Term Time Holidays???

lostinrates

Person_one wrote: »

The children don't get paid to be there and don't have any choice.;)

Well, in a way they do. They get paid in education we have all paid for through taxation and most of us support this form of free at the point of use and available education as something of worth and of value to them.


Personally I am not opposed to term time holidays but I am opposed to education being treated as something grudgingly done as the easies way to comply with laws on educating children and not seen as the genuinely for opening valuable opportunity it can be used to be.

bestpud

pipkin71 wrote: »

So a child who is off sick for a week during key stage 2 is less likely to achieve level 4's?

Is this independent research?

Do you have any links?

Year six children are coached intensively for the SATs so I imagine it is possible.

Whether a lower result means they are less 'educated' is a moot point.

What they mean is, parents have failed the school by giving their child a break from the coaching!

poet123

In Secondary schools there are apparently quantifiable stats showing how days off correlate to lower GCSE's. We have seen a PP presentation on it several times at the first new parents evening.

onlyroz

If you are happy to teach your children that school is unimportant, that it is ok to lie,that it is ok to provide extra work for their teacher, that it is ok to disrupt the class, that you don't care about their education then by all means go for it. Alternatively you could find another week out of the 13 weeks of school holiday that are affordable, for example May or October half term.

choccielover

onlyroz wrote: »

If you are happy to teach your children that school is unimportant, that it is ok to lie,that it is ok to provide extra work for their teacher, that it is ok to disrupt the class, that you don't care about their education then by all means go for it. Alternatively you could find another week out of the 13 weeks of school holiday that are affordable, for example May or October half term.

Lie about what exactly?

I missed school here and there over he years for hols, not every year but possibly every other. I actually voluntarily took work its me when I was in secondary school too.

Didn't harm my education any and the experiences I had enhanced it if I am honest.

onlyroz

choccielover wrote: »

Lie about what exactly?

I missed school here and there over he years for hols, not every year but possibly every other. I actually voluntarily took work its me when I was in secondary school too.

Didn't harm my education any and the experiences I had enhanced it if I am honest.

The choices are: to get permission from the school for a term time holiday (no lying but unlikely to be approved), be refused permission and pay the fine (and so the holiday is no longer cheap), or lie about the holiday and pretend to be ill.

As for it being a life enhancing experience, depends if you're just sitting on the beach or if you're doing something educational like exploring Egyptian tombs . Either way I don't see why you can't go in a cheaper week like half term.

meritaten

If the OPs children regularly attend school then I dont see what the fuss is about.
They have never had a holiday abroad and OP finds she can now afford one but in term time!
To me this would count as an 'educational experience'!
I know many schools do 'school trips abroad' - but in my experience a whole family could go for the cost of just one child!
go for it OP! while education is important - travel is also an education and your children shouldnt miss out!

poet123

onlyroz wrote: »

The choices are: to get permission from the school for a term time holiday (no lying but unlikely to be approved), be refused permission and pay the fine (and so the holiday is no longer cheap), or lie about the holiday and pretend to be ill.

We don't have fines here, and so our choice is ask permission, be refused and take the time unauthorised. No lies involved.

I am not sure if the asking permission triggers the info being sent to the LEA who would activate a fine and our school doesn't go down that route unless other factors apply, or whether our LEA doesn't impose fines.

Spendless

It will depend on the school/LA as to whether the hol is likely to be authorised. My son's Secondary school has a different policy to the one my neice and nephew are at, even though it's in the same town and a 10 min drive/30 min walk from each other. That's why the OP needs to talk to her children's school.

Janepig

onlyroz wrote: »

The choices are: to get permission from the school for a term time holiday (no lying but unlikely to be approved), be refused permission and pay the fine (and so the holiday is no longer cheap), or lie about the holiday and pretend to be ill.

As for it being a life enhancing experience, depends if you're just sitting on the beach or if you're doing something educational like exploring Egyptian tombs . Either way I don't see why you can't go in a cheaper week like half term.

Who says the school are unlikely to approve it? Like I said previously, I've never heard of anyone I know in real life having a request for a week away turned down and I know quite alot of people who have taken term time holidays with their children.

Also, February, Whitsun and October half terms aren't cheap either - well not for breaks that I've looked at. Check out the weeks either side of half term and you'll probably find the same holiday at a fraction of the price.

As for SATS (mentioned by other posters), they don't do them in Wales any more (certainly not for primary school, I think they might also have been scrapped for 14 year olds too). So no worry there!

Jx