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

frank_potter

Sarahsaver wrote:

Schools have home school agreements and you agree to things such as appropriate behaviour, attendance during term time, uniform and so on.

For the avoidance of doubt Home School agreements are voluntary and are NOT legally enforceable. If they could be enforced I think many schools would have great difficulty keeping to their side of the deal.

They disgracefully encourage people (including children) to sign agreements that they often do not understand.

No one should ever sign any document that they do not fully understand.

I have never signed a home school agreement yet and never intend to. There is little point in any agreement that cannot be enforced. The money could be better spent elsewhere.

Why comply with political correctness if you don’t need to?

frank_potter

seven-day-weekend wrote:

I appreciate frank potter's post about people being 'time-rich' or 'time poor'.

But there are still 13 weeks of school holiday. Surely it is not that difficult to arrange a week when you can all be together?

If it is all so simple why do people risk prosecution?

As I stated in one of my earlier posts we actually changed our daughter's school over this matter rather than risk being turned into (politically incorrect) criminals. We did not want to do this but we had little choice.

Changing schools was an astonishingly simple process. Just one phone call and one letter to the Local Education Authority did the trick. The guy I spoke to at the Local Education Authority was very helpful and understood the situation well.

simongregson

frank_potter wrote:

For the avoidance of doubt Home School agreements are voluntary and are NOT legally enforceable. If they could be enforced I think many schools would have great difficulty keeping to their side of the deal.

They disgracefully encourage people (including children) to sign agreements that they often do not understand.

Most home school agreements basically state that parents will check their kids are doing homework, sign their planner send them to school on time with a pen etc. etc.

Most pupil agreements involve doing work set in lessons, doing homework, following instructions, not arguing with staff etc.

It's hardly rocket science is it? Refusing to sign it is basically encouraging kids to adopt the same approach to simple rules they need to follow and is responsible for a great deal of the low level disruption seen in schools today. Highly irresponsible behaviour!

If you don't agree with the agreement you have been asked to sign, why not find another school?... Oh, but then you might not get into your 'choice' of school.

Choice comes with responsibility. If you can't accept the rules, it's not a choice you should make.

seven-day-weekend

[QUOTE=frank_potter]If it is all so simple why do people risk prosecution?
As I stated in one of my earlier posts we actually changed our daughter's school over this matter rather than risk being turned into (politically incorrect) criminals. We did not want to do this but we had little choice.

Changing schools was an astonishingly simple process. Just one phone call and one letter to the Local Education Authority did the trick. The guy I spoke to at the Local Education Authority was very helpful and understood the situation well.[/QUOTE]

Mainly because the flights are cheaper outside the holidays.

Pinklepurr

My two children are school age and I firmly believe that they should be in school in term time, rather than globe trotting. It does mean we pay more for our holidays but I accept that as part of having school age children.

ultrak3wl

We just went away for half-term as we haven't had a holiday for a couple of years. You have to take time off work anyway to look after the kids so might as well get an actual break if you can afford it, rather than just use up the time staying at home.

The kids had the half-term week off school obviously but we also took two days out of the following week because arriving home overnight on the Monday chopped about 30 percent off the holiday cost. In fact we couldn't have afforded it otherwise I don't think.

So not encouraging disrespect for school attendance but with pressures like that who can blame people for wanting to take extra time occasionally

frank_potter

simongregson wrote:

Most home school agreements basically state that parents will check their kids are doing homework, sign their planner send them to school on time with a pen etc. etc.

Most pupil agreements involve doing work set in lessons, doing homework, following instructions, not arguing with staff etc.

It's hardly rocket science is it? Refusing to sign it is basically encouraging kids to adopt the same approach to simple rules they need to follow and is responsible for a great deal of the low level disruption seen in schools today. Highly irresponsible behaviour!

If you don't agree with the agreement you have been asked to sign, why not find another school?... Oh, but then you might not get into your 'choice' of school.

Choice comes with responsibility. If you can't accept the rules, it's not a choice you should make.

Our kids can actually do the work set in lessons, do homework, follow instructions and not be disruptive - they are bright and well disciplined.

A fantastic achievement for a family that has never signed a home school agreement!

Amazingly we did not have home school agreements when I was at school either - yet pupil behavior was much better then than it is today.

How on earth did we manage without them?

We have at all times fulfilled our legal obligations over both the matter of term time holidays and that of home school agreements. At no point have we broken the law.

If you do not like it I suggest that you lobby your MP or alternatively stand for parliament yourself.

frank_potter

seven-day-weekend wrote:

Mainly because the flights are cheaper outside the holidays.

Do you think parents would risk prosecution less often if all schools had attendance policies were consistant with one another?

chettysmith

'I take my holidays during 'term time' to try and get away from screaming kids. I enjoyed my children but I don't see why I'm expected to enjoy other folks kids. Keep 'em in school '

Is anyone doing a petition about the cost of holidays during school holidays? It seems in a world that everyone moans about discrimination, us parents have a right to consider this discrimination against us. I'm sure thousands would sign a petition for fair prices all year round, and I would keep to holidays in term time if we weren't ripped off. It would save people like Happy_Saver from moaning.

chettysmith

HAPPY_SAVER wrote:

'I take my holidays during 'term time' to try and get away from screaming kids. I enjoyed my children but I don't see why I'm expected to enjoy other folks kids. Keep 'em in school '

Is anyone doing a petition about the cost of holidays during school holidays? It seems in a world that everyone moans about discrimination, us parents have a right to consider this discrimination against us. I'm sure thousands would sign a petition for fair prices all year round, and I would keep to holidays in term time if we weren't ripped off. It would save people like Happy_Saver from moaning.:mad: