Holidays with kids in school time, have you done it?

bestpud

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Anyway...marking calls. Hope you've done yours Bestpud! If so, you're welcome to have a go at some of mine...

Haha, no you carry on! :rotfl:

blue_monkey_2

I took my son and daughter out for 10 days this academic year. I was more worried about telling the school than taking them out - although they do let us have 10 days. They are both high acheivers so I did not feel that they would miss too much.

Both kids have been sent home on numerous occassions for 'looking peaky'. Not actually having been sick, but looking 'peaky'. Get them home and they will be absolutely fine. Of course, it has nothing to do with the temperature being 30 degrees in there while we have it on 20 a home of course. My son was off for 8 days because had 'a cough'. Every time I sent him, half an hour later they were on the phone for me to get him bcause he was coughing. He went outside and then went on and he coughed so had to be collected. Crazy - some coughs can last a month. He missed all of the Xmas stuff they did because had a cough - he was fine otherwise.

Also, in the week we was on holiday my sons class actually had no teacher. No supply. Sometimes not even a TA, just one parent helper for the morning in class.

If the school were that bothered about the kids being off, they would only send them home when absolutely neccessary. Some parents have started putting their foot down now and are refusing to collect them unless they have been physically sick.

Because they send them home on a whim, and because they seem happy for them to have almost 2 weeks off because they have a cough I am taking them out again next year. They are still in primary and when they get to year 5 I'll no longer take them out. However, the school does not seem that serious about wanting them there - else they'd not be so quick to send them home. I know I am not the only one who has this view also.

I was called to collect DD on the day of a school trip 'come and get her quick she has really bad diarreah'. I rushed up the school expecting her with it running down her legs or something but no, she was sitting here swining her legs waiting for me. She has been to the toilet and said she had a tummy ache - had they asked me I'd have told them it was nerves about going on a day out from school - but no, they said to her 'have you got diarreah' and she said 'yes'. My daughter has never had S&D to even know what it is and so she missed her school trip because she was worried about a school trip. Did I get a refund for the missed day trip though..... what do you think!!

I sometimes have to wonder just howmany kids they see day to day. Surely one of them in the year before must have had the same issues as my daughter. The teacher she has now doesn;t bother with it - but get a TA in there and they are looking 'peaky', they call and ask us to pick them up. Drives me up the wall. My son even told them he had been sick in the toilet - they sent him home and he was off for the rest of the week as he could not go back (48 hour rule). If they had actually checked though, they might have seen he was lying. More days off for nothing.

What is the teachers justification for that? How can having a week off for a holiday be worse than them being for a week with a 'cough'? Do you think they should be there when they are peaky or have a cough?

gregg1

bestpud wrote: »

No it does not hold the class back if I take my child on holiday, whether you choose to believe it or not!

So you think the 'education' my children received in the above scenarios is ok then? That things would be just fine if I'd never taken them out of school?

Given what I've said, how would removing one of the quiet children (the ones left to get on with it, just because they didn't kick off every five minutes) disrupt an already disruptive class?

So I'm afraid it IS all about my child, but I also make sure they catch up - it is possible to do that, you know!

Yes it can - and I know from experience that it can!

And yes it is possible to make sure your child catches up, once you have given the teacher the extra job of providing you with the work missed!

gregg1

bestpud wrote: »

And you feel the need to defend your profession - I understand that.

You are wrong to suggest a parent cannot educate their own child to the same level however.

Of course there is a need to defend the profession when it is vilified in this manner. If you are not prepared to support the concept of schooling, ALL aspects of it, then by all means take your kids out and home school them.

If however, you choose to take your kids on holiday when they should be at school, then to my mind, you forfeit any right you have to comment on teacher's abilities.

gregg1

zoeleigh wrote: »

In lieu of the royal wedding, the school's are now off on April 1st, this is a day's less education for my son and causes disruption for me having to take time off work, so the staff can have an extra day as holiday, should I protest about this?

Not if your child is at my school where staff are going in on certain days over Easter to make up for the loss of lessons due to the long holiday. Bet that surprised you eh? Now lets just see how many parents actually make sure their kids get in to the classes during Easter!

Zoetoes

gregg1 wrote: »

Not if your child is at my school where staff are going in on certain days over Easter to make up for the loss of lessons due to the long holiday. Bet that surprised you eh? Now lets just see how many parents actually make sure their kids get in to the classes during Easter!

Long holiday? How long is your Easter holiday? Ours is 2 weeks, isn't it always?

gregg1

bestpud wrote: »

But didn't most of those adults go through the education system...?

yes, but they probably missed out on the important bits of their education whilst they were on holiday!

Zoetoes

gregg1 wrote: »

Of course there is a need to defend the profession when it is vilified in this manner. If you are not prepared to support the concept of schooling, ALL aspects of it, then by all means take your kids out and home school them.

If however, you choose to take your kids on holiday when they should be at school, then to my mind, you forfeit any right you have to comment on teacher's abilities.

All aspects? Nobody supports ALL aspects, that is why parent-school communication is important. For example, if the school said they weren't authorising my son's holiday because he was behind with work then I wouldn't take him.

Bestpud is home schooling.

gregg1

zoeleigh wrote: »

Long holiday? How long is your Easter holiday? Ours is 2 weeks, isn't it always?

Its a week and a day but with the extra day for the wedding and then the bank holiday straight after some of the kids with exams coming up would be missing too many lessons so we have agreed to help make sure they are up to date and go in for a few days over Easter which is what we do when we have any snow days - we make them up over the following half term holiday.

Zoetoes

gregg1 wrote: »

yes, but they probably missed out on the important bits of their education whilst they were on holiday!

Or maybe they had an appalling 'teacher' in one of their years!