Schools no longer allowed to authorise holidays

Loz01

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

What message does that give to your children?

My Mum and Dad took me out of school once a year when I was younger and it never sent me any negative 'message' - even at a young age I understood it was much more expensive in the holidays. I didnt miss out, I did homework on the plane (not joking) and I have much better memories from a holiday than I did sitting in the classroom at the end of term watching Lady & The Tramp on VHS.

zagfles

duchy wrote: »

There's a bit of discussion about "creative routings" on the Las Vegas thread at the moment (saving of over £1000 for a family of four if starting the journey in Dublin rather than London even adding the flight to Dublin on)- as someone pointed out -the trouble with doing this is all the extra travel involved adds even more to the carbon footprint than a normal routing.

Anyone worried about their "carbon footprint" shouldn't be going to Las Vegas on holiday As well as the 12000 odd miles travel, all that air-con everywhere...

barbarawright

I wonder how parents who take their kids out of school would feel if teachers abandoned the classrooms during term-time? It's just as expensive for them...

Toto

barbarawright wrote: »

I wonder how parents who take their kids out of school would feel if teachers abandoned the classrooms during term-time? It's just as expensive for them...

Actually my daughter's teacher has just been away to Denmark for 2 weeks. She went on a 2 day visit to a school there but the rest of the time was pure holiday.

iammumtoone

barbarawright wrote: »

I wonder how parents who take their kids out of school would feel if teachers abandoned the classrooms during term-time? It's just as expensive for them...

They did last year they abandoned my son for quite a few days whilst they went on strike at one days notice. I was lucky I didn't work but I can't image how difficult that was for working mothers to find childcare at such short notice. At least parents taking children out for a holiday give plenty of notice.

penguin83

barbarawright wrote: »

I wonder how parents who take their kids out of school would feel if teachers abandoned the classrooms during term-time? It's just as expensive for them...

My daughter's teacher had two weeks off to get married in October just gone (year 5). I don't think anyone minded.

Buttonmoons

Is the fines applicable only to England?

I'm in this situation - My dad, bless him, went and booked a holiday for me, him and DD - for this year, due to a bad year, hospital operations, break down of the reletionship between my daughters father, illnesses etc - the dafty googled the holiday term times and made sure he booked it within then - Paid it - Sorted.

He then tells me it's the 31st of August :eek: He'd only went and seen English term dates *facepalm* So as it stands, DD will go back to school for 2 weeks after Summer hols, then be off for 2 weeks, and I'll miss the first 2 weeks of college - but to be honest, we really need a break, it's been a really difficult year and I'll be writing that on the letter stating why she won't be in school.

Swings and roundabouts, she's only 7, so won't miss too much and we aren't the sort to flop out at the pool everyday, we do a lot of excursions and I quite fancy taking her to visit pummakkle (looks gorgeous!)

Marker_2

Another problem which I don't think has been mentioned is that fact the new school terms are not stated well in advance. So if you wanted to book a holiday a year or so in advance you can't be sure it will be between the school holidays.

Since my dd has been in school we have been on holiday twice when it was my birthday in June, as the half term was then. However this year the half term was in May.

I always try and book around the school holidays, but usually, due to cost find I eat into some of the school days. For example this you I am going on hols 22 August for 2 weeks. If I booked a few days earlier there was a grand different in price.

For all those with the BAD attitude if you can't afford to pay the extortionate holiday costs during school holiday don't go on holiday. That is such a narrow minded selfish view to have. Why should anyone have to wait two or 3 years to go on a holiday because the prices triple in the school holidays? Everyone deserves a break, even children.

Spending all your childhood in school, followed directly by employment. A holiday at least once a year is more than well deserved. And to begrudge anyone that is an awful selfish character trait you need to get rid of asap!

As for teachers taking holidays during term time. As long as my child was still being educated, and learning what they are supposed to learn for that week, then I would not begrudge a teacher that holiday.

If you are a hardworker, and a holiday (local or abroad) is what you feel you deserve, then go on it. See a bit of the world.

pigpen

penguin83 wrote: »

My daughter's teacher had two weeks off to get married in October just gone (year 5). I don't think anyone minded.

The year 3 teacher at ours did the same last year.. and one of the other teachers just went off on a jolly for 2 weeks.. plus the 2 weeks of easter hols so had 4 weeks off.

It was a lot less disruptive to the children than when they have been off suddenly for example when there has been a bereavement. They do have staff who are well known to the children though who can step in at a moment notice which is probably why, no reliance on supply staff is definitely a bonus. It was not as disruptive as when one teacher gave her months notice 2 weeks before easter and left the school.. and took her daughter with her either!

mumps

WestonDave wrote: »

By the end of Primary school our kids will have done an overnight stay in year 4, a two day away trip to the Isle of Wight in year 5 and a 3 day trip to France in year 6. All of these will undoubtedly come with an "invitation" to contribute to the costs, and unless we want our kids to be the odd ones out, little choice but to go along with it. These trips will largely be in school time, and a substantial part of each trip will be spent on a coach looking out of the window or messing about with mates on the bus. Compared to the educational input of the same number of days in the classroom, there is clearly less actual education on these trips. Given that the teachers seem to manage to introduce topics etc without a trip the rest of the year, the excuse of it being part of lessons etc seems like after the event justification. Half the time the educational bit is contrived anyway - I recall in what is now year 7 being taken on an educational trip to Barry Island (in the days when the theme park thing was still there) - to give the day an educational "cloak" we stopped off at some Roman ruins for half an hour on the way!

However of relevance to this topic - if parents weren't getting mugged every five minutes for increasing contributions towards their kids "free" education, maybe there would be a bit more to put towards school holiday family holidays. Given a choice I might prefer to spend the money from the French trip for example on time together as a family.

To be honest I'm inclined to agree that people shouldn't be taking a week out of school for holidays just to save money, but a bit of common sense and flexibility ought to be shown - if someone takes an odd day to travel to a family function (e.g. a distant wedding on a Saturday where they travel up on the Friday) or their 2 week holiday overhangs school by a day, that ought to be fair enough if the attendance is otherwise acceptable.

And heaven help us all if they have a talent for a sport the school values. I well remember one of mine spending most of the day and evening before a GCSE exam playing cricket. He was particularly good and played in the school team, almost all sixth formers. It was an "important" match and they won some silverware for the trophy cabinet.

When I mentioned to a teacher that I thought he would be better doing some revision the day before his exam he clearly thought I should be sectioned. What could be more important? So he left early that day on a coach, spent the day playing cricket and from memory got back, exhausted, at about 8 pm. Please don't tell me he still had time to revise, by the time he had eaten and had a bath he collapsed into bed. or that he should already know it all, he didn't and anyway even top students tend to have a glance at their books the day before exams.

Why did I left him go? Pressure from the school and he did want to play. We agreed extra time spent on books the weekend before the exam (he did miss a club match) but isn't it funny how schools justify some things.