Real-life MMD: Term-time truancy for a cheap hol

rowansway

If you're child is being taken abroad during school time make sure they don't come back with a tan .... I work in an infant school and it's a bit of a giveaway if they've been off "ill" for a week and look really healthy on their return!! Also, children do give you away - they're bursting to tell their friends about their holiday or reveal all when either writing or retelling their "news"!!

greengrocer1

Isnt it strange that when schools take you somewhere on a holiday its called educational? Children are at school for 13 years of their growing up days and they are rushed from the minute they get up till the end of their day.
If school decides to have a non uniform day then thats ok if you send them in something a little out of kilter then that is wrong.
At the age of 6 they will not miss much for a couple of weeks so my advice is GO ON HOLIDAY they have many years of being a worker ant!

Upright_Tone

Inverness wrote: »

From www.adviceguide.org.uk,


Holidays during term time

A school can agree to let your child take off up to ten school days a year for holidays. However, this depends on the policy of the school's governing body, and they do not have to agree.

If you want to take your child out of school during term time, you should talk to the school's head teacher first. In England, if you take your child out of school without the head teacher's permission, you could be fined. Failure to pay the fine within 28 days could result in prosecution.

If you want your child to take more than ten days off for a holiday during term time, you must get permission from the school's governing body. In your child's school, it may be the head teacher who has responsibility for making this decision. If the head teacher refuses to let your child have the time off, you can ask the governing body to consider your request. However, most governing bodies will only agree to allow more than ten days' holiday in what they consider to be exceptional circumstances.

The governing body's policy in our children's middle school (Years 5 to 8) on time off in term time is very strict indeed. Yes for the funeral of a close family member, and no for almost anything else. The one and only time we requested taking one child out for one day on the last day of term, we were refused. We had explained that the reason was that we were travelling to Scotland by train (= more environmentally responsible than driving) for a large family gathering (= reinforcing family values), and that engineering works during the weekend we were due to go meant that we would need to travel on the Friday. The answer was a very clear NO. I appealed in writing to the Head and said that we intended to go but would prefer to do so with the school's permission, and in her reply she said that the governing body's policy meant that her hands were tied. She also suggested subtlely that she understood our position and decision to take our child out of school for the day.

johnwnormington

If your child has 100% then this is not a problem. If a fine is implimented, you do not have to pay it. The school then have to take you to court. They won't because the child has full attendance, excluding the hols. I forget the wording exactly, but school have to prove 'irregular attendance'. A one off holiday does not constitute "irregular". Taking "extended leave" is also available, many take this to go home to the sub continent for family reasons.

bulletproof_1979

greengrocer1 wrote: »

Isnt it strange that when schools take you somewhere on a holiday its called educational? Children are at school for 13 years of their growing up days and they are rushed from the minute they get up till the end of their day.
If school decides to have a non uniform day then thats ok if you send them in something a little out of kilter then that is wrong.
At the age of 6 they will not miss much for a couple of weeks so my advice is GO ON HOLIDAY they have many years of being a worker ant!

Or keep them in school and teach them the value of hard work and maybe they'll grow up clever enough to avoid having to become a "worker ant"...

sooty&sweep

Hi

For me if we're talking a once in a lifetime type opportunity then personally I'd take him

If you're talking about every year taking your annual holiday during term time then personally no I wouldn't.
Although I do agree that children can gain alot from a holiday and at 6 it won't make alot of difference.

ValleysGirl

I'm not going to add to the range of opinions given for this 'dilemma' because all the differing viewpoints have been covered. However, I wonder if those who have made grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors in their posts (too many to quote) are among the people who seem to believe that taking a child out of school doesn't harm his/her education?

Notjustamum_2

Try it this way around.... your son comes home from school next Friday and you ask what he has done this week... his response "nothing because Mrs Smith was on holiday this week"... how would you feel?

Teachers can't take holiday during the "cheaper" times, their fault they CHOSE to be teachers. Parents can't take holidays during the "cheaper" times, their fault they CHOSE to be parents.

I'm not a teacher but I do have teacher friends. I am a parent of two who can only usually only afford self catering holidays in England but our children have NEVER missed school for a holiday and they never will.

milvusvestal

I think it's wrong to place your son's holiday above his education.

Yes, it may be more expensive if he goes away with his grand-parents once schools break up, but if every parent treated the education system in such a cavalier manner by taking him away from school when he should be learning, it rightly gives them a bad name. You brought your son into the world; he is your responsibility and, as such, you have to accept the rules. I take it that you get child benefit anyway, so you should use that state benefit towards the extra cost.

Nothing like this took place when I was of school age, largely because neither my parents nor grand-parents could even think of affording a holiday for themselves, let alone anyone else. Just think yourself lucky to be fortunate in an age when, in comparative terms, holidays anywhere are now so much cheaper than they used to be.

littlejaffa

No

If this is about spending time with his grandparents he can do that after school/in the holidays, I agree he can easily make up the missing education - but it's the alternative education he's getting that i disagree with - - teaching a child that it's ok to lie to get what you want isn't a lesson to be giving.
School isn't optional - it's compulsory.