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.

I’m loving all the complicated explanations for parents taking their kids out of school! Parents do it all the time! There were almost certainly no extenuating circumstances, they were just bunking school.

I’m loving all the complicated explanations for parents taking their kids out of school!

Happens all the time.

Someone posts for example that they saw a woman fall over in the street. Most likely explanation is that she tripped.

People pile on with increasingly elaborate stories about obscure medical conditions and other theories which are far less likely but apparently they all have to be given equal weight?

Im guessing its Thanksgiving holiday. Its high season in the Caribbean this week (especially from Wed to Sun) because of the American holiday. So anyone choosing to go there this week is paying extra compared to last week. Many American families I know all fly down to hotels in the Caribbean for big joint mulit-generational holidays for Thanksgiving and many take the whole week rather than just the half week

Im guessing its Thanksgiving holiday

To state the bleeding obvious, we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK.

I was talking to someone at our school who has family abroad and the tickets were double the price in school holidays so even if they were fined it was much cheaper yo pay the fine and go in term time.
Near us there's also a school which does a weird 4 week term at secondary so if you have primary kids at another school to all take a holiday together someone has to be off school. Much better to do it in term time for them too.

Probably just taken them out of school.

We go on holiday this Sunday and are pulling DC's out of school for the week.

As a PP said, the fine is way cheaper than paying what holiday company's charge in the 6 week holiday

@thecrown3 we are in wales and are not supposed to take kids out of school during term time. Our school does not issue fines but we do have to have consent from the school.
I take mine out of school for a weeks holiday as its very difficult for me to go away during holidays with the work commitments I have.

To state the bleeding obvious, we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK.

But also to be very obvious, plenty of people flying from the UK may not be British, or may have family in the USA. Or maybe decided to take a holiday without realising it was Thanksgiving.

My sister lives in wales and allegedly welsh schools allow holiday anytime... I’ve always wondered if this were true?

Not in my DDs school. There is a holiday request form, but permission is always denied .
We were denied permission for DD to go to her sister's graduation. We took her anyway. Now if we have the odd day, we tell them, we don't ask!
No one's been fined though, that I'm aware of.

We holiday during the school term
Its cheaper and less people around.
No fines here in aus and even if they were, they would be cheaper than what we save in total so I'd just pay the fine

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

The OP was going to the Caribbean. It's not going to be the case that's it's not possible to get a school holidays holiday for whatever their term time Caribbean break cost them. More a case of a better holiday for the same money.

I'm in Wales and we are still allowed 10days holiday at the boy's primary school. The secondary school are more cagey about it.
Not that I could afford a holiday to the Caribbean anyway

That isn't a question you want an answer to though, is it? You want to vent about feckless parents taking their kids out of school in term time. Enjoy, as they say.

Parents choose to take their kids out of school during term time for many reasons. Some of the reasons are financial but it's not as simple as that.

We will be taking DS out for two weeks in march to go to Asia. Both me and DH are working but we're also taking the opportunity to visit family. We're prepared to pay the fine but school have actually said they probably won't fine us as they see it as a wonderful opportunity for DS.

BarbaraofSeville actually a lot of European destinations are similar or more expensive than the Caribbean, especially if you look at all inclusive. It would probably still be cheaper to go to the Caribbean in term time than to go to Mallorca in the school holidays.

I know someone getting married in the Caribbean next week. They flew yesterday. There were several kids in their (wider) party, most of whom are school age (plus a few pre-schoolers/babies).

Wonder if the OP was on the same flight as them?

To state the bleeding obvious, we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK.

It is just as obvious that the UK does have international and American schools, which will not be only attended by Americans, these schools will have a break for thanksgiving.

@ EagleSqueak

Maybe they were expats returning from a visit home? I remember being on a train In the uk with with our 3 kids and being asked why they weren’t in school. We were on holiday from Australia.

Jeebus. I can’t imagine people being so nosy to complete strangers!

We once went to an educational attraction with dc in England and were asked by a teacher why dc weren't in school!!
Not only was it none of their business but we were taking them to the same place as the school party.

Really? You posed this question to help you figure out when to take your holidays in how many years?

JingsMahBucket, I honestly don’t think they were being disapproving, just interested. I didn’t tell them we were over for 8 weeks though (two weeks of that was Australian school holiday time and for 3 weeks dd1 went to school in the uk with her old friend from nursery).

More importantly than the answer, why the hell are you worrying about this & not lying on a beach with a rum cocktail in your hand? 🍹 (unless you're jet lagged - didn't look to see what time you posted). My guess is people taking kids out & paying the fine. Some places in the Caribbean are relatively cheap at this time of year before the Christmas prices come in to force. Definitely worth paying a fine for.

Is it really your business ??

🙄 There’s always one isn’t there? If we never spoke about anything that didn’t directly affect us, MN wouldn’t exist.

Well if yesterday you were in an ice cream parlour in a ne coastal town where there was a family with three children aged 15, 12 and 10
It was us and it was the eldest’s birthday
All home edded