Breaking up for the holidays

I've never heard of anyone doing this, and pick up/drop off seem as busy as any other day. A few family might book holidays and go a day or two before term ends while the flights are cheaper, but definitely not just bunking off to macdonalds (at least no more the teenagers might bunk off any day).

There's does to be quite a lot of movie watching, extra outside play and fun crafts in the last few days, so still downtime in a different form.

Cultural differences?!?! You're in Scotland FFS 😂

And also don't believe for a second they have "fantastic attendance" if you're youngest thinks it's fine just to not bother going into school because it's the last day and you allow / encourage it.

This doesn't happen! Stop catastrophising. It's school as normal. Registration is taken in every class. The office contact parents by phone (usually an automated response) if children are missing from any class. If the Op chooses to allow her children to leave, she'll be in the minority. All doors are automatically locked to stop anybody entering. The only way they can leave is via the main entrance which is manned by office staff. Some may leave at lunchtime, but if they don't return, their parents are informed

Wtf? Why would kids just miss a day because it’s the last day? That makes no sense.

Or miss most of the day.

One day has got to be the last and here the kids go to school as usual.

The fact the OP isn't bothered about just not sending her youngest child into school says it all really....

Well I’m West Coast Scotland and it’s definitely not done here!

So kid gets kidnapped / run over / runs away and school have absolutely no knowledge they're missing until they don't get home and yu thimk this is a great thing?

We finish up today for Easter, eldest is going in for reg then going with her pals for a McDonald's breakfast. Youngest isn't even bothering.

This is so strange.

My kids would not have wanted to do this. They finished school with their friends at lunchtime and then left to celebrate the end of term.

Even at college everyone gets buzzed in. The pupils have lanyards they hold to a plate and it buzzed them in. As a parent I gave to ring the buzzer and identify myself. You carnt just have strangers walking in willy nilly, it's not safe

The locks on our school gates are to keep people out, not in. And the risk of a child wandering out alone (primary).
But even in the 90s, when gates were just a think kept open until end of school time, we didn't just wander into registration, High 5 the teacher and then declare we're off to breakfast, bye!!

I don't really understand why you're OK op with your kids just skiving school whenever you want. So you just not be bothered to go into work a few days before your annual leave or Christmas close down?

I think it's horrendous that pupils can just walk out of school and OP is boasting about it. Registering then disappearing. What if a fire breaks our. People will be looking for those children risking themselves when they aren't even there . OP needs to have a word with herself. Mentioning Dunblane isn't insensitive, it makes much more sense to have more provisions in place. There's no point using an open gate policy if kids can just leave the school at any time,it only takes one child to leave the door open to put the whole school at risk.if the gates are locked they carnt get in at all. As a parent I've always needed to probe my identity before I enter the school gate, they use cameras and buzzed in locked gate. I much prefer that to an open gate.

The gates might be open, but the building is secure. Your comments are tactless and insensitive, given that Dunblane led to increased security in all Scottish schools.

Thank god English schools aren't run this way. Anyone could get into Scottish schools. Dosent bare thinking about to be honest. They really haven't moved on since the 80s.

Never at Easter in Scotland. It's always a full day. The last day of school for S6 is usually full of nonsense. SMT hold a pizza party for them in an attempt to curb their exuberance. All other pupils are expected to attend for the day and lessons continue. Usually junior classes have easter based activities. There might be catch up assessments for those who missed or failed the first go

In England it was changed to being buzzed in after Dunblane. It's horrendous scottish schools haven't done the same .

Wow. No not normal in England. Kids in school until they are dismissed for mine. Obvs there’s a few kids who may not go in but generally it’s a normal day. Sometimes some fun stuff for Christmas etc but normal day. They’ve got two weeks off!! Adding more time is lost education and surely costs you more in McDonalds!!

We don’t have gates on schools in Scotland. They are schools not prisons.

Why does everyone think it’s physically impossible to leave school without being buzzed? I don’t get it? I’m also in Scotland and the high school doors are just like any normal doors? At a certain time you need buzzed in but can just push the bar (anlmost like a fire door) and leave when you want? No one has to buzz you out? Obviously your told not to but it’s not physically impossible?

East of Scotland here and ds only in S1 but he’s gone in totally as normal full uniform and expecting a full timetable.
However they are not locked in, it’s a school not a prison. I would get a text if they were marked absent for any individual period though.

My DS usually does this. DD never.

also Scotland

I teach in a secondary in England and what you describe is not normal at all.

A child wouldn't be able to come in for registration and then just go off with friends- we don't allow pupils to just leave site and the site is fully secure.

We finished last Friday and it was a normal day apart from finishing at lunch.

I taught normal lessons, we had our termly awards assembly and Y7 were on a visit to local places of worship as part of the RS curriculum.

Just before Christmas, we had Y9 doing assessments, Y10 prepping for theirs in the January etc.

It honestly never stops!