Fined for holiday in school time

coco1980

Personally I think you have to look at each child individually, if they are going to struggle to catch up with the work they are going to miss then dont take them out,i am a single mother and my son and i have never had a holiday abroad together,this is because I know he would struggle to catch up instead we have days here and there as I could never afford to take him away during the hols.

seven-day-weekend

My retired (Secondary) teacher husband's take on this is 'fine - you take your child to Disneyland for three weeks in term time if you wish. That is entirely up to you. Meanwhile I would like you to sign this form saying that it is your responsibility to ensure the pupil catches up any work they have missed, you will provide the resources for them to do so, and it will be done in your time and at your expense, including private tuition if necessary. I have to get on with teaching the other 30 kids who did not have three weeks out to go on holiday'.

Ada_Doom

I'm not a single mum, but I am the main earner, in a low paid office job supporting my family on not very much. I am loving the thought that of course you had to take her out of school cos Florida is too expensive in holiday time! You know what the other option was don't you-don't go to Florida!! Its not obligitory to give our kids everything they want, just as as adults we somethimes are not able to have what we want.

zara*elise

Ada_Doom wrote: »

You know what the other option was don't you - don't go to Florida!! Its not obligitory to give our kids everything they want, just as as adults we somethimes are not able to have what we want.

And this is the point. OP, as much as you may try to defend taking her out of school for three weeks, you took her out despite having no confirmation whatsoever from the school. It wasn't essential, plenty of people can't afford a 3 week holiday at all, term time or not. Fair enough if she was going in for a lifesaving operation, that's completely different.

I wouldn't challenge the fine, just pay it.

kelloggs36

*Vikki* wrote: »

Does make me laugh though, the last week before the summer holidays and christmas holidays most schools entertain the kids with dvd's. What a waste of 'education' that is. Plus all the teach training days!!

ON the last day maybe, but certainly not a whole week!!!

Perhaps all the teachers in school should book a 3 week holiday during term time to save a few quid. I wonder how many parents would be so sympathetic then?

kelloggs36

gabyjane wrote: »

Lol i agree with this! the last 3 days my dd and my mindees have taken dvd's, nintendos etc in..no work done then hey?! what are the teachers doing then..pointless imo.

You clearly have no idea what workload we teacher have then!! Come and work in a school and find out.

kelloggs36

clarabella23 wrote: »

Hi everyone, just want to thank you for your comments and opinions.
Just to reply to the posters who thought it was a bad idea to go- as a single parent, with no contributions from her father, there is no way I would be able to afford Florida during holiday time. The price MORE than doubled for that time. So I knew that if we wanted to go to Florida any time in the future- as my daugter desperately did- then it would have to be while she was at a young enough age not to be sitting or studying for exams. Why? I didn't go to Florida until my mid thirties - it didn't affect me as a child because we couldn't afford to go. It is very simple - you have no RIGHT to take your child to Florida just because it would be nice to do so - you WANT it, so you took it at the price of your child's education for that period where she will have missed a LOT of work and may fall behind as a result. Holidays are a choice - if you can afford to have one, then take it when it doesn't affect something important, otherwise WAIT and SAVE UP for a longer period of time!!!!!
As for her learning being affected and the teacher having to work with her to catch up, she was already the best reader in her class, being well advanced on her age, and good at maths as well, and we made sure we did puzzles and read lots of books while we were away too. She made new friends out there, even to the stage of getting a pen pal, and did more physical exercise through walking than would ever be done at school.
Someone critiscised the fact that she went to Disney rather than Peru or the like. Disney is actually very educational. Tyla learnt more about animals there than she has done anywhere in England. She got to pet farmyard animals, come up close to birds of prey and learn about poachers, went on a small safari, saw hippos and gorillas up close. All the time she was being taught about there environments, creating natural habitats, etc, and she came home actually excited about animals and wanting to learn more- something shes never been interested in before!
There was also a shuttle launch while we were away, and, while we didn't get to visit, she did get very interested in how it worked, why they were going to the moon, etc.
All in all, we had the best holiday together, and I would recommend Florida to anyone- yes, you go on your rollercoasters and have lazy days by the pool, but there is a lot to be gained by your children if they are willing. I agree it is fabulous - but when done properly.
As I have previously said, I will pay the fine if I need to, simply because we got to spend a lot of quality time together, and it was worth it. You don't need to go on holiday to spend quality time with your children - you have 13 weeks holiday during the year. I work full time to support my child, so whatever time we have together is worth more than a £50 fine! All I wanted was to know if anyone else had been in the situation, as she certainly wasn't the only English child in Disney!
Thanks, Claire

But that doesn't make it okay!

kelloggs36

Ada_Doom wrote: »

I'm not a single mum, but I am the main earner, in a low paid office job supporting my family on not very much. I am loving the thought that of course you had to take her out of school cos Florida is too expensive in holiday time! You know what the other option was don't you-don't go to Florida!!Or save up for a longer period of time until you can afford it./ Teachers have to pay the full price and many of them have children too so it is very expensive, and no, we aren't paid vast fortunes. Its not obligitory to give our kids everything they want, just as as adults we somethimes are not able to have what we want.

Absolutely spot on - what we want and what we can afford to have are often very different. In many cases people feel that have the right to have more than they can afford - but it comes at a price - in this case a lot of schooling missed. There are no rights here, it is wants all the way. And if you want that right, you have to tie that up with the responsibilities - which has not been considered here,

PolishBigSpender

gregg1 wrote: »

PS - I am surprised that you have not enlightened us as to how the Polish education system is so much better than ours in this respect - but I suspect you will not be able to resist at some point!

No problem - I will only say that in Poland it is the parent that authorises any absence and the school can not fine you for taking the kid out of school for a short period of time.

Of course, if the child doesn't go to school at all, social services may and will get involved. However, this will not happen in a case of a trip to Florida!

On the other hand, the child will be expected to make up for it at home, borrowing the notes from his friends - the teacher will not waste the time in the classroom to repeat the material just for one student.

dizziblonde

Half of the time we have to write off the last week or so of term as half the classes are out on term-time holidays!