Term Time Holiday

Spendless

Atalanta wrote: »

This clearly varies between different areas, because in our authority, Childrens Service publish a chart with all dates that the schools will be closed for the current and next academic year, and the inset days have to be taken within these dates. So I feel that we get plenty of notice of when they will be off school to organise childcare.

My children beg for us to go on holiday during term time like some others in their classes :rotfl:but as DH and I both work we need to save our annual leave to cover as much of the school holidays as possible.

Yes, there is the academic dates of school holidays for each year upto 14/15 but it doesn't include inset dates which vary from school to school. My 2 children are at different schools (1 Primary and 1 Secondary) and only 1 training date matched up for this academic year. It's the same for next year too from the info I've been provided with from both schools.

Spendless

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

I had assumed most LEAs ran their calendars similarly. Perhaps suggest to the school/LEA that they need to pull their finger out? If some LEAs can do it then all should be able to.

I've usually found school term dates published on either school websites or on the LEA website. In fact my LEA has them listed until 2015. I admit on my LEA's site the INSETS are not listed individually but it clearly states that INSETS are taken outside of school terms or the school day. INSETS are however listed on the school website. This is because out LEA sets out the 190 days (which is published online) and then the schools sort out their own INSETS outside of these dates.

Just done a quick google and most LEAs I searched for had term dates for 13/14 listed, some even had 2015/2016 :eek: I do admit some are less helpful as they list 195 days per term, but then if you go to the school websites they list the INSETs.

We are talking about inset days? The schools themselves don't know them 2 years in advance, so the LEA wouldn't be able to say when they were. They tell you when the terms are for a couple of years ahead, but you wouldn't know when the training days are, other than they will be 5 additional days. I've asked before at my kids school if they know them for the next academic year, when we are part way through one of the years and they have given me the answer that they haven't decided on them yet. Like I said earlier even the calendar I was given by youngest's HT said they are not entirely sure about one of the dates, which is why they haven't been officially given out to parents yet.

My niece and nephew who attend a different school to either of mine, also have completely different inset days. I thought this was usual knowing no other system?

Next year, my son (Secondary) starts the school term a day later than his sister (Primary) due to an additional inset day. He then has a 'random' Friday off in October not attached to a hol, whilst DD has the Friday before Oct half term for hers. Son has Fri before Feb 1/2 term, plus one in July. DD has a random Fri in June, plus a possibly other in March and another in July.

These inset days appear on individual school website's for the academic year they are currently in and *possibly* you would find the info on an on-line newsletter for the next one if you were quite far into the current academic year (eg like this time of year).

mysk_girl

I had to ask permission to take my daughter to a family funeral a couple of weeks ago. Her dad and I were both going and it involved a 3hr drive each way so no chance for her to not come with us. I have to admit I was a bit taken aback to be told I had to ask permission for her to attend something like that! Even if it hasn't been granted, she would have had to have gone anyway, surely they don't fine for things like that?

balletshoes

I agree with Spendless on inset days - until last year, when my DD was in primary school, neither the LEA nor her school published any of the inset days, and we usually got a letter home giving any inset days in the term in a newsletter.

This year is the first year that our LEA has fixed inset days, but even then its only one of the 5, so thats the only one which is published with the school term dates.

thegirlintheattic

Spendless wrote: »

We are talking about inset days? The schools themselves don't know them 2 years in advance, so the LEA wouldn't be able to say when they were. They tell you when the terms are for a couple of years ahead, but you wouldn't know when the training days are, other than they will be 5 additional days. I've asked before at my kids school if they know them for the next academic year, when we are part way through one of the years and they have given me the answer that they haven't decided on them yet. Like I said earlier even the calendar I was given by youngest's HT said they are not entirely sure about one of the dates, which is why they haven't been officially given out to parents yet.

My niece and nephew who attend a different school to either of mine, also have completely different inset days. I thought this was usual knowing no other system?

Next year, my son (Secondary) starts the school term a day later than his sister (Primary) due to an additional inset day. He then has a 'random' Friday off in October not attached to a hol, whilst DD has the Friday before Oct half term for hers. Son has Fri before Feb 1/2 term, plus one in July. DD has a random Fri in June, plus a possibly other in March and another in July.

These inset days appear on individual school website's for the academic year they are currently in and *possibly* you would find the info on an on-line newsletter for the next one if you were quite far into the current academic year (eg like this time of year).

We are talking INSET days.

In my LEA the term for students - 190 days - is set centrally by the LEA. They then tell schools to work out 5 days (or equivalent outside those 190 days) for INSET. The parents only need to know those 190 days as the 5 days INSET are in STUDENT holiday time so don't affect the students i.e. no extra child care.

The schools then individuality decide INSET dates - our LEA recommends dates which most schools (not all) accept. For example, the two days prior to term in September, the day prior to term in January and the two others done after school in Twilight sessions. So last September I knew the INSETS for this year and next year - and that information was given to parents.

That's how it's done here, so I don't see why other LEAs could not adopt that system, at least for maintained schools. Would probably also solve the misguided idea that INSET days are days student would have been in school. If you'd like to know further in advance why not suggest to your LEA/school to look at doing it the same. Would be easier for parents and for staff. Strange system to have INSETS randomly through the year as well, ours are either after-school or attached to a holiday - must confuse things.

I'm not saying that it's not done differently where you are - just suggesting that there are alternatives that work in other parts of the country.

Janepig

On the website for my LEA, they have two inset days listed for this academic year (2012-2013) and state that the other three days are up to the school to decide. There are term dates listed on the website up to the year 2017, but none of them have got any inset days listed on them, just the school term dates.

I don't mind inset days too much - what I tend to do now is ask MIL to have the children for a day in the holidays (because inset days tend to follow a holiday, like the one we're going to have a week on Monday) and then me and DH take leave for the inset day and take the kids somewhere. We took them to Legoland Windsor last year on an inset day and it was absolute bliss, the place was empty!!

Jx

balletshoes

I would also be able to cover inset days better if they followed a holiday - but ours tend to be random days plonked in the middle of a term, not always a Monday or Friday either.

Richard53

Given that making sure your children get an education is a legal requirement, whereas sending them to school is not, I would like to know what is the legal basis of fining people for doing something which is not in itself illegal.

becominganobsessivesaver

We will be taking our 6 year old out for 2 days before the easter hols next year. As we are travelling long haul we wanted 2 weeks away, and if we had gone later then she would have only got home the day before term restarted (better to get over the jetlag). Generally they spend the last days of term watching dvds so I'm sure it won't impact too much.
What does annoy me are the families who are taking their 10 day 'entitlement' in the middle of term (there are several) which means the next couple of months will be taken up with children trying to catch up with the 10 days they've missed.

tidus

I can think of an implication - the disapproving looks from all the people who have booked a holiday outside of the school breaks to have a relaxing time, as far away as possible from other peoples screaming brats!

Oh yes, that'll be me.... starting in the airport checkin queue... muttering about the couple of kids in front.... they had better not sit behind me etc...