Term time holidays

A cousin of mine has taken his kids away for the week this week (A Year 6 DD - which as a teacher I can a bit understand, Year 6 are mostly on holding activities by this point in the year) and a Year 3 DS. They're quite wealthy (or seem to be) and are always on holiday it seems!

In my current Year 5 class, there are two kids off on holiday, one is in Turkey, and another in Tenerife. The one in Tenerife told her friends to keep it a secret, but her friends had spilled the beans by 9:15am!

This is the way. Good attendance usually? - then enjoy your holiday!

We are currently enjoying a term time holiday
We haven't Been away anywhere for six years
My oldest sin is,at college and his course has finished early and my youngest is severely autistic and goes to a special school,
School approved it straight away and told us to have a lovely time.

I'm glad I live in Scotland. Our education system is far from perfect but the attitude to absence and fining seems madness as an outsider.

Wales have the sensible approach. I take my kids out for a week(5 days off) every year. The school always approve it, as long as there attendance is fairly good.

Agree that children should get something like 2 weeks annual leave, subject to teacher and headteacher agreement.

a minimum absence level could be considered as part of the Headteacher and class teacher guidance. Its not a given that all frequently absent children will be behind and cause problems for the teacher to keep the class pace up but for those children that will struggle I can see why it shouldn't be approved.

Each parent is also entitled to 18 weeks of unpaid leave per child up to the age of 18. You can take up to 4 weeks a year. Obviously no one wants to take unpaid leave but the option is there if you need it. Your employer is supposed to track this but I work in HR and I’ve never been asked to account for it.

I’ve got a generous holiday allowance - 33 days plus I compress to 4 days so 27 actual working days to take account of my longer working day, DH has 24 which is crap but he can flex bank holidays. We can both buy a week so that’s how we would manage it. Again appreciate that not everyone can do this.

I thought we had the best holiday allowance ever but so many new starters are complaining they’ve lost holidays to join us, some had a basic 38 days!!!

I'm just going to have to potentially accept a fine. We always stick to school holidays but in a couple of years we're going to New Zealand and that will be during Easter holiday (still summer there).
Due to the fight times we'll need to pull her out of school 4 days before they break up, not a cost thing, it's to maximise our time over there.

The amount of money we saved on flights by going to Spain two days early for May half term was about ten times the price of two days at holiday club.

I work from home with the kids around.
My employer allows this.
plus we are allowed to buy an extra 2 weeks holiday on top of our annual leave

provided the children don't have disabilities it's easy to find clubs here for the school hols. Different story for those with SN.

It's not just going abroad though. I tried finding a week in a haven in the August school hols in Cornwall/ Devon / Dorset area and for 2 adults, 2 kids it's £2k. For a caravan. With no food included. With the very real possibility it will piss it down all week and I'll spend another £500 on the 2p machines in the arcade while we shelter from the great British weather. No thanks!

YANBU but I don't understand how working parents have enough leave to take term time holidays plus cover childcare in the school holidays too.

This, i never know how people manage this. The holidays are hard enough to cover as it is.

We were authorised to take DDs out for a week to go skiing... as their dad is in the Army and that was his allocated leave. Armed Forces have an exemption due to the allocated leave...

It would be reasonable to suggest that other professions in the same position were also extended this courtesy!

The inset days things has got to be bollocks. Otherwise surely the schools themselves would be protesting because everyone would be missing ten sessions before even getting started. We use Arbor and it definitely doesn't count insets. (But is that also changing?)

So to check my understanding, as long as I leave at least 10 school weeks between every nine absences, I can crack on?

(And BTW I won't the most I've ever done is two days/four sessions, but it's always good to understand).

yanbu. Both DC have autism and struggle with crowds and busy places. Due to their high care needs, I can only work part time and money is very tight As a result, we have never been able to go on a holiday (other than visiting family). DC are teens. I couldn't afford the fines either and school won't authorise it in term time. I keep telling myself it's a nice to have and that it is not that essential.

I take my kids out most years.

Scotland so no fines and quite a different attitude to it

We often meet English people on holiday with their kids who factor the fine into the price.

I think the English system is bonkers but it suits us as we can get cheap holidays in English term time.

Yup. The Council can't afford them (Cheshire East) so the responsibility for organising is now in school. Like the headteacher doesn't have enough to deal with,

"I believe it should be at the head teacher's discretion as it used to be. A head knows whether or not a particular family has an issue with attendance and could authorise it accordingly."

That is open to unfairness and discrimination.

WG guidance is headteacher discretion up to 2 weeks.

DD’s school doesn’t approve it but nothing happens if they have unauthorised absence, unless there are existing attendance issues.

I live in Wales and fines are in place here. My youngest is 19 and I had to ask permission to take her out years ago, we don't have 2 weeks in my area.

Unfortunayely no. Our school have communicated this. It is a joke isn't it.

Sorry what- they’ve stopped all school dinners!?? Eh?

Is this just a rumour? I saw this too but no where official. Your child would only be missing 8 sessions.

The whole thing is a joke and should have been scrapped. I remember when I was younger you’d fill in a holiday form and have a nice week away making memories. Now they’re fining those families and meanwhile the persistent offenders of children who aren’t in school, are guess what - still not in school.
It’s not going to get children with anxiety or being bullied etc back in! I’ll still continue to take mine out for 2-3 days to save on prices. If we wanted to do 5 days I’d probably now lie and phone in sick for one day.

So glad we don't have to deal with this fine nonsense in Scotland. It all just sounds absolute madness to me and would eb quickly abolished if I was in charge.

It seems they thought it would stop people taking kids out during term time, but it seems the people who do are happy to just pay the fine anyway - so would appear the policy's not achieving the stated aim