How come there were School age kids on my flight today

[twirlywolly]

I flew to the Caribbean today and there were lots of British school age kids on my flight, can anyone explain how they could be out of school? Could it be private schools having really different half terms or what? Interested as I have a baby and am thinking ahead to being restricted to school holidays for travel.

Hundreds of people still take their kid out of school every year, the fine is all of 60 quid compared to the hundreds they will save going in term time, a week of school wont kill anyone as no one would ever even better an eye lid if a child had a week off through chicken pox.

Our children were at the local school , we used to take holidays in term time

My DH is a hotel manager and isn’t able to take holiday in school holidays , we went as a family to the Caribbean a couple of times

School didn’t fine us , we’d have just paid it if they had , and enjoyed the family time

I would do this in a heartbeat if I didn’t work in a school!

We take ours out in term time for holidays. Not every year but every other year so it doesn't impact too much. DH is a shift worker on fixed holidays, his summer holidays fall anywhere between mid June to mid August, it's a lottery if he gets the Easter time off and never gets May or October.

I know plenty of people who still take their children out of school for term time holidays, the fine is still cheaper than the prices going in the school holidays.

I do it sometimes, not for a whole week but we go a couple of days before half term starts.

then at least some must've taken their kids out of school. I am naive - I didn't realise people actually did that

I take mine out of school most years for a week. Much easier for DH and I to get leave at the same time. Also more choice where to go as not as booked up.

I couldn't care about them missing a week of school as think it is far better to have a family holiday than another week of school.
They are all doing very well at school and not suffering for it at all.

Some education authorities will only fine if it's over 10 days. They will still be recorded as 'unauthorised holiday' but they won't be fined (unless they take more holidays or the child has an exceptionally bad attendance record).
I appreciate not all authorities take that stance!

I can imagine if you have 2 or 3 children the cost of a term time holiday plus the fine could still be less than the cost of going during Xmas holidays.

And as PP have said there are legitimate reasons too.

A lot of schools in Wales allow up to 10 days holidays if their attendance is otherwise excellent.

This being Mumsnet, you have to account for the fact that there could be a myriad of legitimate reasons for taking them out of school, as previously mentioned, but obviously also some people decide 'fuck it' I'm not paying school holiday prices so will take the hit if I get fined as the cost of a term time holiday plus fines is still way cheaper than going in the holidays, plus it will be less crowded too.

Colleague of primary age DC has taken them out of school for the last 2 years and openly says it's because she doesn't want to pay £4k for a week's AI in the sun when she can get it for half that in term time.

The first year she wasn't fined, but the second year she was - £240 as 2 DC and her and her DH were both fined. I remember discussing it because it was at the time that man was in the news about appealing the fines and she was debating whether or not to pay. I can't remember if the man won or lost but I thought that if it was just me, I'd probably pay the the fines because otherwise it could escalate and cause a load of stress, hassle and further expense/sanctions.

Maybe they were going on a school trip.

Maybe they were going on a school trip.

With their parents.

Because holiday prices inflate massively during school holidays and that can mean choosing to holiday in term time or no holiday at all for many.

I've taken mine out a few times a week early rather than a week during a term but tbh I think the experience benefits them just as much as their (tedious) education.

Two kids in my state school class were off school to go on holiday yesterday...

They were going on holiday?

Their parents paid the fine?

There are few flights without school age children on I'd imagine.

Lots of families still take their children out of school for one or two weeks a year, especially at primary age. Yes, they may well get a fine - here it is on day 5 - but the fine is low enough to not be an issue, especially compared to a non term time holiday cost.

Infact many schools have found that school absences for holidays increased following the fines.

To be honest your average child missing 1-2 weeks a year in primary and even up to year 8/9 isn't going to cause an issue with their education.

I say that as someone who has worked in teaching for 20+ years, and as someone who always missed school for holidays as a child as my dad's factory shutdown was in term tune every year. It didn't lessen my respect for school and education either - I still did well in my exams and went into a career on education. I've never actually left education!

Most boarding schools have exeat weekends at around this time.

Are you sure they don’t live there and were going home as their half term/school holiday is over?

We recently returned from Lanzarote where there were school age kids around the pool. Their parents had taken them out of school as the fine was only £60 per kid and they didn't have an issue with that. My sister does the same, the fine is a lot less than the extra cost of paying for half term week.

I'm planning on taking our kids out of school term time for a week to visit GPs who live overseas, we will just pay the fine. Taking them at Xmas when they're off means the flights will be £2.5k more, so the £250 fine is nothing in comparison.

It was a long exeat weekend for some boarding schools.

Welsh schools allow holidays any time

The school will give us the usual BS about their education being at risk for a weeks absence but in 10 years time I'm pretty sure the thing that will mean the most to my kids was being able to spend time with their GPs while they were still here and experiencing another culture. Not another week of prepping for pointless SATs