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

GobbledyGook

As if right on cue this raised it's head in a school I was working in today. I witnessed a parent shouting abuse in a school today because the "jumped up cow teacher" had sent some extra work home with their precious child. The parent was going ballistic because the teacher had "singled out" her child and wasn't sending home extra work with other children. She also spouted the classic line "she's the ******* teacher so she should be ******* teaching the stuff not ******* expecting me to do her job for her".

All the teacher done was sent home some work the child missed whilst on holiday that she felt the child would benefit from going over! Unbelievable.

gratefulforhelp - That seems very excessive. None of the schools I have ever worked in have done parents evening in such a way. I'd be contacting the authority about that if the HT isn't approachable because that seems very excessive.

bestpud

gratefulforhelp wrote: »

Again, you are ascribing the views of other posters to me. Please quote a post where I have called a person selfish, or accused them of not caring about education?

Also, while I don't think in general terms, a child should be taken out of school in term time, my comments have mostly been about taking them out when they are going to miss coursework or other vital exam prep'.

You've accused me of not caring about GCSEs to be fair. And you have said it is impossible for parents to cover the gap left by a week out of school.

And you have supported others who have called us selfish and uncaring.

As far as I am aware, everyone on here is aware of coursework commitments and the risk of children missing vital lessons.

But anyway, after all that, you agree with the view that term time holidays are not bad in themselves but rather they need careful consideration.

gratefulforhelp_2

GobbledyGook wrote: »

As if right on cue this raised it's head in a school I was working in today. I witnessed a parent shouting abuse in a school today because the "jumped up cow teacher" had sent some extra work home with their precious child. The parent was going ballistic because the teacher had "singled out" her child and wasn't sending home extra work with other children. She also spouted the classic line "she's the ******* teacher so she should be ******* teaching the stuff not ******* expecting me to do her job for her".

Wonder if teacher has learned her lesson about trying to do the right thing??!!

bestpud

GobbledyGook wrote: »

As if right on cue this raised it's head in a school I was working in today. I witnessed a parent shouting abuse in a school today because the "jumped up cow teacher" had sent some extra work home with their precious child. The parent was going ballistic because the teacher had "singled out" her child and wasn't sending home extra work with other children. She also spouted the classic line "she's the ******* teacher so she should be ******* teaching the stuff not ******* expecting me to do her job for her".

All the teacher done was sent home some work the child missed whilst on holiday that she felt the child would benefit from going over! Unbelievable.

gratefulforhelp - That seems very excessive. None of the schools I have ever worked in have done parents evening in such a way. I'd be contacting the authority about that if the HT isn't approachable because that seems very excessive.

To be fair, with a mother like that, term time holidays are the least of that girls worries! :eek:

gratefulforhelp_2

Spendless wrote: »

Is this a Secondary school? The school my friend's teenagers attend does this, though I think it's only for 1 or maybe 2 days together but it happens more than once during the academic year. They call it a Progress Day, and is on top on the Inset days plus holidays. It would drive me nuts too, especially if I had to take it into account whilst I had youngest still in Juniors, and was having to take into account different inset days. Not so awkward once they are older but difficult in the younger secondary years, when people are perhaps happy to leave the kids for a few hours but not all day alone.

We do this three times a year in our sceondary school, it is quite common, but the point is the school has to put on some provision for the students whose parents want them to work in school, so it should not require a parent to use a day of (understandably precious) leave from work.

I am a governor of a primary school, and with no teachers there who are parents, I am not sure the school fully understands the impact of events needing parents to take leave - although several of the governors have now explained it to them!!

I'm sure if you have two weeks' annual leave and so does your spouse, then it is immensely frustrating to have the school use it up for what seem to be spurious reasons.

GobbledyGook

bestpud wrote: »

To be fair, with a mother like that, term time holidays are the least of that girls worries! :eek:

I know. It's hardly surprising that some children have absolutely zero respect for school or school staff when parents think it's acceptable to behave like that, especially where children can hear them.

kelloggs36

zoeleigh wrote: »

kelloggs36 wrote: »

Lots of people DON'T have annual holidays - I didn't have one for nigh on 15 years - I had to go without because I had a child and I couldn't afford it. QUOTE]

You are coming across as very bitter rather than being constructive, I am just wondering if this may be why?

No, I'm not bitter, I just never bought into the holidays being more important that my children's schooling - I had more respect for the school to do that. I always accepted that if I wanted to go on holiday with my children, that I would have to go during the school holidays, and as I couldn't afford it then, I didn't go. I didn't feel like I had missed anything - I love the holidays I have now (all during the school holiday), but I know that if the situation arises where we can't afford to go any longer, then we won't go; we certainly won't be trying to save a few pounds by disrupting the children's schooling.

Spendless

gratefulforhelp wrote: »

We do this three times a year in our sceondary school, it is quite common, but the point is the school has to put on some provision for the students whose parents want them to work in school, so it should not require a parent to use a day of (understandably precious) leave from work.

I am a governor of a primary school, and with no teachers there who are parents, I am not sure the school fully understands the impact of events needing parents to take leave - although several of the governors have now explained it to them!!

I'm sure if you have two weeks' annual leave and so does your spouse, then it is immensely frustrating to have the school use it up for what seem to be spurious reasons.

I'll have to check with my friend, but I know I've rang her at home and queried why her kids are home and she's told me it's progress day and they don't go in, other than their allocated slot. She's also added it's just as well she works from home so can accommodate this. I'll find out if she does have the option fo sending them in. I was looking thru the school website, my eldest will attend in September and what sounds like the same thing, is done on an evening- well from 4.30pm

Zoetoes

kelloggs36 wrote: »

zoeleigh wrote: »

No, I'm not bitter, I just never bought into the holidays being more important that my children's schooling - I had more respect for the school to do that. I always accepted that if I wanted to go on holiday with my children, that I would have to go during the school holidays, and as I couldn't afford it then, I didn't go. I didn't feel like I had missed anything - I love the holidays I have now (all during the school holiday), but I know that if the situation arises where we can't afford to go any longer, then we won't go; we certainly won't be trying to save a few pounds by disrupting the children's schooling.

It's certainly more than a few pounds.

And my children don't seem to have 'suffered' due to having a week off school.

shellsuit

kelloggs36 wrote: »

No, I'm not bitter, I just never bought into the holidays being more important that my children's schooling - I had more respect for the school to do that. I always accepted that if I wanted to go on holiday with my children, that I would have to go during the school holidays, and as I couldn't afford it then, I didn't go. I didn't feel like I had missed anything - I love the holidays I have now (all during the school holiday), but I know that if the situation arises where we can't afford to go any longer, then we won't go; we certainly won't be trying to save a few pounds by disrupting the children's schooling.

What if one of the children was off sick for a week then?