Taking children out of school in term time

Murphy_The_Cat

delwynsholidaydeals wrote: »

Good, you get what you pay for so they say

Hope you find something nice

Del

Indeed we have :beer: Booked 3 moths ago and paid for a couple of months ago - exactly what we were after

malkie76

the cost is irrelevant to me.**

Then why not book during the allocated school holiday periods, to avoid any outside risk of harming your child's education?

[obviously at aged 6 this shouldn't be a risk at all, I'm more commenting on the principle]

I agree that holidays and travel can be as important and educational as participation in school, I just don't understand why people seem to be believe that you can't have both.

I fail to understand why anyone would take even the slighest risk where their childs education is concerned.

pink_princess

Education is more than just school work.

malkie76

pink_princess wrote: »

Education is more than just school work.

where did I say it wasn't ?; why can't 'education' be everything offered at school combined with appropriate education outside of school ? Why risk one for the other?

Murphy_The_Cat

malkie76 wrote: »

Then why not book during the allocated school holiday periods, to avoid any outside risk of harming your child's education?

[obviously at aged 6 this shouldn't be a risk at all, I'm more commenting on the principle]

I agree that holidays and travel can be as important and educational as participation in school, I just don't understand why people seem to be believe that you can't have both.

I fail to understand why anyone would take even the slighest risk where their childs education is concerned.

I work in an industry where it can be difficult to get holidays in school holiday time and Mrs Cat's & my circumstances make this even harder. With the schools understanding and prior knowledge his absence (spelt correctly this time) from school in term time isn't an issue. I imagine that it certainly helps that he is doing (very) well at school, & hi attendance record away from holidays is 100%.

At 6, and in the week before half term, I don't think the school is working particularly hard that week . Separately, I would lay a sporting bet that he'll be learning an awful lot more with me that week, than he will be doing at school.

If he was at a different stage of his education then things would be different, but he isn't, so they aren't and parental wishes are going to trump what the system would prefer him to be doing. As he gets older, things may/will change.

As for slightest risk, that is IMO, baloney. Life is full of risk(s). One of lifes biggest challenges is assessing them, acting appropriately and if at all possible, overcoming the ones that can't be avoided.

BillTrac

I'm a bit of an old git now. But we took our two daughters out of school during term time in 1990,1992 and 1994. Girls of 3.5 and 6 on the first trip. Lots more since then but not so much in term time.

They both learnt so much more about the wider world than they would ever have learnt while in school.

Both now in full time employment, one a restaurant manager and the other a teacher.

And they both remember the holidays we went on.

I reckon that the world is a place to learn about in real life, not limited through reading about it in books.

Mind you, if Spain is your destination I might change my mind...:rotfl:

Spendless

malkie76 wrote: »

Then why not book during the allocated school holiday periods, to avoid any outside risk of harming your child's education?

[obviously at aged 6 this shouldn't be a risk at all, I'm more commenting on the principle]

I agree that holidays and travel can be as important and educational as participation in school, I just don't understand why people seem to be believe that you can't have both.

I fail to understand why anyone would take even the slighest risk where their childs education is concerned.

Because as I have pointed out on another thread, just like school staff can't take their holidays to suit a different industry, so too are the situations reversed.

The other thread being in the families board, and Murphy you chicken I see you kept away from there.:p;)

malkie76

I work in an industry where it can be difficult to get holidays in school holiday time and Mrs Cat's & my circumstances make this even harder.

But not impossible. Alternatively, have you considered changing jobs or industries? I'm just pointing out that it's not a valid explanation for taking your child out of school.

At 6, and in the week before half term, I don't think the school is working particularly hard that week

This is entirely at odds with the point you are trying to make about education being dynamic and not necessarily conventional. I'm aware that the final week of term is less 'maths-and-english', and more 'games-and-fun'. However, isn't that social interaction with other children exactly the sort of 'different' education that is important for all children, rather than memorising a '9-times-table'

overcoming the ones that can't be avoided.

But this risk (however small) can be avoided - so why do it?

I reckon that the world is a place to learn about in real life, not limited through reading about it in books.

I totally agree, but why pick one over the other - why not have 100% of both ?

themull1

i always take my two kids out of school for a holiday, i can't afford one every year though!!, our school authorises up to two weeks every year. If the holiday companies brought their prices down i wouldn't take my kids out of school, and as the kids seem to learn nothing new the last few weeks of term, i see nothing wrong in it. I would hardly change my job/industry to keep my kids in school, a bit extreme i think.

stephb34

balletshoes wrote: »

OFSTED reports on schools are only an indication of the school on the day the inspectors turned up really, along with exam results and attendance records, which obviously are affected if the school allows up to 10 days off in termtime (as my daughters school does).

Good on your school for sending such a sensible letter OP, I don't even get a response, except for the office manager at school who always asks where we're going, and to have a lovely time .

I didn't check the OFSTED reports when my daughter started infants, i just sent her to our nearest school where there were 12 in her class when she started. The OFSTED reports obviously werent as glowing because the school further up the road had 30 in their class of the same year. My daughter has just started juniors this year and her class is still the same size but year 2, year 1 and reception are all full to capacity with 22 in each class because the last OFSTED reports for our school have been outstanding and the other school now has smaller class sizes because theirs wasn't as good. I think its ridiculous that parents will travel much further to their prefered school on the back of this report. Perhaps our poorer OFSTED report was due to parents taking their kids out of school in term time of which i am guilty, my daughter had 8 days out last year, not all together but over 2 occassions and her attendance still came in higher than most of the rest of the class because she doesnt have time of ill. Well done to schools with common sense :T