Term time holiday court fine help please?

blisteringblue

Thrugelmir wrote: »

What's changed is peoples attitudes. No wonder teachers are becoming fed up. As dealing with people with similar views to yourself is a total distraction from the real job they have. Which is education. 2.5 billion people in the BRICS have joined the global labour market since 1990. So without a good education kids are only going to be left with the unskilled poorly paid work.

Thanks but if you are going to quote me quote my whole post. Classic sensationalism just like the British Press.

It's the head of a primary school. I said I can understand if was the run up to GCSEs or something, there is no problem taking a primary school pupil out for 2 weeks.

Nothing has changed in my attitude, my wife teaches in college. The problem with teaching nowadays is it is all paperwork and bureaucracy. It is no longer about the teaching, plain and simple.

If a parent wants to take their child on holiday that is their business, especially if they are at primary school.

PenguinJim

sourcrates wrote: »

Penguinjim, I have 3 very hard working children, who excel at school, personally secondary school taught me very little about real world issues, and I doubt much has changed, did you read the post I was referring to ? you did ? and you still think I`m the villain ?

You used "school swot" as an insult. I'm pleased that your children are doing well despite (I assume) your constant jeering at them for being "school swots". Presumably they did not get their attitude towards hard work from you (and hopefully not their English ability, either! ).

Alchemilla

FireWyrm wrote: »

Wait, you had took two children out of school, but you had permission to remove one of them and you STILL got 4 fixed penalty fines? Surely, that should have been only two fixed penalty fines? You had permission for one of them?

Unfortunately, you cant dodge the fines, but if it were me, I would be so incensed at the judgement I would make it my business to report that head every time he took a day off! It seems teachers can pull a 'teacher training day' any time they like and parents just have to work around it, but missing 5 days of school once in a blue moon for a holiday counts as truancy. It is truly disgusting and I sympathise, but that's about all we can do.

Teacher do not decide on the fines. Teachers do not decide on inset/training days. Teachers do not have days off in term time unless there are very exceptional circumstances.

Alchemilla

kitty08 wrote: »

It's the hypocrisy of the schools that gets me. According to the schools, it's damaging to a child's education if they miss school for a holiday, but having to miss school because the teachers are on strike doesn't have any effect on a child's education? Personally I think the parents who have been obliged to take a day off work to look after their children on strike days should be able to bill the schools, especially those parents who are self employed.. Another thing, the time each day that is wasted especially by primary schools could do with looking at. I cannot think what possible use sitting cross legged on the floor can possibly be in later life (unless training as a yoga teacher, or to sit begging outside the high street shops?)
I think holidays are an important time for busy families to just spend time together (I'm not saying it's necessary to spend loads of money on a holiday,it isn't, in fact some of the best holidays I had as a child were very cheap camping or caravan holidays). The very best holiday I had as a child was the summer of 1976. We rented a cheap caravan and every day of the holiday was spent at the beach. The only extra expense for my parents was a daily ice cream, but it's left me with magical memories of a golden time - paddling, swimming in the sea, building sandcastles (and knocking them down again).
BTW, one of the skiing companies (sorry, can't remember which one, but it might be worth considering for next year ) was offering to pay any fine if the holiday was taken in school time
I think common sense needs to be applied here. A full, rounded education is important, and it covers far more than just attending school. Obviously it's irresponsible to pull children out just before important exams, but in the primary years I really can't see it's a problem. Holidays give the chance for children to end up with happy memories that they will carry with them for the rest of their life.

Schools do not allow teachers to strike. That is why it is called a strike. When we strike we exercise our hard won employment rights.

Bonniepurple

Firstly, teachers do not get paid for strike days - so it is used as a last resort. Secondly, the leeway available for term time holidays (which was in place for exceptional circumstances - eg a family funeral/wedding - NOT a fortnight in the sun!) was removed by Michael Gove - enough said. Thirdly, the primary head might have refused permission (not that he can give permission now anyway - see point three!) due to an impending Ofsted (high absence leads to a poor report), or, depending on the age and year group of the OP's children, SATs or phoenics screening - or an entire school event. Fourthly, the OP knew that this would be the result - and just ignored the fine.

FWIW, we choose to have a week's holiday during the October half term in Wales, as that is all we can afford.

eyeopener2

blisteringblue wrote: »

If a parent wants to take their child on holiday that is their business, especially if they are at primary school.

Parents have no legal right take their children out of school for holidays. That's the fact of the matter and heads only have the discretion for funerals and exceptional circumstances.

So, if you take your child out of school, you will be fined, because you have broken the law. There is no moral dimension here like there is with debt repayment. You can say "well teachers do this, or my child will have a more rounded education on holiday (sitting on a beach in Spain? Mmmm) but it comes down to facts. It's illegal, you will get fined.

Now, this thread could go round in circles for weeks slagging each other off, having a pop at teachers, who do not make the law,but the plain truth is its illegal, we all know it's illegal and if you want to break the law then you suffer the consequences.

heatherks

i would fight it as unfair esp as the kids had good attendence records previously

jaydeeuk1

Entitlement at its best.

My wife was a primary teacher until a few months ago, got fed up with the Govt meddling and the minority of idiot parents who thought they knew better so had enough. We wanted to get married in 2006, but school governers (ie, parents) wouldn't let her have the day off so had to wait a year later for the date we wanted. She wasn't allowed 1/2 a day to move house and she couldn't go to her uncles funeral, as again the school governers said no.
Her school has now lost most of the experienced staff, mainly NQT staff now, who all want the hell out. Its a sh*t job and no amount of money would tempt me in to the profession. Used to be a great school which is a shame.

sourcrates

PenguinJim wrote: »

You used "school swot" as an insult. I'm pleased that your children are doing well despite (I assume) your constant jeering at them for being "school swots". Presumably they did not get their attitude towards hard work from you (and hopefully not their English ability, either! ).

My dear chap, (I assume your a chap ?) you appear to be going off topic, allow me to steer you back again !


my attitude towards anything is irrelevant, your original post was quiet condescending and wholly inappropriate, in my opinion.


I can see this argument from both sides, I have four teachers in my family, one is a headmistress of two schools, and I am a dad to 3 kids, this is a problem that requires tackling from a different direction, the main problem here is cost, holidays are much more expensive during school holidays as the travel companies know they have a captive market, some kind of regulation in this area is what's required, not the penalising of parents for simply wanting an affordable family holiday.

themull1

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Entitlement at its best.

My wife was a primary teacher until a few months ago, got fed up with the Govt meddling and the minority of idiot parents who thought they knew better so had enough. We wanted to get married in 2006, but school governers (ie, parents) wouldn't let her have the day off so had to wait a year later for the date we wanted. She wasn't allowed 1/2 a day to move house and she couldn't go to her uncles funeral, as again the school governers said no.
Her school has now lost most of the experienced staff, mainly NQT staff now, who all want the hell out. Its a sh*t job and no amount of money would tempt me in to the profession. Used to be a great school which is a shame.

I would have taken sick to go to a funeral if i thought that the school were going to be awkward.