a lot.

poppyolivia

dizziblonde wrote: »

Why this assumption it's perfectly OK to ask a school to set extra work when you're CHOOSING to take your children out of school where there's lots of perfectly good work set? That's what I don't get - I don't especially care if you take your kids out, it's your children's education, it's your children's lives at the end of the day - but to think it's acceptable to demand more work from the school as a replacement for what they would be doing if they were where they should be... that just shows a lot.

You talking to me?????

freakyogre

barnaby-bear wrote: »

But why should they not also contribute towards the cost of the extra tuition to get the kids up to speed and the extra workload on the teacher.

They have already said they will ask for some work to take with them (which I know some of you think is outrageous) which they did on their previous holiday as well. I don't fully agree with taking kids off school during term time, but it happens due to various reasons. I am unsure whether schools/teachers would actually accept money for such a thing?!

I can remember when I was at school and other kids took time off and to be honest, I never recall the teachers going over anything with that particular person. Maybe it was done at another time, but I find that hard to believe.

I know school is VERY important, but there are certain times that if necessary taking time off really isn't the end of the world. If anyone took a child on holiday in the run up to important exams, I would totally disagree with it, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

gregg1

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Given the fact that many people cannot afford to take their child in holiday times, and that a holiday is far more beneficial than being stuck in school - what is your point?

A good teacher will provide them with work to do on their holiday.



Extra costs? It would seem that the amount of money raised through fines would go straight into paying for the administration of the fines scheme. I can't imagine schools will actually see anything of the money.

see my post below