Would you allow your child to skip school for some cheaper summer sunshine?

maman

jasonsmith1989 wrote: »

Yes! We take our 2 children out every year and they usually miss a couple days of school. Even with a fine it is still much cheaper than term time.

My wife is a teacher turned tutor and she agrees that family time is more important. It's the 1 week a year we actually get to spend quality time together with no distractions and if we had to go in the holidays we wouldn't be able to do it.

I think this world puts too much pressure on our young and teaches them that school education is the only way to learn which is far from the case.

I agree with you about the pressure. There's an awful lot about our system that I disagree with but, for me, that doesn't mean it's OK to just break the law. Your children may not suffer academically for a couple of days but that's not the point for me.

Of course you know you can still have a holiday without going in term time. You'd simply have to save up for longer.

Teacher2 wrote: »

In my view, parents who take their children away in term time should be able to but should sign a form saying they are happy that their child drops below their predicted grades for GCSE and that their results should not appear in the school results.

Sadly some would.:(

mckinkle

I can't believe the attitude of most of the people who are saying they would not remove their child/ren from education for a more affordable family holiday. Some are ridiculing the fact that some cannot afford the ridiculous hike in prices during the holidays which is deplorable and I suggest that those folk should take a good look at themselves and at how 'holier than thou' they are.

I agree with AndyPix and have and would again remove my child/ren as long as it wasn't during their last years in secondary education.

The rich dont have these rules to abide by as they dont get fined from removing their kids from their private fee paying schools so if it is an educational reason behind the ban then how come it doesn't apply to their kids too? That is because clearly it does not impede their education. IMO the rules are either for all or for none. Just to clarify the private school system runs on much shorter term times and you can be sure that they aren't holidaying at the same time as the non fee paying school children and no one questions their removal from school!

Having raised two bright intelligent daughters who were removed from school during the summer months so that we could afford a foreign holiday, I would do it again now and just so you know they ended up as a Deputy Head Teacher (who is a science teacher in a Secondary school) and a Group Accountant (at a top local authority) so clearly them missing a number of weeks definitely didn't make a difference to their education.

Shame on those of you who snidely commented about 'if you can't afford to take them away in the school holidays then don't go' this attitude shows far more about you than it does to those that do remove their children.

It is not about blindly following rules, if people didn't break rules that clearly are wrong then there would be no progress, no one would ever learn and the world would be full of sheep.

I noted right at the start of the discussion the request to 'remain friendly' and was puzzled but it didn't take long before I could see why.

What 'sad farts' there are out there. The irony smiling back at me is those that were sitting at the top of their ego by commenting about those that couldn't afford a family holiday in the school holidays and yet they too are members of a group of people all looking to save money and help others too - rich isn't it!

Just play nice children. If you can afford the extortionate prices during the school holidays then go have them and enjoy them, for those that choose not to, don't look down your noses at them for they don't make any difference to you.

motorguy

mckinkle wrote: »

I can't believe the attitude of most of the people who are saying they would not remove their child/ren from education for a more affordable family holiday. Some are ridiculing the fact that some cannot afford the ridiculous hike in prices during the holidays which is deplorable and I suggest that those folk should take a good look at themselves and at how 'holier than thou' they are.

No one has "the right" to an expensive / foreign holiday. There are many many alternatives, and many foreign holidays can be bought cheap, even at "peak" times.

Its not about being rich, its about being smart about it.

motorguy

mckinkle wrote: »

Shame on those of you who snidely commented about 'if you can't afford to take them away in the school holidays then don't go' this attitude shows far more about you than it does to those that do remove their children.

You mean they're more committed to their childrens education and can think outside the box and work a little smarter in terms of getting a palatable holiday time deal?

mckinkle wrote: »

What 'sad farts' there are out there. The irony smiling back at me is those that were sitting at the top of their ego by commenting about those that couldn't afford a family holiday in the school holidays and yet they too are members of a group of people all looking to save money and help others too - rich isn't it!

