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

Georgiegirl256

People probably haven't replied to your questions because they're not true. I'm another one here who would be interested in the source of your findings.

I think if anything, it's more widely accepted to take kids out of school nowadays than it ever was. More people are doing it/wanting to do it than ever before. When I was at school in the 80's and 90's, I can't think of anyone who was taken out of school to go on holiday, it wasn't really something that was even contemplated, and would most definetly have been frowned upon. As far as I know, it was never commonplace to take kids out of school for anything other than exceptional circumstances.

Also, as far as I'm aware (and has just been proven by GwylimT above) grades have actually improved over the last 5-6 years.

theoretica

Spendless wrote: »

These weren't affluent years though for many households, so I guess the majority of people weren't going away.

I think this is a very significant point - a few kids going away once or twice in their school career is a very different matter from many kids going most years.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I'm looking for your teddy, but it seems to have been thrown quite a long way away. Has anybody else seen it?

missbiggles1

meer53 wrote: »

Who says standards and grades in schools have "slipped" ?

Anybody who knows anything about it.

missbiggles1

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

People probably haven't replied to your questions because they're not true. I'm another one here who would be interested in the source of your findings.

I think if anything, it's more widely accepted to take kids out of school nowadays than it ever was. More people are doing it/wanting to do it than ever before. When I was at school in the 80's and 90's, I can't think of anyone who was taken out of school to go on holiday, it wasn't really something that was even contemplated, and would most definetly have been frowned upon. As far as I know, it was never commonplace to take kids out of school for anything other than exceptional circumstances.

Also, as far as I'm aware (and has just been proven by GwylimT above) grades have actually improved over the last 5-6 years.

Grades and standards are not the same thing - in many ways rather the opposite.

Andypandyboy

I think it was quite rare for kids to be taken out of school up to the early 1990's, certainly, in my school days I can't remember my parents or anyone doing it. You just didn't book holidays in term time, end of.

The reason it is now legislated against is that it started to bcome too prevalant with parents thinking it was ok.

If you could post up the stats that back your assertions OP they would be an interesting read.

Georgiegirl256

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Grades and standards are not the same thing - in many ways rather the opposite.

Most definetly. But I was talking about grades, and they have improved over the last 5-6 years.

Toots14

When I was 10 (15 years ago) my mum had to ask the school district for permission to take me out of school for 2 weeks to go on a dancing trip abroad. She only got permission because they classed it as educational and because I was representing my country abroad. Don't think it was ever acceptable to take your kid out of school.

theoretica

Standards have clearly slipped: hardly anyone comes out of school able to write latin prose nowadays.

Kaye1

What you are wanting is a simple answer. There isn't one.


You can never measure the effect of the ban on term time holidays because there are so many other factors. During that time, government policy on something may have changed, which meant the way something is taught may have changed. This may have changed the results.


Teaching universities may have changed they way the train the teachers in a subject- when I was training, something called 'positive discipline,' was all the rage. Now it isn't! This would then be carried into the classrooms by new teachers and thus maybe (!!) changing the results. Phonics was a part of how we were taught how to teach a child to read- now it is considered to be a major part.


Primary schools numbers are coming to a 30 year high- perhaps school are overstretched and results are suffering.


The number of children with English as a second language is increasing- that may have an impact on the results.


The school league tables can be useful and pointless, depending on what you are looking for!


I could go on and on and on! The point being, it is virtually impossible to isolate the difference the holiday ban has made as so many other factors need to be considered.


I am not saying I particularly agree with the ban/fine. However, you are never going to get the specific scientific answers you want.