Real life MMD: Should I ask the school for compensation?

Supershadow_X

This makes me feel a little bad... when I was at school, my parents often booked holidays during term time on purpose because it was cheaper and otherwise we couldn't have had a holiday! (I think they said I was ill a couple of times too... we only went on holiday 4 times in about 10 years so not every year!)

So I am tempted to say - especially since you paid so much - don't worry about it and just go - but that's just how I was brought up

g0recki

Take the holiday, but ask for extra homework so your kids don't miss out. If half term has been moved, that means there is another week where your kids won't be in school for them to catch up on work from their time off.

Have fun!

little_miss_5

wozza2k wrote: »

Really? People value a holiday over education?

Wow, are you really understanding what is being asked? Obviously if the postee was not interested in her childs education then she wouldn't have even posted the question in the first place, and probably wouldn't have waited until half term to book, just pulled them out half way through the term, or better yet not send them to school in the first place.

Of course education is important but the school made a mistake and it is not right that the parents should be out of pocket for it, and anyway the children will benefit from being on holiday with their parents as their is no better teachings then from the school of life.

Richard019

There is no dilemma. You've booked a holiday on dates you were told were holidays so you go on them. If the school have chosen to take change the holidays it's really not your problem and taking the week off is completely meaningless anyway. Even if it were final year of GCSEs/A-Levels there's plenty of time to catch up on one week's absence.

I also don't understand what the fuss is about getting it as an authorised rather than unauthorised absence. Send a letter in in advance saying they're going to be off and why. Let the school record it as what ever they want, even if it went as unauthorised it's 5 days out of about 180 days a year? That's still giving you 97%+ attendance. An adult working full time generally gets more than 25 days holiday out of 250 working days a year so it's less than that. Besides which, I don't recall ever working for a company that contacted the schools of potential employees to find out their attendance record. General references for first time employment maybe, but not attendance where less than 3% would matter.

tgroom57

No dilemma here. Take the original holiday as booked.
Inform the school of planned absence.

Absolutely no problem with taking children out of 'school education' for one week- any child learns double while they are on holiday: experiencing travel, environs, climate, culture (need I go on) that can NEVER be duplicated in the classroom.

tallgirld

I wouldn't go down the compensation route.

Just have a chat with the headmaster/mistress to let them know you will still be going on holiday. As it was an error on their part you should avoid being fined!

ronangel

wozza2k wrote: »

Really? People value a holiday over education?

I am sure that YOU will be happy to pay the family the money they can ill afford to lose by changing dates, maybe even having to cutback on other things to compensate. Thought not....
My late mother used to say ok then give me the money, to people that tried to tell her how to spend/ use her money, no one ever paid up and most of them shut up....

pennypinchUK

If your children go to a state school you've no chance of getting compensation (and frankly why should the state pay compensation for a lost holiday?). If your children go to a private school I'm pretty certain there'll be a clause in the contract that will get them out of liability for any changes to holiday dates.

The head teacher has the authority to give authorised leave and doubtless would look leniently on your request in such circumstances.

Or contact the travel company and change the travel dates - you may have to pay a small fee but it's your children's education.

Why is it that people's automatic first thought is to try and extract money from others, rather than find an alternative solution?

gloriouslyhappy

I agree with the others who say go on the holiday as booked because it's the school who changed the dates. Perhaps there are other parents in the same position, and you can get together during the new holiday dates for some sort of homework club, share the childminding / supervision so some of you can get to work without needing to take off extra time? Might be worth asking.
Enjoy your holiday!

minuettoallegretto

Similar situation happened to me last summer. Inset day for my two youngest on July 1st, so I booked my wedding for that day, so only needed to ask for the eldest to be released from school. Inset day was cancelled, so then had to ask for more permissions. All granted, and the only problem I had was the eldest's school phoning me during the wedding (!) to ask why he wasn't in school. I sent him in with my permission letter and a very snotty note!
By the way, I am also a governor at the younger ones' school!