My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

To think children shouldn't be taken out of school for holidays?

447 replies

MidiMitch · 17/02/2018 09:05

Just that really. An article today says four million school days a year are being lost by parents removing children for holidays. I am a teacher so probably rather biased on this but I think it's dreadful that children are taken out of school because of a cheap holiday. I definitely think that more needs to be done to stop the hiking up of prices in holiday time but I don't think the answer is to disrupt a child's education.

OP posts:
kyrenialady · 17/02/2018 09:08

Personally I don't and never will, but I don't have an issue with other people that do. Until holiday companies stop charging ridiculous prices people will continue to do so.

19lottie82 · 17/02/2018 09:10

- I definitely think that more needs to be
done to stop the hiking up of prices in
holiday time

How would that work? The system is based on demand and supply. It’s basic economics. There’s nothing that can be done about it.

exLtEveDallas · 17/02/2018 09:11

I would have done it in primary, but luckily never needed to. In Secondary I wouldn't because the sheer amount of 'new' learning my DD is getting every week is ridiculous. The loss of 1-2 weeks could mean a whole topic, and they rarely seem to go back over stuff (especially in maths and science)

HuskyMcClusky · 17/02/2018 09:11

I don’t know...I’m not sure you can make a blanket rule about it.

I was taken out of school for holidays frequently, including for 3 months as a teenager to go and travel another continent. I did v well at school and am now a lawyer, so...🤷🏻‍♀️

GabriellaMontez · 17/02/2018 09:11

Yabu.

There are so many reasons parents choose to do this.

You must know this bit still think it's unreasonable?

And this isn't to do with being given a teacher. Many teachers disagree with you.

YeehaaJessie · 17/02/2018 09:12

Why do people always assume it's about cheap holidays? Sometimes it is but there are plenty of other reasons why families need to do this sometimes, funerals, family arrangements, weddings. All valid imo. Education isn't just what you learn at school.

isittheholidaysyet · 17/02/2018 09:12

Doesn't bother me at all.

Family holidays can be important formation experiences for children.

MongerTruffle · 17/02/2018 09:13

Until holiday companies stop charging ridiculous prices people will continue to do so.

That's how a market economy works. They can't just suddenly increase the number of planes and hotels during the school holidays, so they have to increase the prices.

ReinettePompadour · 17/02/2018 09:14

I take holidays when dh gets leave. Hes in emergency services so leave is when they say it is and not when the school is closed.

We've had several holidays cancelled due to leave being cancelled the most recent at the time of the Manchester arena catastrophe.

I'm well aware of 'everyday matters' etc but my dc dad might walk out that door for his shift and never return so to us a family holiday is extremely important. You can always go back to education at a later date, yes it might well mean it takes you another 12 months to get to university via a foundation/access course but family holidays are only while children are young, you can't get that time back if their dad doesn't get home at the end of his shift.

ChasedByBees · 17/02/2018 09:15

I haven’t yet but we’ve not ruled it out. The fact is, we want our DC to experience other countries but it simply may not be possible if we are restricted to term times because of cost. We would do all we can to not disrupt learning but I think it would be a cost / benefit analysis. Mostly it will come down in favour of school but sometimes it will come down in favour of the holiday.

Chilver · 17/02/2018 09:15

I'm on the fence. We were taken out of school fairly regularly last week and first week of term over long holidays (different country) - school had no formal teaching in that time and we had the most educational trips through countries, culture and habitats and learnt more than a text book would be able to teach. It helped that my parents were very knowledgeable and spent time teaching us new things whilst we travelled.

For a cheap bucket holiday to Europe, I don't think you should take them out of school.

Pengggwn · 17/02/2018 09:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeyondThePage · 17/02/2018 09:16

Think of it the other way round - they do not hike prices for school holidays, they heavily discount holidays to sell them in term time. School holiday prices are normal.

I used to care.

We never take the kids out for holidays in term time. I hated it in Primary school when the weeks before and after school holidays the TAs were constantly playing catch up for the kids who had been away in class time. Meaning all the kids get less TA benefit.

Now there are less TAs so it is the kids themselves who suffer. But according to mumsnet it is only clever top of the class kids who get taken away anyhow so it does no harm Hmm.

