Wouldn’t you take your year 8 child out of school for a week for a once ina. Lifetime holiday ?

[LardLizard]

I’d it saved you over 1k

As a true one off, yes. Although not during any exams and not at the start of a new academic year. Mine is so prim and proper she won't even miss a day of school. Not a stealth boast - makes holidays chugging expensive!

I would, but I think the once in a lifetime excuses are almost always lame. I had a good friend who was disgusted by the people who took their kids out of school to see grandparents in the Costa del sol, but funnily enough when it was to visit her brother in Australia it was a whole different educational experience

As a teacher I'm saying Hell yeah!

No I wouldn’t.

We will at some stage because we want to go to NZ. We also want to go in the NZ spring/summertime. We also want to go for 3 weeks so we can really travel around. Of course that doesn't fit with any school holidays in the UK, so we will tag it around a half term to minimise disruption.

Our children regularly get 100% attendance, luckily they aren't usually ill. I wouldn't ask for work to be provided but I would ask what topics they plan to cover so I can ensure DD does some work around those once w're back so she doesn't fully miss things.

We took our year 4 and year 1 kids out to the Caribbean in September, they missed 5 days of school. The holiday was £2300 but would have been £4500 for the previous week.

My 8yr olds teacher said he caught up with the rest of the class in an afternoon.

My youngest has autism and it was amazing to spend quality family time away, well worth the fines we got.

We took our kids out for holidays in term time up until Yr9. I have no regrets. DH is in the armed forces so he couldn't always take his leave in school holidays. Both our kids got all As and A*s at GCSE and top marks in their A levels.

Do it and enjoy your holiday

Yes absolutely - have a great trip!

I took DD out of school for a week a couple of times in primary school, but not in secondary school. A week is a long time in year 8, and the responsibility is on your child to catch up. The teachers won't help.

As for the posters who suggested lying. Teachers aren't stupid

I only did it for weddings as the date was not of my choosing. We found innovative ways to give our kids holidays and not miss school eg driving to Italy.

Yes, definitely. And a decent Head would support the decision. Education isn't all about classroom teaching.

Yeah 8 yes.

Just pay the fine and go. You should ask for permission from the head first though. They will refuse, because they have to, but this is the way to go about it apparently.

When my DCs are older and we have more than two shillings to rub together we plan on doing this. The fine is usually less than the extra it would cost to go in school holidays.

No, unless truly once in a lifetime eg aged relative living on other side of world.

Yes, have done so and would again. My DH is in the forces and was away all summer so we had a family holiday in term time when he got back. Ours was approved because of DH being in the military so leave is restricted.

Iabsolutely..without a doubt

Who says learning only happens at school

Apparently holly Willoughby children are with her in Australia...and why not

Yes, I certainly would.

I regularly had holidays as a child where I missed the last few days of term, it was completely normal (private school). Education doesn't just happen in the classroom, and even so, sometimes time as a family is much more valuable and important than a week of sitting in a classroom.

yes even if it wasn't once in a lifetime.there is more to life and being on holiday with family can be one of the most needed and rewarding things to a child.

No. I suck it up and pay the extra money to go in the holidays.

It depends what the once-in-a-lifetime holiday is. I mean, if it's only a week long, how once-in-a-lifetime can it really be? Or are you going for the whole of the six week holidays and need an extra week on top? Is it to see the solar eclipse in July?

Yes I would, but I'd lie about it and say he'd been ill.

Don't do this. You are also expecting your DC to lie!

I would however go.

Yes. And what's the holiday (asking for nosiness purposes(?

No. Any school that thinks 1 week off will harm a child’s education irrevocably is probably cramming to the test and you shouldn’t panda to it.

I've done it twice for Disney and planning on doing it again in a couple of years (tagging a week on to half term). Clearly not a once in a lifetime but amazing family experiences that rank as a highlight of all of our lives. Yes they may have some fabulous holidays when they are older but we won't be with them! Don't think we could have afforded in school hols and we also wanted better weather and lower crowds.
Probably wouldn't do it if they were in yr10 or above though, and the rest of the time they are model pupils (and we're model parents!).

Worriedmummybekind
Having a week off does impact on progress and learning.

I'm not cramming to the test. I'm teaching a well designed curriculum where lots of thought and consideration has gone into the order we teach things, when we do assessments etc.
If a child misses a week then they'll come back having missed a section of knowledge and skills which they then have to play catch up. Playing catch up is not the same as being taught the new skills and content in a logically structured lesson with models, scaffolds etc. We don't pluck topics out of thin air and then do a few activities to fill the day.

To say schools who as a week off are cramming to tests shows a total lack of understanding about what goes into teaching.

I'd happily allow a parent to take their child out for a week at ks3, as long as they don't expect me to do intervention and provide catch up for material they chose to miss. I also don't want them calling me up complaining if on that half term' s report their child is behind.

No, as it is an indirect way of telling your child school is not that important. There are so many holidays in a school term, taking a week out of school term is silly

Lying about it and saying she is ill is even worse, what the hell does that teach her?!

Anyway, lots of people do it....