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

kittykat100

We have taken my SS and SD out of school for 1 week each year during the last 4 years. SD is now doing GCSE's so we are not going to take them until she has left school. When we took them 2 years ago we went to Mexico and coincindently SS (in junior school) was doing a project on Mexico and she got him to keep a diary when we were away. He bought back photos and money and all sorts and did a 'show and tell' type of thing at the school.

I don't believe 1 week a year is going to kill them especially if it is made educational in a way. Even if that means taking some homework with them.

Kittyx

balletshoes

lolly101 wrote: »

Wow! I may have read that wrong, but it sounds like I may have touched a nerve there! Not sure where that came from, but I think my post has been completely misinterpreted.

I never said that I 'pretended that I was taking my son away because his friends go on holiday'. I also never said that I was doing it 'just for his benefit' - where did that come from?
I also never mentioned holidays abroad, I spoke about holidays in general.
I simply meant that it would be very unfair for children if these rules meant that parents could no longer afford to take their children on holiday.

Sorry Lolly, I didn't mean to imply that you pretend anything when taking your child on holidays - but you did say "surely not being able to have a holiday at all (when all their friends do)", which set me off on my soap box - its a real bugbear of mine, that just because one kid gets something, mine should expect to get the same. Not the way the world works is it?

And ..... breathe .

lolly101

balletshoes wrote: »

Sorry Lolly, I didn't mean to imply that you pretend anything when taking your child on holidays - but you did say "surely not being able to have a holiday at all (when all their friends do)", which set me off on my soap box - its a real bugbear of mine, that just because one kid gets something, mine should expect to get the same. Not the way the world works is it?

And ..... breathe .

Ahh, OK. Thanks for clearing it up Balletshoes. No, I don't think it's right for children to expect to do something just because someone else does. I was thinking along the lines that, although they know it won't happen, they may still feel very left out.
I never went abroad when I was a kid (both parents petrified of flying!) and I always felt quite left out when my friends would come back bragging about what a great time they had. I always felt like I was missing out on something - even though I still had plenty of great holidays in the UK. Sounds silly now, but things like that do get to you when you're little.

morocha

hi milliebear,thanks for that, i always let them know, she will start full time in september and thought that then assistance would be an issue, thank you very much.

Jinx

I took my daughter out of school every year until she was about 14... I used to get the standard snotty letters from the local authority- did I realise how important her education is and how important regular attendance is? The last time I wrote to the school I actually told them not to bother with the snotty letter as I was her parent; it was my decision to make and that I do actually understand the responsibilities of being a parent plus shes top of the class in all subjects!

My daughter was mortified when I put my comments to the school but impressed when she was given a letter to give me from the Head, who said hed checked my daughters file and was more than happy for her to have the time off and that her attendance was exemplary but that the letter was standard and had to be issued.... Nice to see some common sense applied.

gregg1

pigpen wrote: »

And given so many children have days off willynilly for a' bit of a sniffle' or 'a tummyache' which mine never ever do I feel as the one paying for their holidays they can miss 5 days without disrupting anything..

In any case, they missed 3 days of school one year for a holiday about 5 years ago.. so it is hypothetical anyway.. which out of 17 years I've had children at school is probably nothing in the broad scheme of things.

But even so, if I wanted to take them I would and I wouldn't give a fig about any of the 4 schools I have children at. I am very grateful my children receive a free education which is why they do go unless they are actually sick/very unwell and I don't take the piddle. if I wanted a holiday and a term time holiday or none were the only options I'd go term time.

I hate holidays.. I am a homebody.

I think you only have to look at the number of posters thanking Moggylover for her excellent post to see that many people agree with her thoughts that you are very misguided in your stance.

And your comment that your kids can miss 5 days of schooling without disrupting anything is at best naive, at worst selfish. What about the other kids in the class who have to wait whilst the teacher helps your kids catch up with what they missed? You can't compare it to kids being off sick either -the two are very different.

Incidentally, the 10 days holiday referred to as being allowed during term time is at the individual Head's discretion, NOT an automatic right.

Mrs_Arcanum

Last holiday we had (before finances went pear shaped) was in September 06 to Florida (the only way we could even consider it was in Sept, very quiet yet still hot & little rain). DD was at the start of yr 6 & DS yr 3. Head Teacher gave permission as their attendance to that point was superb (they were also up to speed with everything and bright enough to cope).

gregg1

pigpen wrote: »

I doubt it after 23 years as a head but maybe different local authorities have their own take on guidelines or maybe she isn't 100% b!tch

She's wrong.

gregg1

pigpen wrote: »

WGAF really what the law says when they allow heads to be mini dictators.. and reading some of the stories here.. they are!

Maybe the difference at our school is the head is less of a b!tch and given over 20% of the children are nonBritish and have religious holidays and weeks and weeks abroad each year in term time she feels it is only fair to allow others to have time off.. or maybe as a mother herself she sees primary school as the place they are given the tools to learn proper stuff at high school and high ed.

As a parent I have EVERY right to take my child out of school and woe betide anyone who tried to stop me.. but if the 3 days holiday we had 5 years ago is so distressing to the whole world.. and so detrimental to their education.. I shall instruct the children immediately to start failing A-levels and gcse's... I think we have some KS3 SATs this year as well.. Though given DD4 has been put down as a full days unauthorised absence when she was in hospital I don't think they take all this redtape very seriously either.

their education is important but so its the rest of their life.. their entire childhood isn't about the drudgery of school and the boredom of prattling teachers there is so much more to it than that... and think how much nicer it is for them to say.. do you remember when we went here and there rather than yeah.. I went to school..

You will have to just put up with the fact you won't change my mind and I doubt your opinion will have any effect on the school my chimps are at and the head will continue to authorise absences for holidays.. sorry.. I'm sure the world won't stop turning

And there we have it folks - how the hell can we expect kids to have respect for for the importance of their school days and the people who teach them when there is such a shocking lack of support from some parents.

Jinx

gregg1 wrote: »

I think you only have to look at the number of posters thanking Moggylover for her excellent post to see that many people agree with her thoughts that you are very misguided in your stance.

And your comment that your kids can miss 5 days of schooling without disrupting anything is at best naive, at worst selfish. What about the other kids in the class who have to wait whilst the teacher helps your kids catch up with what they missed? You can't compare it to kids being off sick either -the two are very different.

Incidentally, the 10 days holiday referred to as being allowed during term time is at the individual Head's discretion, NOT an automatic right.

I think many people will agree with Pigpen too. Yes our children get free education, dont you think that parents who take their children out of school help fund this?

Any responsible parent takes many things into consideration when planning a holiday including will the child be able to keep up their level of performance; what is their normal attendance like, can I afford the cost during actual school hols, can the parent get hols during this time to fit in with monthend/deadlines/other parents hols.

Any time off school regardless of reason is absence from the classroom, so in this regard could affect performance so sickness and holidays are the same.

As a 'selfish' parent I would always choose a fabulous trip for my child over a week in school. There is a whole world out there and a lust for life and a passion for travel are more inspiring than many classes. Trips to Barcelona and Florence to see the architecture and skiing in Canada and Europe have been great for my childs confidence, sense of wonder and curiosity and have affected her choice of Uni course and given her a worldly perspective rather than some of the local children who are very insular. In fact my daughters teachers have always been supportive of her trips and she actually visited China with the school (in school time funnily enough! lol)