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

shellsuit

kelloggs36 wrote: »

Sickness can't be helped - holidays most certainly can!

No, I didn't mean that.

I mean a kid who is off school sick for a week is going to be in the same boat as the kids who has gone on holiday for a week, as they'll both miss a weeks work.

And I've asked this numerous times but nobody seems to want to answer ~ if headteachers allow the time off and have no problem with it, why do people who think the same way as you, have a problem with it?

Mrs_Arcanum

shellsuit wrote: »

No, I didn't mean that.

I mean a kid who is off school sick for a week is going to be in the same boat as the kids who has gone on holiday for a week, as they'll both miss a weeks work.

And I've asked this numerous times but nobody seems to want to answer ~ if headteachers allow the time off and have no problem with it, why do people who think the same way as you, have a problem with it?

I would say no difference at all provided the child who is absent for a holiday has a good attendance record (which the Head Teacher will consider when asked permission). Also planned absences are surely easier to manage.

shellsuit

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

I would say no difference at all provided the child who is absent for a holiday has a good attendance record (which the Head Teacher will consider when asked permission). Also planned absences are surely easier to manage.

Thank you, at last someone answered :T

I totallly agree with you too. If kids/parents/teachers know when the child will be away, they have time before they go, to sort out with teachers and friends the work they are going to miss.

A sick child won't be able to do that with no notice.

teagan1966

hi
iv always took my boys out for holidays and there both at uni now so i dont think its done them any harm !
the only reason i take my daughter in august is now i work in a school and cant get the time off,
im not a teacher so im not well paid some of the dh where i work earn 60k a year going on holiday in august wont be a problem for them will it !!!
given the choice id do it every time , obvis not when exams are on etc
but i think some parents worry to much what the teachers think !

Lunar_Eclipse

moggylover wrote: »

there would be something to be said for people actually having to PAY for the education their children receive: because then they might be less inclined to be quite so cavalier about it:(

How do you know that she isn't paying for a private education?;)

Playing devil's advocate, the flip side of this argument is that if the education our children were receiving was out of this world (hypothetically speaking of course since it's highly subjective), then everyone would do all that they could to ensure their children never missed a second of it. Holidays during term time wouldn't be entertained by parents, despite cheaper prices.

Until my children started school, I was adamant that we wouldn't take holidays during term time. However, DH is from the other side of the world, so when we spend 26 hours flying to see them and upwards of £6k for flights off peak, we take the children out of school for up to two weeks at a time. We have done this twice, pre-Xmas, because the reality is that whilst the Xmas play is valuable, they miss little of their academic education with all the rehearsals and performances (we do 6 in 3 days.) We have also taken them out for 2 days for a city trip to Paris and 3 days early for the Easter break to visit family (his sister) in the USA. This was last year; that 3 days saved us £2000 in flight prices. Things are changing as we now enter secondary schooling.

The only argument that I think applies against removing children from school is the disruption this might cause the teacher if all children did so. However, mine are not even expected to do any missed work (in fact they refuse to even communicate what was taught to 'teach us a lesson'; sadly it's a lesson for the parents yet it's the children who are exposed to any damage), so whilst the teachers are so blase in this regard, I can't take it too seriously.

To the OP, I would ask the school if they have a holiday authorisation or absence request form and complete it. Both our schools have one; I think it's fairly common in infant/primary schools. If they don't, then I'd simply write a letter in to the Head, copied to her teacher, informing them of her absence due to family holiday. Just state facts. I would include the fact that you are happy to do or cover any missed topics (esp Maths), take work with you if they'd like and will do some reading and writing whilst you're away. No big deal in the larger scheme of things.

Lunar_Eclipse

kelloggs36 wrote: »

the rules are that there are 13 weeks in which children are free to go on holidays, and 39 weeks when they should be at school.

If I can't afford to pay the higher price, then holidays are not a priority

Firstly, I'm not sure about this concept of rules, because I don't believe these are in line with UK legislation regarding education. However, I do appreciate your point of view, only to add that obviously it's personal and that the exact opposite is equally valid.

Most importantly, let's recognise that not all holidays are created equal. Comparing a week in a pool in Greece/Spain etc with trekking through Peru, visiting Auschwitz or the treasures of Ancient Egypt that most children study in school would be silly.

For me, holidays are a priority. They can be life changing as well as life shaping. I think of them as education using different senses. For some children, seeing, smelling, touching and experiencing India first hand has a much more profound effect than looking at it in a book. It's just a shame most never get the experiences.

kelloggs36

shellsuit wrote: »

No, I didn't mean that.

I mean a kid who is off school sick for a week is going to be in the same boat as the kids who has gone on holiday for a week, as they'll both miss a weeks work.

And I've asked this numerous times but nobody seems to want to answer ~ if headteachers allow the time off and have no problem with it, why do people who think the same way as you, have a problem with it?

Because I am not a head teacher - the head teachers don't teach most of the time (I don't know any that do now) so it isn't their class that is disrupted, and it isn't them who ends up with the extra work in getting the child caught up!!

In theory there is no difference, BUT the point is that sickness can't be avoided and holidays can - therefore the parents make a choice to impact the child's schooling when they go on holiday.

shellsuit

kelloggs36 wrote: »

Because I am not a head teacher - the head teachers don't teach most of the time (I don't know any that do now) so it isn't their class that is disrupted, and it isn't them who ends up with the extra work in getting the child caught up!!

In theory there is no difference, BUT the point is that sickness can't be avoided and holidays can - therefore the parents make a choice to impact the child's schooling when they go on holiday.

That's part of a teachers job though.

Regardless of how a child misses work, they would still have to catch up wouldn't they?

And if they had booked time off for a holiday, the teacher would have notice of that ~ with a sick child they wouldn't.

I know what I would prefer if I was a teacher.

And the head is the head, so again, if they OK it, that's the end of the matter.

gregg1

blue_monkey wrote: »

Why are the teachers complaining about us taking our children out of school, posting on this thread during the day? Why are you not at school teaching our kids?

...because I am at home recovering from an operation !!

shellsuit

gregg1 wrote: »

...because I am at home recovering from an operation !!

How are you going to catch up on your work?