Mum taken to court over son's 'term-time holiday'

frank_potter

The people of this country are far too tollerant on matters such as this and allow themselves to be dictated to too easily

As a tax paying adult I always thought that head teachers were servants of the public.

Since when was their roll as masters extended to cover adults as well as schoolkids?

Zoetoes

A lot of parents keep their kids off school for things like having the sniffles, a bit of a cough or cold, my kids have to be extremely ill for me to let them stay off, not because I don't want them around but because I don't want them to get into the habit, their schooling is important.

I did get into the habit as a child and ended up in boarding school, this will not be happening to my kids.

My eldest is in a grammar school and I actually had to tell them a couple of weeks ago that I was concerned about the amount of times they ring me to pick him up for something trivial (seems a bit unwell, hurt his foot etc) I know they have to cover themselves and yes sometimes there really could be something they need to phone me for but it was getting ridiculous, last time I spoke to my son and asked him if he was ok to stay in school and he said yes himself.

So, the way I see it is that my kids attend school regularly, they don't stay off unless absolutely necessary which is hardly ever so I don't see the problem with taking them out of school for a holiday that we couldn't afford in the hols.

Obviously if a child has poor attendance then they probably shouldn't be granted even more time off.

For some families, going in term time is the only way they can afford it, if not being granted the time off means they can never experience other places or quality family time together then it is unfair.

ShockingPink

Surely September is the worst possible time for a child to be away from school? They're just settling in to their new class, getting to know their new teacher and new routines.

Though I certainly don't condone taking children away during term time, I would think towards the end of the summer term - when everything is starting to wind down - would be better than at the beginning of the school year?

simongregson

Most schools are understanding if parents take their children on holiday occasionally in term time as they are understanding that prices are hiked up outside of term time. In many schools one holiday a year is authorised provided the pupil has adequate attendance for the rest of the year. This seems fair to me.

The job of teachers and schools is to help children to learn - teachers are not servants as somebody on this thread commented, no more so than tax inspectors who are also payed by the government!

In the current climate of schools inspection it is hardly surprising that schools wish to maintain good attendance, as it is one of the criteria inspected and would be commented on by ofsted who demand to know how the school was encouraging good attendance.

To the poster who commented that 'schools used to provide work' - can I ask why it is reasonable that a teacher should prepare a perfectly adequate lesson that a pupil could attend and then plan additional work for a student who is out of class for a holiday? How would you feel if the teacher concerned didn't have time to prepare work for the students who were in school due to this? Perhaps if the cost of additional tuition to cover the work which would have been done during the holiday was factored in the 'cheap' holiday would not seem so cheap after all?

I agree that for a variety of reasons parents may choose to take their children on holiday during term time, but to criticise schools for trying to discourage this practice is plain unreasonable.

Simon.
Views do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Mike_J

My eldest daughters school allow 10 days per annum as long as there are no other factors that would disuade the permission. This comes in use as my daughters school has different holidays to those of my youngest child and the school where my wife works eventhough they are controlled by the same local authority!!!

frank_potter

Why can’t the Government and authorities concentrate their efforts on pursuing drug dealers and serious criminals rather than making life increasingly difficult for generally law abiding citizens over relatively trivial matters such as this one (and numerous others)?

I suggest that the prosecution and public humiliation of the mum who was taken to court in Durham was grossly disproportionate to any harm that her actions may have caused to her Son’s education. Apparently even the Prime Minister kept his kids on holiday during term time:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/248258.stm

Toto

I'll probably end up in court next. I have asked the school to allow my son 10 days off for a trip to florida this saturday. My son has never in his 5 years in that school had a day off for holiday, his attendance has always been 99-100% he is one of those kids who hardly ever gets sick, even if he does he will go in of his own accord. He is always the first one in of a morning and works really hard. But, the school have said no. Am I cancelling our holiday? NO.

What makes me so mad is the nonsense the schools close for. A few weeks ago we had a windy day, they decided to close the school on the following day, the weather was sunny, mild and there was hardly a breeze, but the school closed because the day before was windy. Then we had 2 days off because there was barely a splattering of snow, I'm sure next it will be a day off because of some light drizzle.

We have numerous inset days, occasional days and teacher training days. Try having 3 kids in 3 different schools (one primary, one secondary and one special school) and juggle all of those days off (which never fall on the same day). It becomes impossible to hold a full time job all of my holiday was taken up in these odd days off, so much so, I had to become self employed.

Rant over but I really couldn't care less if the school refuse to allow my son the time off, he is going and that is that.

Zoetoes

Toto wrote:

I'll probably end up in court next. I have asked the school to allow my son 10 days off for a trip to florida this saturday. My son has never in his 5 years in that school had a day off for holiday, his attendance has always been 99-100% he is one of those kids who hardly ever gets sick, even if he does he will go in of his own accord. He is always the first one in of a morning and works really hard. But, the school have said no. Am I cancelling our holiday? NO.

What makes me so mad is the nonsense the schools close for. A few weeks ago we had a windy day, they decided to close the school on the following day, the weather was sunny, mild and there was hardly a breeze, but the school closed because the day before was windy. Then we had 2 days off because there was barely a splattering of snow, I'm sure next it will be a day off because of some light drizzle.

We have numerous inset days, occasional days and teacher training days. Try having 3 kids in 3 different schools (one primary, one secondary and one special school) and juggle all of those days off (which never fall on the same day). It becomes impossible to hold a full time job all of my holiday was taken up in these odd days off, so much so, I had to become self employed.

Rant over but I really couldn't care less if the school refuse to allow my son the time off, he is going and that is that.

Do you think your son will thank you when he is older for making him miss 2 weeks of school just to go to Florida???

Of course he will!!!!

Have a great time.

blue_monkey_2

We are also 'allowed' up to 10 days off at my daughters school and they ask you to fill in a form asking for the dates. The thing is, my daughter has just turned 4 and she is at Nurserywhich is linked to the school) and is not in mainstream school yet. She does not even have to go to school, she goes through my choice (and yes, because I need a break as well) and there are mums who have kids her age and they do not attend the nursery, yet I still had to ask permission for her to go away for 2 weeks to Florida. That annoyed me - one of the days off was on half term yet I got an unauthorised day for that which will go on her record. Rather stupidly I put our return date on the form even though the kids were off, I'll just have to remember that for next time I guess but I am new to all of this. But I was annoyed I had to ask for permission to keep her from school when legally she does not even have to be there. What is that about?? Very unfair!!

blue_monkey_2

Also when we was away we bumped into a family on the bus and allof their kids had been ranted 10 days yet the middle son had only been granted 5 - they told me that 2 days after the refusal he got a letter praising his good attendance rate. They took him anyway.

The woman next door sends her kids to school when she can be bothered. They are both wasters and not even in their teens yet - they should be concentrating their time on families like this rather than the people who want a few weeks holiday a year. This morning I saw then walking to school at gone 10am looking as if they had just got up (they are rarely in bed by midnight as we can hear them banging around at bedtime) I thought they had overslept because the mother was at work so took a look out of the window and her car was there so she was actually in as well. As I said, these are the people who need a kcik up the backside but we all suffer because of the families that can't be bothered to get their kids to school regually or on time!! In 3 years we'll go to Florida again - I'll take them whether the school agree or not. I can't see how a 6 and 7 year old missing 2 weeks is going make a great deal of difference to their education. At the end of the day, they can take me to court but would only fine me I guess, if they can't find room in the prisons for the real criminals then how are they going to squeeze us in - mind you I'll get my husband to take the blame, I need a break after all these years and if they send him off to jail I'll get it, ha ha