taking children out of school for holidays in term time

Fly_Baby

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Erm - how about asking your kid's teacher? Parents' Eve? Reports? If you want a week-by-week, blow-by-blow record of everything your child learns/does not learn, then I think you'd be better off home-edding - that way you get to control absolutely everything! Parents are not meant to 'keep track of exactly what their children are learning...' - that's surely why you entrust their formal education to a qualified teacher and send them to school?

Believe me, a text-book is NOT the best way to track your child's progress.

Well, teachers vary. There are brilliant ones and there are not so brilliant ones. There are good schools and not so good ones. So it is a shame that the parent has to rely on the teacher completely and not have any control at all in the child's education.

The parent would be the best person to help out a child if he is behind because the the parent a) has one child instead of 30, b) has time and geniune interest in the child's progress.

And a text-book is a brilliant way to check the child's knowledge and help him re-read whatever material they have missed or didn't quite understand in class. How else would a parent/child do that if the teacher is not available -say, when doing homework or catching up after absence?

loftus

Fly_Baby wrote: »

The parent would be the best person to help out a child if he is behind because the the parent ........ has time and geniune interest in the child's progress.

I think this is true of the 99.9% of parents who post here but in my experience there is a significant minority of parents who see school as a 9-3.30 child minding service and whose interaction with their child's education goes as far as dropping them off and picking them up.

jiblets1

In my school we allow the 10 days authorised holiday time, and we have already got families requesting more than this (and we're only in March). Personally I feel that for a lot of children, missing ten days schooling is not insurmountable by any means. But I do think parents need to take the child's needs and the time of year into consideration.

For me the pet peeve is when they take a fortnight off in the first weeks back in September (we have one family that does this every single year). The amount of things that the children have to learn when they enter a new class is immense, and to have a child turn up when you have the whole class trained in your rules, routines and teaching styles is so frustrating. The child ends up upset because they can't possibly keep up with the rest of the class and they feel stupid. My work load is increased because I have to try to re-teach a fortnight's work in a day or two before the child's self esteem is too badly damaged by feeling that they are the only person who doesn't know what is going on.

There are then also older children who have exams, mocks, special projects etc. And despite what other posters on here say, there are some children in the class that will really struggle from missing a fortnight's work, and may take forever to recover from it. As the parent removing the child from class, you have to be confident that your child won't be one of the ones that will really struggle.

Here is the national curriculum online for any parents who feel qualified enough to implement it. And good luck to those of you who find a text book to teach it all.

Lotus-eater

loftus wrote: »

I think this is true of the 99.9% of parents who post here but in my experience there is a significant minority of parents who see school as a 9-3.30 child minding service and whose interaction with their child's education goes as far as dropping them off and picking them up.

I know one set of parents who rely on the school to discipline and teach their children good manners. They actually said it in front of me and others.
Another who seem to think that the school should try and reverse the crap life they have built for their child, so that he has grown up to be a stupid, lazy, bully who is looked after by a eastern european lady who couldn't give a toss how he is brought up.

I know that sterilisation isn't talked about, but it does have some merits

kelloggs36

A holiday is NOT essential, it is desirable which is not the same thing. I would like to take more holidays away but I can't afford to, so I don't go! I have no choice as a teacher but to pay the full price for holidays during school holidays and I have a family so it isn't just me I have to pay for. If I don't have the money for a holiday every year, then why not save for a longer period of time and go the following year? All this rubbish about it being your rights to have a holiday is unbelievable! Nobody has a right to a holiday, only time off work and children have a right to an education which is during the school term times. Surely having children means that you abide by the rules and restrictions that this places on you?

Treacly

squashy wrote: »

It would be one thing if the children were just absent from school for 2 weeks but had 100% attendance the rest of the time. The reality is that the families requesting holidays in general tend to have a pattern of days off for trivial reasons- a couple of days off because uncle is ill, a photograph sitting, a fortnight off for a cold "just to be on the safe side", late return from half term break as they "missed the ferry back from Ireland". Is it any wonder schools are getting strict about it?

Agreed - this was the point I was trying to make earlier in the thread. There's a definite 'type' of child that has frequent unauthorised absence, be it holidays, random family occasions, mystery illnesses etc. Before I finally escaped from teaching I lost count of the number of times news of a particular child being withdrawn to go on holiday would spread round the staffroom, leaving colleagues smiling and relaxed. Hurrah! Two whole weeks without little Tyler or Keanu or Chlamydia or whoever. It was like a holiday for their classmates, and their teachers too.

Lotus-eater

Treacly wrote: »

Agreed - this was the point I was trying to make earlier in the thread. There's a definite 'type' of child that has frequent unauthorised absence, be it holidays, random family occasions, mystery illnesses etc. Before I finally escaped from teaching I lost count of the number of times news of a particular child being withdrawn to go on holiday would spread round the staffroom, leaving colleagues smiling and relaxed. Hurrah! Two whole weeks without little Tyler or Keanu or Chlamydia or whoever. It was like a holiday for their classmates, and their teachers too.

Maybe we should make teachers able to give mandatory holidays. Hang on don't we have suspension already? Maybe if teachers were allowed to get on and teach the kids who want to be taught and chuck the rest out till they behave, the whole system would work better.

And oohh didums that's been kicked out, hard cheese mate, get used to it, blame your family.

Becles

SingleSue wrote: »

The price of holidays in the school holidays though really needs to be looked at, they are far too expensive compared to just a week or two before..in my case, the price of the holiday doubles (if I paid full whack - I usually get a private hire van from my parents circle of friends for a small donation, it's all gone wrong this year!), with more reasonable costs, parents would not be forced into taking their children out of school just to be able to afford a holiday.

It's supply and demand pricing though. The holiday companies are businesses and need to make a profit to survive.

It happens in all sorts of other industries too. Flower prices go up stupid amounts just before Valentines and Mothers Day. Ignoring promotions, boxed chocolates cost more around giftable events like Christmas, Mothers/Fathers Day, Easter etc. Gardening products cost more this time of year especially around Easter and May bank hols, as they know people will get the urge to do gardening. And so on.

Lifeisbutadream

mum2one wrote: »

I'm a single parent and as well as being penailised for my daughter having to pay an adult rate as hotel rooms are sold on the basis of 2 adults, but once you see the brochere prices for peak periods its almost double in some areas.

I personally think that the goverment should target the holiday companies, and pull them in line with the rest of the pricing structure and then we won't take our children out.

Our school was 10 days but they have reduced it to 5days with discretion, so for the last 2 years used a couple of the days at the start or the end of the easter holidays, even those couple of days make a difference financially, but I do try to make sure that my daughter does some eductional material while away, and also try to see places the best that we can. Doesn't help being disabled on crutches, so thats fun and games booking a holiday.

Just a quick question, but why should a child pay less than an adult for a hotel? they dont sleep in a smaller bed, or take up any less space?

I can understand it with meals, as they may eat less, but hotels, plane seats etc. should surely be charged the same?

Lifeisbutadream

squashy wrote: »

Also, there are plenty of opportunities for holidays throughout the year. There is one 6 week break, two 2 week breaks and three 1 week breaks. Anyway what is wrong with a caravan in Skegness or a long weekend in the Yorkshire Dales?

In many cases, it is simply not possible to take time off from work in the school holidays.

Also it is not some peoples idea of a 'holiday' in a caravan in Skegness or a weekend in the Yorkshire Dales (not that there is anything wrong with those types of holiday, but it isnt what some families like to do)