Our kids refused time off school during term time - please advice

dsab

I think the main problem in this whole debacle is the fact that more or less the whole country is off school at pretty much the same time. How can every school in a country of more or less 60+ mil people pretty much close for the same time?

Every other country that I am aware off has staggered Holidays by region, even much smaller countries like the Netherlands. That way they ensure that not everyone is off at the same time, there is no Traffic chaos on the first and last weekend of the Holidays throughout the country, and families have options on where to fly from (Flights from a regional Airport will be cheaper outside their local Holiday season, which Travelers from other regions can make use off).

Jagraf

dsab wrote: »

I think the main problem in this whole debacle is the fact that more or less the whole country is off school at pretty much the same time.

Every other country that I am aware off has staggered Holidays by region. That way they ensure that not everyone is off at the same time, there is no Traffic chaos on the first and last weekend of the Holidays throughout the country, and families have options on where to fly from (Flights from a regional Airport will be cheaper outside their local Holiday season, which Travelers from other regions can make use off).

That may be the way forward. I'm sure parents would find something else to complain about though when they can't go on holiday with their relatives or for huge family gatherings over summer. Some parents don't understand why they shouldn't take their kids out so its not going to help much, I don't thik.

fierystormcloud

neatheyc wrote: »

Difference is, teachers get paid to teach. Where as parents pay for their children to go to school (I think that's right? I am not a parent).

I think it's disgusting that they charge you to take your own child out for a week or two a year. Especially with the cost of a holiday in peak times.

FBaby wrote: »

Why always assuming that teacher have to help any child who take time off to catch up? I've never seen this happening in the school my kids have gone too but kids do catch up easily. Unless they struggle in the first place, catching up the work of one week is not going to be much of a challenge for them.

As to assuming that kids miss out so much on education, I took my kids to an uneducated sun holiday, but my DD read three large books during that time, one of them being '12 years a slave'. That book had much effect on her and we spent much time talking about it, which then included DS too, something that we rarely have time to do in normal time.

Well exactly. It's such a lot of fuss about nothing!!!

As I said before, a child having a week (or two) off in the school year to go on holidays, is no more likely to fall behind and fail exams, than a child who does NOT have time off is going to be a professor of physics.

And as I said earlier, up to 6-8 years back, you were allowed to take your child out for 10 days in the school year (2 weeks) with no questions asked, and yet now you get fined for it! How come it was always OK right up to around 2007/2008 but now it isn't?

In fact, many school's exam results and the achievements of the pupils have gone DOWN since this silly new rule was brought in. And many schools are underperforming.

IMO it's just a bunch of whiney schools and whiney teachers who are underperforming, and it suits their agenda to blame the parents for it, in any way they can.

And as for me saying 'I tell you how much difference it makes, keeping your child off for one or two weeks; NONE.' I don't NEED 'proof.' Anyone with a shred of common sense knows that letting a child have one or two weeks off in the entire school year, will make NO difference. There is no statistics or facts needed; it's blatantly obvious, and it's laughable that anyone would think it would make a difference.

missbiggles1

Jagraf wrote: »

Most wouldn't read three large books while on holiday. The rules are in place to protect all children and their education. During gcses also it's not about learning anything, they need to learn what will be in the exams. the other thing I also recall when DD did pride and prejudice was that her particular teacher told them not to read the who book as she wanted to do it slightly differently (can't remember maybe watch the dvd first). Parents do not know teachers teaching methods but can mess it up if they take it into their own hands at that age. For some reason everyone thinks everything a child learns is education relevant to what they are learning at school, but that's like someone making a self diagnosis. Until parents understand the educational process (especially when they get older) they can't know the harm its doing.

If my child had a teacher who didn't want them to read the whole book or wanted them to watch the DVD first I'd be darned sure I took it into my own hands!

happyandcontented

It is a hard issue to define. Whether it affects schooling or not is dependent on so many variables; the child, the timing, the subject, the quality of teaching. Therefore, I think it fair to say that for many children the effect will be minimal but for some it may cause real problems. That is why the overview is that it is not beneficial.

The schools are not responsible for this, the teachers have no say, it is a government initiative and schools have to abide by it.

If as a parent, you look at your own child and their academic abilities, assess the timing (for example the last week of term) then it is for you to decide whether to go on holiday and accept the consequences. No one can prevent you from doing so.

Jagraf

missbiggles1 wrote: »

If my child had a teacher who didn't want them to read the whole book or wanted them to watch the DVD first I'd be darned sure I took it into my own hands!

Maybe so. My DD trusted her teacher rather than my interpretation of what she should be doing as I'm not a GCSE English Lit teacher, and it was up to my daughter, not me. Seems to have worked though. I think it was more a chapter by chapter thing.

missbiggles1

Jagraf wrote: »

Maybe so. My DD trusted her teacher rather than my interpretation of what she should be doing as I'm not a GCSE English Lit teacher. Seems to have worked though. I think it was more a chapter by chapter thing.

That's rather different from what you wrote the first time but I'd worry about any teacher who wanted to rein in a child's enjoyment of the book, just so the whole class could be on the same page at the same time.

I'm biased because I have a degree in Literature but you can't expect that teachers are the experts in everything or that their methods are right all the time. Parents often need to supplement teaching to ensure that children get a rounded education rather than just being kicked through exams and tests these days, particularly with younger teachers.

flea72

dsab wrote: »

I think the main problem in this whole debacle is the fact that more or less the whole country is off school at pretty much the same time. How can every school in a country of more or less 60+ mil people pretty much close for the same time?

Every other country that I am aware off has staggered Holidays by region, even much smaller countries like the Netherlands. That way they ensure that not everyone is off at the same time, there is no Traffic chaos on the first and last weekend of the Holidays throughout the country, and families have options on where to fly from (Flights from a regional Airport will be cheaper outside their local Holiday season, which Travelers from other regions can make use off).

This has been mooted before and the main complainers were teachers who taught in a different county to that in which their own kids attended school

The odd day here and there does not affect a childs education, nor the running of the syllabus. When you have a child who is sick and off school longterm, and the authority think that 3hrs tution a week is sufficient for a gcse student, you start to wonder why they need to attend school for 30hrs a week

At my DDs school they offer prizes for attendance. Varying from kindles to ipads. If that isnt bribary, due to financial gain for the school, i dont know why they would do it?

Jagraf

flea72 wrote: »

This has been mooted before and the main complainers were teachers who taught in a different county to that in which their own kids attended school

The odd day here and there does not affect a childs education, nor the running of the syllabus. When you have a child who is sick and off school longterm, and the authority think that 3hrs tution a week is sufficient for a gcse student, you start to wonder why they need to attend school for 30hrs a week

At my DDs school they offer prizes for attendance. Varying from kindles to ipads. If that isnt bribary, due to financial gain for the school, i dont know why they would do it?

I think its appalling that prizes are offered for attendance, for any reason. What it does show however is that schools need attendance to get results, which appears obvious.

I also don't agree that three hours tuition is enough.

However perhaps 30 hours tuition isn't needed, so kids can stay at home two days a week. Not sure how parents would see that either.

Homeownertobe

consumers_revenge wrote: »

Teachers very happy to take days of to strike WHEN IT EFFECTS THEM!


Funny how they do not seem to think 'every lesson counts' at that point isn't it...?

Affects.

I'm beginning to suspect a correlation between hating teachers and apparently learning very little in school.