Yeah, we're all looking to help and advise each other not just on saving money, but on other issues too. And likewise rather than just take the binary view of "i must take my child out of school because i have the right to a fortnights holiday in Spain", people should maybe look for advise on how to do that in holiday times for a palatable cost.

Cant believe your inverse snobbery. This isnt about being rich - its about abiding by rules and principles put in place for our childrens education, and looking at ways to find a balance.

motorguy

mckinkle wrote: »

It is not about blindly following rules, if people didn't break rules that clearly are wrong then there would be no progress, no one would ever learn and the world would be full of sheep.

Loving the irony

Marvel1

mckinkle wrote: »

ended up as a Deputy Head Teacher (who is a science teacher in a Secondary school)

Just out of curiosity, has this daughter gone away term time since doing the above?

seven-day-weekend

AndyPix wrote: »

yes but so is exploring a foreign country - a variety of experiences has to be better, and a parent may have no way of providing that experience apart from at a reduced rate

But usually it's just lying on the beach or shopping in a foreign country.

No way would I have done it even if I'd had the chance (my husband was a schoolteacher, you know, one of those who is expected to provide and mark extra work so that Tarquin or Libby can go to Machu Picchu). We had to have school holidays. My son also needed to learn that you can't just take time off because you feel like it, nor simply to go on a cheap holiday.

You can have a 'variety of experiences' in the six weeks's holiday or even, heaven forfend, in the UK.

flimsier

MSE_Molly wrote: »

Hello Forumites,

It's been asked before, but it's a topic that crops up time and time again, especially at this time of year...

As families start thinking about their plans for next summer (beating the rush to book time off, looking for deals... you get the idea), we want to know if you would take your child away during term time for a more affordable break?

Is it an absolute moral 'no' for you? Or maybe you found this year to be really pricey and it's now something you would consider?

Remember that there is always the possibility that you could incur fines etc. - so make sure you're clear on the general rules. You can read our guide on the matter here.

We'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Remember to keep comments friendly! :A

No.

OK. If a school does the videos at the end of term nonsense then fine. But if a school has a well-planned curriculum, then one lesson can be really damaging. If it's in a hierarchical subject like maths or physics (where you can't do [eg] Pythagoras unless you can do square numbers, know something about geometry of triangles, know about square roots etc) and there are things you must know before moving on, it's not an hour, but a massive gap.

Even in cumulative subjects it is a risk.

A small minority of schools ensure pupils catch up when ill. Mine actually supervises the kids after school when they are back so that they don't miss out on the curriculum.

The lax attitude to missing lessons (you are only at secondary school for 950 days) through illness (and I know it is often not anyone's fault) is one of the reasons that despite the huge investment we make in education, we are so far behind in academic standards internationally.

So no. Don't take your children out of school. Unless you don't value education. It is not "just" one day, one lesson, one week or whatever. It can mean huge chunks of academic knowledge missing.

As always, some middle class people will say "it did me/ my kid no harm and we do x, y and z". This is the equivalent of the Jeremy Clarkson tweet saying doing badly in exams is okay because he is spending a crass amount of money on something stupid. It ignores the effect on the majority.

flimsier

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

But usually it's just lying on the beach or shopping in a foreign country.

No way would I have done it even if I'd had the chance (my husband was a schoolteacher, you know, one of those who is expected to provide and mark extra work so that Tarquin or Libby can go to Machu Picchu). We had to have school holidays. My son also needed to learn that you can't just take time off because you feel like it, nor simply to go on a cheap holiday.

You can have a 'variety of experiences' in the six weeks's holiday or even, heaven forfend, in the UK.

Yep. You have to go to school for 190 days a year. There are 175 to do what you like.

humptydumptybits

I always think it is funny that schools can arrange a trip to EuroDisney (or skiing/rugby tour or any other reason) and kids miss school for a week and it is OK but if mum and dad do it then it is a big problem. If schools want parents to take the rule seriously they need to follow it themselves.