Heismyopendoor · 17/02/2018 09:16

Yabu

But it’s just one of the reasons why we Home ed.

LyannaStarktheWolfMaid · 17/02/2018 09:16

I think YABU. Travel broadens the mind and there is more to life than can be learned at school. Family holidays are important life experiences. I think all families should be allowed two weeks a year. I say this as a former teacher, so I am not dismissive about education at all but to deny a family a holiday because they can’t take their children out of school is a harmful policy I think.

Bananmanfan · 17/02/2018 09:16

I haven't done it, but I don't see any problem with it for the children. I can see it would be very annoying for teachers.
I think the school day/week and half terms are too long for infant age children and they need more time off than they get.

HolidayHelpPlease · 17/02/2018 09:19

I’m 100% with you. I also don’t accept that all of the ‘family’ reasons are as important as people claim they are - if it is SO important that little Johnny attend his aunts wedding, why is she having it in September in Cuba?
You are going to get a lot of people comment that they were taken out of school and they’re fine, even though the education system (and society!) has changed massively in the last 5 years, let alone a decade or more...

NataliaOsipova · 17/02/2018 09:20

That's how a market economy works. They can't just suddenly increase the number of planes and hotels during the school holidays, so they have to increase the prices.

Exactly! It's basic supply and demand. Like anything. Are homeowners "hiking" prices in Kensington and Chelsea because it's a hell of a lot more expensive to rent a flat there than it is in Wigan? Or is it that more people want to live there? Should somebody "do something" about this, or is it just economics?

Plus - if you run a hotel, that hotel has to be maintained all year round. There are costs associated with running it in mid January, even when nobody wants to go there. Travel companies aren't exactly well known for their marvellous return on capital.

McDougalMcPhee · 17/02/2018 09:22

but I think it's dreadful that children are taken out of school because of a cheap holiday. I definitely think that more needs to be done to stop the hiking up of prices in holiday time
and how do you suggest this happens? the only logical way this can happen is to spread the demand and allow schools to set their own holiday dates - therefore there would not be a glut of people wanting to go away over August


but my dc dad might walk out that door for his shift and never return so to us a family holiday is extremely important.
so its more important to go on holiday than to educate your children (yes i know thats quite goady, but while the risk seems to be much higher than for the rest of us, any one can walk out and not come back)

Travel broadens the mind and there is more to life than can be learned at school
yes, 2 weeks all inclusive in Menorca... broadens the mind Hmm


Its a finite time while you have children, and you make choices and sacrifices to have time (costs etc) if you cant afford to go away when they are on hols you do other things

(right, i have my hard hat on..... and am ducking for cover)

donthaveascooby · 17/02/2018 09:23

Well maybe if the schools actually did anything in the last few days of term but sorry I'm not going to apologise for my child missing, watching videos, bring in toys and games from home and no homework for a week !

Also our school has been closed 3 times now for safety reasons due to a tiny bit of ice, when the nursery on the same road stayed open. Are those days going to be replaced ?

pointythings · 17/02/2018 09:23

I agree with you up to a point, but the current draconian rules imposed by government are ridiculous. There needs to be flexibility for parents who find themselves in difficult circumstances - such as parents who cannot take leave during the school holidays because of work, weddings, funerals, that kind of thing. We're now living with a blanket ban on all term time absence now and that is a ridiculous extreme. And I will be taking my DDs out for one day this year to attend a wedding where they will be bridesmaids. I will have to lie about illness though. And I should not have to.

lanbro · 17/02/2018 09:24

We took dd out twice in reception last year 13 days in total. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again when they're still in primary.

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Nicknacky · 17/02/2018 09:25

I do it, although once my daughter starts secondary school we will work something else out. And my daughters absence is always authorised. (Scotland). Apart from once when we went a very last minute four day break.

I can see why as a teacher it annoys you but for anyone else it's none of their business.

HuskyMcClusky · 17/02/2018 09:25

the education system (and society!) has changed massively in the last 5 years, let alone a decade or more...

That’s a valid point.

I still think that if your family supports your education, days out of school are not a huge deal. I find the system of fining for absences really baffling.

Angrybird345 · 17/02/2018 09:26

Holiday in term time - fine as long as not gcse time

I find persistently late kids to be far more disruptive

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.