Taking Children out of School in Term Time

Jagraf

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I get this, but in Year 2 and Reception?

In year 1, all my daughter gets is a book to read each night and I'm fairly sure Reception was learning through play.

Every single lesson is planned (hence a lesson plan). It shows what and how a student will learn a particular subject. It is timed, so for example, a 40 minute lesson will have a structured timeframe (minutes 1-4, minutes 5-9 etc). The lesson planning also incorporates differentiation for different 'ability' so that no-one is left out. Foundations to subjects are very often done through play. For example, in reception, a group may work together with building blocks in different colours each laying a brick to form a pattern etc. this will then be used as a background the following week etc. if a child is missing during that first session, the teacher needs to find an alternative way for a child to catch up whilst the rest of the class is on to the next thing.

There really is a system. Honestly, it might look as if they are just playing but they're not.

By year two children are doing some hefty work! My daughters reading age developed by 3 years in year two (she's no brighter than any other child but it was a good year!).

Anyway, hope it all works out. Hope its the only wedding your brother has lol x

neneromanova

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I get this, but in Year 2 and Reception?

In year 1, all my daughter gets is a book to read each night and I'm fairly sure Reception was learning through play.

Yeah but they might have sheets for the year 2 to help with spellings or sentences or maths or something that they would normally do during the day at school. Not so Much reception though.

foxymum1977_2

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Thank you.

I am separated from their dad and he has nothing to do with the wedding, so he will refuse to pay any fine (which is fair enough in my opinion). He also has nothing to do with getting them to school every other morning, but that's a different story.

I won't lie as you're right, they will talk about their holiday and come back with a nice tan.

The more I think about it, the more hassle I think it is going to cause me in general. Cost of flights, time of flights, entertaining two children for a week, finding someone to mind my dog etc.

Might ask brother to pay, but his fiancee's family have already paid for the accommodation, so not sure if he will.

£60 per day though, yeesh! That's £360 for one child!

It isn't £60 per day where we live in the south it's £60 per child per parent (wether the parents are together or not) be very surprised if it's per day have never heard of that before,

pollyanna24

Jagraf wrote: »

Every single lesson is planned (hence a lesson plan). It shows what and how a student will learn a particular subject. It is timed, so for example, a 40 minute lesson will have a structured timeframe (minutes 1-4, minutes 5-9 etc). The lesson planning also incorporates differentiation for different 'ability' so that no-one is left out. Foundations to subjects are very often done through play. For example, in reception, a group may work together with building blocks in different colours each laying a brick to form a pattern etc. this will then be used as a background the following week etc. if a child is missing during that first session, the teacher needs to find an alternative way for a child to catch up whilst the rest of the class is on to the next thing.

There really is a system. Honestly, it might look as if they are just playing but they're not.

By year two children are doing some hefty work! My daughters reading age developed by 3 years in year two (she's no brighter than any other child but it was a good year!).

Anyway, hope it all works out. Hope its the only wedding your brother has lol x

I've already decided that after this wedding, I probably won't go to any others abroad. I did go to a couple a few years ago, but my kids either were with my parents or with their dad, so it worked out fine as it was just me going.

It's just the expense and this is definitely a one-off!

pollyanna24

foxymum1977 wrote: »

It isn't £60 per day where we live in the south it's £60 per child per parent (wether the parents are together or not) be very surprised if it's per day have never heard of that before,

Bit unfair if it's per parent. They live with me and I'm making the decision to take them out. I'll accept the fine for me, but I can see why their dad would create a fuss as he wouldn't even be aware of the fact that the kids aren't in school normally (apart from the fact that I have told him about the wedding).

At the same time, I don't see why I should pay double the fine to cover their dad's half!

skattykatty

Go. Hopefully, this is your brother's one and only wedding for you and your children to enjoy. Your children are right at the beginning of their 'formal' education. It sounds like you are a conscientious mum whose little one hasn't missed a day of school. They really won't be missing much. Fill out the forms. It's a one off. The children have a role to play in the wedding. You are close to your brother. Go.

ps. I work in a school.

Person_one

skattykatty wrote: »

Go. Hopefully, this is your brother's one and only wedding for you and your children to enjoy.

Or the second within a matter of weeks, actually!

I'm normally not opposed to parents taking children out of school for a holiday, I think the rules are too strict now and that travel can be just as beneficial as formal education.

However...not in the first few weeks of a new school, surely? Every parent I know (and I know a lot with children in this age range due to my own age!) has viewed those first few weeks as hugely important and they seem to go to great lengths to accommodate staggered starts, having mum or dad drop off/pick up, parents assemblies etc. The kids look forward to it too, don't they?

To miss such an important time, that only ever happens once, for the sake of a pretend wedding and a party? I'm not the OP and only she can make the decision, but I don't think I'd ever have made a commitment to it in the first place. Its going to be hard to back out now even if she wants to with the accommodation booked and paid for.

Really tricky situation.

Person_one

Oops, I see that you've made your mind up now.

Shortening the trip was probably the best decision all round, a compromise considering the awkwardness you are wanting to avoid!

Enjoy the trip!

supermassive

peachyprice wrote: »

Yes, they are legally binding. They are a penalty notice to be paid in lieu of going to court to be prosecuted under the Anti Social Behaviour Act (2003).

If you choose not to pay you face being taken to court and being fined £1000.

Literally the stupidest thing I've heard not to have come from Boris Johnson's mouth.

What on earth was going through their heads when they thought this muck up? "Oh if we make parents poorer then they'll have to never go on holiday har har har" idiotic.

FBaby

pollypenny wrote: »

Absolutely!

From my own experience, I missed three crucial weeks of the first year of grammar school through pleurisy and never, ever caught up in maths. This was in 1959. No chance of any catch up help, then.

As a teacher, I know that it's hard for even the brightest pupils to catch up totally.

Similar experience, ended up in hospital for 6 weeks just as I was due to start Year 10 (accident at the end of summer holiday), but I did manage to catch up. The hardest part was not having to pick up what I had missed, but getting my brain to work again as after 3 months off and 4 general anaesthetics in 5 weeks, I struggle to concentrate and my memory was in shattered, but still I ended up doing well that year.

I think there is a big difference between missing the last or the first two days of a year and missing 2 weeks right in the middle of it. I also think that different kids will cope differently and that's why the decision should be made on an individual basis, not a general rule that applies to everyone.