A question about keeping children off school in term time: to take them on holiday.

mumps

Spendless wrote: »

My area did have that an an exceptional circumstances though it seems to have disappeared from their website now. It was something like 'where a holiday is recommended as part of a parent or child’s rehabilitation from a medical issue. Evidence must be provided by a qualified medical professional'.

We did take a term-time holiday last year, we tagged a week before May half term, because husband had been discharged 5 years after having Cancer. We'd lived with his diagnosis for that length of time and it's affect on our family. Youngest had finished sats and the week was spent rehearsing a play, she'd have been happy to do that, she loves performing but I don't feel she missed anything since she attends a drama club out of school. Eldest had taken options and was dropping all optional subjects at the end of the year in favour of new ones. Pupil Support Officer says she totally understood our reasons for going .

And I hope it was a wonderful holiday, it sounds like you all deserved it.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

missbiggles1 wrote: »

It may not be a human right, but if it's good for someone's health (physical or mental) then it's a necessity.

It would be good for both mine and the OH in that respect. But neither of us is going to get a holiday. Because we have to teach/work in schools and there's no way we can afford a peak season holiday, even without my needing temp job over the summer to pay the bills.

I'll be back at school having worked almost all the way through (with luck, it's not as easy as you'd think to get summer jobs when you aren't 18 and drop dead gorgeous). The nearest thing to a holiday will be the time spent going round agencies instead of being in the usual job.

I don't think the parents will appreciate it if I disappear for a fortnight when I'm supposed to be organising an integral part of their kids' GCSEs because I 'need' a cheap holiday. Or if the gates aren't open because the caretaker can't afford to go away in August.


Holidays are great. But they aren't necessities. Food is a necessity a roof over your head is a necessity. Access to medical care is a necessity. And if you can't afford one at the time you are able to take one without penalty, it's tough luck. Save the money and go next year when you will be able to afford it.

maman

Spendless wrote: »

I still can't understand why one industry (education) that has it's workers off 'en-masse' thinks that every other industry/employee that has a school educated child should be able to take precisely the same 'shut down' weeks.

13 weeks to choose from so can't be that difficult to co-ordinate school holidays with other workplaces.

Spendless

maman wrote: »

13 weeks to choose from so can't be that difficult to co-ordinate school holidays with other workplaces.

Last summer holiday I didn't get 1 Mon-Fri week off work, there wasn't one free to take. Towards the end I got a mid-week Wed-Tues or something like that off.

My BIL who works for a high st chain store distributor cannot take July or December off nor any week in which a bank holiday falls. That rules out all but a few weeks in August, for a fortnights holiday as long as no-one wants those weeks at my sister's workplace and gets them first. They have to log on-line from a certain date, so if someones connection is a second quicker than yours and they want the same weeks you aren't going to get it.

For obvious reasons, we can't have all medical staff or Fire Fighters or Police all off together at precisely the same time as the schools if they happen to be parents of a child in school.

I seem to remember, a few years back all police leave across the country being cancelled when there were riots in London, during August.

But yes let's have every single workplace off at the same time as the schools, because it's not that difficult to do.

coolcait

Spendless wrote: »

....

But yes let's have every single workplace off at the same time as the schools, because it's not that difficult to do.

A nice bit of hyperbole - but not at all representative of what others have actually said.


The majority of people will be able to get some time off from their workplace during one school holiday or another. It may not be their preferred time of year, but that is something which affects many workers - whether they are parents or not.


If a parent is genuinely unable to get leave during any of the scheduled holiday periods in a school year, and can provide evidence of that, then that seems to fall into one of the categories where schools can give permission for pupils to take time off during term-time.


It is then down to the individual parent to decide whether or not they want to go down that route.

gettingtheresometime

On the basis that the six week holiday is a throw back to when the UK relied on agriculture surely its about time that it was done away with.

Can't imagine it does children any good to be out of education for 6 weeks either

Spendless

maman wrote: »

13 weeks to choose from so can't be that difficult to co-ordinate school holidays with other workplaces.

coolcait wrote: »

A nice bit of hyperbole - but not at all representative of what others have actually said.


The majority of people will be able to get some time off from their workplace during one school holiday or another. It may not be their preferred time of year, but that is something which affects many workers - whether they are parents or not.


If a parent is genuinely unable to get leave during any of the scheduled holiday periods in a school year, and can provide evidence of that, then that seems to fall into one of the categories where schools can give permission for pupils to take time off during term-time.


It is then down to the individual parent to decide whether or not they want to go down that route.

You must have missed the poster I was responding to, which were the actual words used.

You are not correct btw, not every LA has defined exceptional circumstances as unable to have any other time off work. There have been people fined on this basis. Example

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/16/parents-fined-taking-children-school-holiday-inflexible-rules

FBaby

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

I adore travelling. I can't think of anything better to do than hop on a bus, train, boat or plane. I love being different places, being able to see the stars, skies that go on forever, just watching the world go by on the journey.

But that doesn't mean it's a necessity or human right.

I never referred to them as a necessity of human right. In my case, it's a choice, and one that I consider to be right for my kids. As it is, school reports in, and both children were congratulated for their attendance. Indeed, they both only missed two days in the who year, these two days that were added to the school holiday week to make it a 10 days holiday. Neither of them had one day off sick. Both were selected for school awards. DD did mock tests the week we were back and got A and A* in all of them. I received no fine.

Would I do it again? I can't wait!

FBaby

I don't think the parents will appreciate it if I disappear for a fortnight when I'm supposed to be organising an integral part of their kids' GCSEs because I 'need' a cheap holiday. Or if the gates aren't open because the caretaker can't afford to go away in August.

But that's differerent. Your job means you can't take time off during term time. There are times in the year when I can't take time off, those are the rules and I have to work around them. That's different to being able to but not doing so because of how it will affect the children's education.

Jagraf

FBaby wrote: »

I never referred to them as a necessity of human right. In my case, it's a choice, and one that I consider to be right for my kids. As it is, school reports in, and both children were congratulated for their attendance. Indeed, they both only missed two days in the who year, these two days that were added to the school holiday week to make it a 10 days holiday. Neither of them had one day off sick. Both were selected for school awards. DD did mock tests the week we were back and got A and A* in all of them. I received no fine.

Would I do it again? I can't wait!

If every child were like yours, and every parent like you, maybe it wouldn't be such a problem. Although I still think a Childs absense can affect others. Also the government are paying for our children's education - the place is paid for and no one is using it. My DD had just attended the induction day for her new school sixth form. They were told that they had chosen A levels as their occupation for the next two years and must treat it with the maturity of a job. I wish parents would see school as something as important too, with rules and regulations that they are expected to keep just like anywhere else. Fir some reason we see it as our right to pick and choose and become the educational experts at certain times of year. The current system doesn't work because the respect isn't there.