Mumsnet Talk

your first 2 links take you to MN discussion pages, just to let ya know

the last link is the right one....off to do now

Done

Done it but am i being really thick today as question 4 confused me

Done but the last part of Q9 is a bit ropey - it depends on the holiday too much. If the holiday is lazing on a beach in Turkey the same as it has been for the last 7 years running then the child will learn nothing but if the holiday is a once in a lifetime trip to South Africa (for example) that could not be afforded any other time then the child would get a lot more from it (although I am not sure if that is better than school IYSWIM!)

Oh bugger i only filled in for the ages of my children can you tell i had a late night?

Message withdrawn

Q4 had my brain hurting.

I have a 7 year old, and no older children. whislt I think it's OK to take him out of school for the odd day here and there, I don't agree with it for secondary school age children.....but, I couldn't give my view on that as I don't have one yet!

A comments box at the end of the survey for any other comments would have been useful as this survey just didn't allow me to express my views fully!!

Like the price of holidays. I do think fair enough in the summer as it's the peak holiday season, better weather etc which has always had a premium attached, but that some companies (mentioning no names CP!!) take the utter piss with the price hikes for the half term holidays, charging more than double the price of the preceeding and following week. There was nowhere for me to express that view on your form

question about school's attitude i think could have been explored more. e.g. our school says unauthorised for any holiday, even 2 days either side of half term i got back as unauthorised after writing for permission.
Totally ridiculous. DD1 is 5. form teacher was fine about it though. The 10 day rule doesn't seem to be a factor in giving permission/declined.

The argument that holidays are educational makes me so ! Yes, sure, if you're taking their work from school with them and doing homework, etc - but I'd put good money on the fact that 99% of people don't do that.

Sitting on a beach/by a pool for a fortnight is not educational!

<froths at mouth>

I have completed it

I have a 15 yr old going into her last year and I would not disrupt her schooling at a crucial time just for a holiday but we all went away in school time before as a family of six it was over a £1900 cheaper in term time not hard choice if honest.

The governing body at my dd's primary school have talked about introducing fines a council thing but the savings will not discourage parents they will just pay the fine when they get back.
We have had parents who have obviously been away blatently lie saying the child has been ill for a fortnight when permission is not available so the allowed time of is a good idea and should stay imo.

Done

Agree survey didn't allow for enough opinion giving. I don't agree with taking holidays in term time, we have as cheap as possible camping holidays in the UK, as we can't afford to have a 'big' holiday in term-time. But I would take dd out for a family wedding, to see family overseas, once-in-a-lifetime type experiences. I worry that we take dd out for 2 weeks on holiday, then she gets chicken pox, is off another week, then a stomach bug etc etc. It's too disruptive IMO.

Hi BIWI, BTW How are you? Haven't 'seen' you around for ages...

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my DD school sent letters to all parents explaining that any time taken off for holidays during term time would be marked as unauthorised absences and that parents could be fined £50. I took my daughter on holiday a couple of weeks ago, i havent heard anything from the school about this. I normally wouldnt take her out of school but the holiday was paid for by my sister because i cant afford the prices and next year she is starting her GCSEs so i know she wont be able to go on holiday then. I dont agree with the fines and as long as it isnt a important time (sitting SATs, studying for GCSEs) then i think parents should be allowed to take their children on holiday during term time.

I think there is a big difference between say a Friday/Monday either side of half term for a 5 year old and a 2 week break to lie in the sun for a 15 year old.

however our school sees fit to treat any and all days off taken for holidays as unauthorised.

think in future i will just phone her in ill. So that is what the school is encouraging me to do, lie and teach my child to lie.

We saved £1500 on air fares by taking the friday/monday either side of half term off. we couldn't have afforded to go otherwise. I think 10 days spent with her family even on a beach is worth way more than what she would have learned in school those days.

why should parents have to lie about taking their kids on holiday? They're our kids so if we want to take them during term time we should. At my dd school alot of parents take their kids during the last week of the summer term probably so they dont have to face the school the following week and also probably for thinking kids dont do much work during the last week of school.

BIWI, there are other holidays than beach/pool holidays you know!

FWIW, the only times mine have had time off I have asked the school for lesson plans and homework but been told it is easier for the school to catch the children up themselves than to prepare stuff for us to take
Having said that we are only talking a day or two a year in our case so I guess I can see their point a bit!

It's just another thing that the well off can do, and the not-so-well off can't.

Although do really agree with mrsjammi. It costs something like £400 for DD1 to go on a trip to France in Yr 6, (she's in yr 2 currently). That's without passports (we haven't got any as can't afford it) and other 'kit'. We could go on a UK family holiday during May/June (in school time) for that price..all of us!!

Oops, I just did it, but didn't realise you need a school aged child, lol . Pregnancy brain. Tom doesn't start nursery till August, but i'd still be a little reluctant to take him out for more than a day or two. I wouldn't take a child out of school if they were doing important exams though. My parents never took us out of school, not even for dental/drs appts!

GuessWhat - yes I know, I was just frothing at the mouth ...! (But I still stand by the assertion that most people won't be taking their children away somewhere educational and/or taking their homework with them)

Waves to hotcross. I'm here a lot actually but we must be on different threads

Done. Mainly because I feel so strongly about how people get ripped off by holiday companies around school holidays and because I don't see the problem in letting a young child have time off. I know there are drawbacks, but that's my personal stance.

Having said that, dd had time out last year, when she was 7 and didn't like missing school, even though it was around the half term holiday. She said she'd rather not go on holiday and be around for school! So this year, here we are having a staycation and planning our days out like loonies.

Last year was Paris and Eurodisney. DD did a project on both which mainly involved taking pictures and keeping a diary. We also did sums with the money and made her estimate lots, and do some French words/speaking/writing whilst we were away. It was fun and quieter (and cheaper of course) than it would have been in school holidays. It's likely to be our last holiday abroad for quite some time though now madame has spoken on the evils of school time holidays.

Done here too.

When we went to Florida ds did a fab project on the local insect life. Took loads of pictures of different things, included sizes and whereabouts he found them (sun, shade, near water etc) and looked them up on the internet in the evenings to identify what they were. He did a great job of it and wanted to do it because they were doing "bugs" after the half term holiday. So, even though all the other children in his school were on holiday, he still learnt loads whilst riding rollercoasters and visiting mickey - he was only 6yo.

Anyway, the rather waffled point is that any holiday can be a learning holiday, it is down to the effort you are all prepared to put in to it!

(I didn't really think you thought all holidays involved being welded to a sun lounger though )