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

Hi I am moving into the huntington area in Staffordshire and wanted to vain an understanding of what the primary and senior schools are like. I'm bordering penkridge but seem to be out the catchment areas for those schools

I have a friend who has always taken her children out of school for holidays - every year. One year she took her youngest away the week before SATS, and the eldest a week before the GCSEs.

As none of the children were academically gifted it wasn't a great idea. Neither child performed well in their exams.

MaisyPops I’m a primary school teacher. When you used the phrase “well designed out curriculum”, I stopped listenening. Primary school education is broken by a overcrammed curriculum and over testing, resulting in long term mental health problems for some and stress for many children. Any act of passive resistance by parents is a good thing in my book. One day we might have a situation where we don’t test 5 year olds, where being happy is a primary measure of success and writing is put on the back burner until KS2 in favour of exploration, reading and basic maths. Until then, remove your children as much as you can and refuse to play the game. Lots of teachers think the same as I do, but we probably won’t tell you at parents evening.

Worriedmummybekind
That's quite worrying for such small children.

We've designed our ks3/4 curriculum to introduce certain topics at certain points. We've got it designed spirally in places so that knowledge is consolidated and developed as they move year to year, and we've viewed what we assess and mapped out where every assessment will fall.

One year we published when all controlled assessments would be and the topics for Year 11. A parent decided their child needed a 2 week holiday and then complained about me to the head because I wasn't doing catch up 1-1 for their child. Tough luck. They chose to take their child out of school because clearly having a holiday was more important than what we were studying. If they want their child to be taught the GCSE course in appropriately structured fashion then they should ensure their child attends school and not go on their jollies.

Bad idea to lie @colditz, that means your 12 year old also has to lie and not speak about his/her amazing holiday. They are unlikely to be able to accomplish this so will just drop you in it anyway!

I took my kinds out of school the last term of school when one was in Year 3 and the other in Year 5. We had a sabbatical, and I "home educated" which devolved into "unschoooling" pretty quickly.

They were absolutely fine, no problems at all. The Year 5 student had some holes in his knowledge about Victorian England which have long since been plugged. He did sulk about a missed class trip.

They are good students, but there were NO negative consequences and massive positives from living in Rome for four months. I did have to work with the school so they weren't de-registered.

I read that wrong, sorry. I though it was an 8 year old.
My son is in Year 8 now and we are pulling him out two weeks early for another work trip this July. He is furious, but Year 8 is really the last time you can get away with this (at least in Wales).

He is a very good student and currently not pushed in his Year 8 work. The school is supportive.

My parents took me and my sister out of school quite a few times, we didn't grow up in England though and it wasn't frowned upon .
We were almost straight A students, got our degrees , postgraduate degrees and good jobs. I don't remember it being a big deal.

I think if it's your last year at school or pre GCSE's exams then it's probably not a good idea. But at primary school i really don't see what the problem is. Although all kids are different, my niece for example really panics when she has be miss school even when she's ill and has doctors note. She hates missing school and she's only 8.
It's really parents' and kids' call, depends on the circumstances,

I'd do it for my kids as long as it didn't interfere with any exams.

So Iv paid 540£ for flights, accommodation and a hire car for a 14 night holiday. Term time.

In the holidays the same would be 2000£+ it's a no brainer really . Even with a possible fine

If I wasn’t a teacher then yes. But I can’t so won’t. I do plan a career change in the next 10 years though. My sister lives in Australia and it’s currently impossible to visit for a decent holiday at at a reasonable price. We went when I was on maternity leave with my youngest daughter. Her ticket was free but for me, DH and 3 year old it was still £3k. We went around February/March which turned out to be the rainy season. Spent a fortune whilst there despite staying with family for 2 of the weeks. And an almost week in a campervan. I’d love to be able to do it more often but the 6 weeks holidays is far too expensive and their winter and the other holidays are all too short really when you take jet lag into consideration. I currently work part time so did take the children out for a few days one Easter for my big birthday as the cheaper week overlapped with going back to school but coincided with my days off. School were fine, my kids have excellent attendance (chickenpox and D&V caused their only absences the last year or so).

I took my dd out of school for a trip to Australia, I picked Xmas and took the last two weeks before Xmas and the first week of the spring term - making a total of 5 weeks

The head was fine with this as he explained that the last two weeks before Christmas to his mind were list due to Xmas play, tiredness at end of term. This was his view not mine

I think it depends when you take them out of school and the how the head views the situation

Yes, do it BUT... don’t lie, be up front with school and if they fine you, accept school are only following procedure and don’t slag them off to anyone who will listen...

Yes I would as a one off. I'm taking my dc out of school for 4 days this academic year for a holiday (Disney) over a big birthday. It was approved by the head teacher

Everything worriedmummy said. Former teacher here.

All I want to know is where is this once in a lifetime destination?

I'm a primary teacher. Yes I'd take them out of school and no I wouldn't be honest, I'd lie and say they were ill.

2 weeks a year will make absolutely no difference to their education. They can easily catch up.

I'm shcked that a teacher would lie

Worriedmummy I completely agree with you. The stress for both pupils and staff at primary is not only unnecessary it is also ruining lives.

All I want to know is where is this once in a lifetime destination?

Blackpool, for me It’s a once in a life time experience- never again

Definitely! DS has just been off school for a week with flu; he's missed quite a lot but he's almost caught up!

No, I don't want them to think school is optional and can be ditched for something fun.

I wonder what the correlation between those in the workplace who take a day off when sneezing or lie about being ill to go away and children who are brought up being kept off school for holidays, duvet days, days out etc.

I’d be really worried about my parenting if one, once in a lifetime holiday undid all my instilling of good values around education, school and work tbh.

Yes op without reservation. Do it and enjoy it.

Indeed Carol danvers our school also makes us pay for expensive holidays they take the dc on so...