MSE News: Four out of five back right to take kids on term-time holidays

Man_on_fire

malkie76 wrote: »

Possibly, so why risk it ? That's my only point - it's unnecessarily disruptive, and needs to be banned.

Don't think I'm saying holidays and travel aren't educational - but they should be in addition to term time, not instead of.

We're both looking at it from opposite ends, and won't ever agree,

I think that for you it's that you view that this part of your taxes are an investment for the future of society, and want assurance it is well spent.

To me it's the personal freedom that is what matters, for better, or for worse it's for the parents to decide whats best for their children & their family - provided they are not massively negligent in their children's upbringing.

tight_scotsman

Here in Scotland I have never heard of anyone being fined for taking their kids out of school during term time. But I stand to be corrected. We have 3 kids and have always taken them out of school during term time. the 2 older ones 24 and 27 now have very successful careers. Our youngest is 11 and we will be having our annual holiday as usual at the end of August. In all the years we have been doing this the school have never said a word. we just give her a note saying we she will be absent for the next 2 weeks as we are off on holiday.
As i work as a tour coach driver its in my contract that I cannot take annual leave between May and the end of August. The cost has also been a factor in taking our annual jolly during term time.

Marvel1

Teachers should be to go during term time also.

victor2 wrote: »

So all these people who want to be able to exclude their kids from school for a holiday presumably also back the teachers being able to take a week or two off in term time so that they can avail of the cheaper holidays too?

Parents moan when they strike for 1 day.

duchy

cjdavies wrote: »

Teachers should be to go during term time also.



Parents moan when they strike for 1 day.

That's just stupid.
Teachers are employed to teach .....where is the sense in paying them to attend the workplace in holiday time. (And the reality is some teachers are able to take time off in term time if they an make a good enough case anyway)

Pincher

People need to catch up through illness, etc. There is no guarantee that you can have perfect attendance, even if you want to. Floods?

If you have lots of money, you can go First Class, the people in Economy have to go one size fit all, and be battery chickens. If you want flexibility you have to pay extra.

If you want a teacher's time to help your sprog to catch up, at your convenience, you should pay. Which rather defeats the money you saved on the holiday.

Pincher

Radio 4, You and Yours today, Monday 6th June.

As it turns out, the father who won the court battle runs a claims company. He is going to help parents claim back their fines.

Moto2

Teachers need term time off too

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9658675/Teachers-caught-at-wedding-after-sending-children-home-for-staff-development.html

steve1500

Pincher wrote: »

Radio 4, You and Yours today, Monday 6th June.

As it turns out, the father who won the court battle runs a claims company. He is going to help parents claim back their fines.

No win no fee...

Murphy_The_Cat

Pincher wrote: »

Radio 4, You and Yours today, Monday 6th June.

As it turns out, the father who won the court battle runs a claims company. He is going to help parents claim back their fines.

if he got the law on his side, he's hit the mother load :j:eek::D:A:T:rotfl::beer::o:p:cool::(:):mad:

(combination of smilies to keep all contributors to this thread happy)

FBaby

That's my only point - it's unnecessarily disruptive, and needs to be banned.

This really is a core of the issue.... is it really disruptive?
Disruptive for the children concerned: Probably for some for whom what is missed in a week will take many more weeks to make it up, if at all. However, missing that same week will have no educational impact whatsoever on the most academic kids, many of whom will already know the lessons to be taught already.

Disruptive for the other children? Why? If anything, the less pupils in the class, the more individual attention they can get, so I would think they benefit too. Parents are always complaining about too large classes.

That leaves disruptive for the teachers (and to the pupils by second degree). This is only the case where teachers are expected to help the concerned children catch up. My kids have gone to two different primary schools and one secondary and all three establishments do not make it their practice to help kids catch up. It wasn't a problem because they have excellent websites that clarifies which lessons are being taught each week. There are nowadays so many excellent online resources for parents and children to learn and practice any kind of lesson, any dedicated parent will be able to ensure that their child catch up appropriately.

My DS is going to miss a whole week of school in a few weeks time. Bad bad parent I am... wait a second, it's not me who will be taking him out of school, it's the school itself! Indeed, the school has an arrangement with the local international tennis tournament and is official trainer and supplier of the ball crew team, so up to 50 pupils from year 7 to year 11 will be missing school that week. Some kids have been doing it for 4 years, that's 4 weeks of school missing, how selfish of the school that is! I can't believe teachers haven't signed up a petition yet!