Schools no longer allowed to authorise holidays

peachyprice

paddedjohn wrote: »

From what I read a while ago I gather its not the schools that will be dishing out the fines but the local authorities, register will be taken each morning and all the data will be uploaded to the LA site where they will be able to see who is absent and act accordingly.

They've been doing it in my LEA for years now. Last year they issued over 250 penalty notices.

Trouble is, it's an affluent area, there are parents who don't mind paying the £60/£120 each per child to get a quiet time at their chosen holiday destination. It's not always about the money.

iammumtoone

I think there needs to be different rules for primary and secondary schools. If this was law for secondary only I would totally agree with it. I would never take my child out of secondary school for a holiday (for six years he can do without a holiday his education is more important)

However at primary age I really don't think 5-10 days away makes a difference. I do extra with my son at home anyway and am quite confident that with my teaching he will not lose out at this age. Most parents will be able to help school a child of primary age, however once he gets to secondary I admit I will be out of my depth and will need to leave the teaching to the teachers hence will he will need to attend full time.

CH27

I think a holiday is a luxury not an essential.

duchy

Pre child I never took time off in school holidays (far too expensive )- post child I'd book early. Now he's at college it's a little different -however for the past six years I've always volunteered to work a part day on Christmas day and to work Boxing day to assist in making sure people with small kids don't have to work it. Partly because I'm a decent human being - and partly because I don't need the whole day-so long as I'm there for Christmas dinner so we eat early or late -it's not a big deal. However other times of the year if someone is desperate for time off - be it child related or sport related and I'm not taking the time for something specific I'll swop days or shifts -usually it means if I need a last minute swop myself I have no problem getting it covered. Like most things in life -it's give and take. You'll always get some people who are selfish and others who will consider others.

I do think an official policy of giving preference to parents causes bad feeling -parents do have a responsibility to book their dates early. If a parent kicks off in July that they can't book holiday for August then I don't have any sympathy for them.

As for the LA using register data for fines-Good luck with that -when I worked in education I often wasted time looking for kids who were marked as present who were actually absent........registers are only as good as the person entering the data.

Melonade

I got the same letter last month.

The issue I have with it due to OH's work and being self employed term time is the only time we would be able to get away.

He's a car painter but also does commercial work, so when school holidays and half term rolls round he's swamped with the bus companies. They can't take transport off the road in term time because of school transport runs and he can't turn them down in holiday time due to losing the money.

I understand how important education is for my son but its just threw it up in the air for us now :mad: He never has time off school anyway so that makes it more frustrating!!

duchy

securityguy wrote: »

One family of my acquaintance insisted that it was "essential" to spend a month with their extended family for a wedding in the spring of Y12, returning just before the AS exam season. This was a repeat of what happened during the autumn of Y11, probably contributing to their daughter's less than stellar GCSEs.

The same family are now screaming "racism" when, having unsurprisingly not done terribly well at AS, their daughter was rejected without interview by all the universities to which she applied. And are also apparently surprised that most people's reaction, including that of others from the same community, is "idiots".

You'll always get parents who buck the system -the question is.....Is it fair to penalize the parents who the rest of the year make sure the kids are present, homework is done etc and also make sure they help their kids catch up ,or who for genuine reasons can't take holiday in school holiday time- in the same way as the parents who don't give a flying fig ?

notanewuser

meritaten wrote: »

I find this quite sinister - education IS important, but, parents rights are important too. why are parents rights being so eroded? its almost as if children are being 'forced' into state education. and the rights of the education 'system' are overtaking parental rights.

No child is forced into state education. If you want your children educated at no cost to you* then you have to follow the rules. If you want the freedom to go on holiday when you like then homeschool (which has financial consequences). The state isn't there to provide schooling for your children when you feel like sending them.

* I know there are other costs like uniforms and trips etc.

pigpen

duchy wrote: »

As for the LA using register data for fines-Good luck with that -when I worked in education I often wasted time looking for kids who were marked as present who were actually absent........registers are only as good as the person entering the data.

I've had several calls from the high school asking where my children were when they were at school.. so I made them go find them and call me back so I knew they were actually there and not been hurt or abducted on the way to school!

They aren't 100% perfect but I'd rather get that call at 9:30 and worry for half an hour about their whereabouts than not know they were missing until they didn't come home again at 4:30!

~Chameleon~

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

This is it, isn't it? It's not essential to go away on holiday. Days out/visiting friends/picnics/local attractions will do just as well, especially for small children, who would be equally happy camping in the garden.

It was certainly good enough for our children whilst growing up.

securityguy

duchy wrote: »

You'll always get parents who buck the system -the question is.....Is it fair to penalize the parents who the rest of the year make sure the kids are present, homework is done etc and also make sure they help their kids catch up ,or who for genuine reasons can't take holiday in school holiday time- in the same way as the parents who don't give a flying fig ?

I'd argue that in the later years of secondary school, taking children out of school for two weeks is a pretty good definition of not giving a flying fig. No one is going to die from not having a holiday abroad for a few years.

The removal of modular GCSEs and A Levels will make matters slightly easier, perhaps, but up until this year many children were sitting a significant exam every eight to ten weeks throughout Y10 to Y13.

You can say that the exam load currently imposed on children is absurd, and I'd agree: brother, sing that hymn. However, given that that was the system, disadvantaging your children because you prefer Tenerife to Torbay, or because you "have" to attend a cousin's wedding, seems rather selfish.

The "parents helping in catching up" argument is, with respect, rather weak. The parents who are in a position to make a serious attempt at teaching two weeks' material over a full spectrum of GCSE courses (or, indeed, A Levels) are largely the parents who aren't taking their kids out in the first place.

We can only speak from our own experience, but my observation is that parents who take their children out repeatedly are very quick to blame everyone but themselves when their children don't end up with the results they want/need.