Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do you let your DC stay off school on the last day of a term?

128 replies

goaskmum · 12/04/2022 13:42

For example, the last day of school before the Christmas holidays? If it’s a half day and they’re just watching DVDs?

I don’t like allowing DD to do it but sometimes she asks me

OP posts:
HelloDulling · 12/04/2022 20:49

Not a thing here, two DC in 2 different secondaries.

cantkeepawayforever · 12/04/2022 21:08

I have little issue with parents taking their children on holiday / doing something else with their child on the final day of term.

What I resent is parents lying to us about it. I am ok with ‘taken a day off / extra day of holiday/ travelling’ - just tell me. Don’t pretend your child is ill, when you drove past everyone on the school run with your car packed full of holiday gear.

cantkeepawayforever · 12/04/2022 21:11

(To be clear, I am no more unhappy with parents taking children out on the last day of term than on any other day, and at Christmas in particular, more relaxed still - the other two terms tend to be ‘work till break then e.g. topic-related mornings or lots of messy art’, but Christmas term in particular tends to end with panto / party/ carol services etc.)

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General education
saraclara · 12/04/2022 21:17

Is this a new thing? Because I've only been out of teaching for three years, and I never had any more absences than normal on the last day of term. The pp who said that no-one else is at her kids' school, must live in a very strange area.

worriedaboutmoney2022 · 12/04/2022 21:24

The end of term December 2020 when Boris said we could have a window to see family I think it was 5 days reduced in the end to a day
(And all the time he was breaking rules himself!!)

I took the kids out for the whole of the last week I took annual leave to keep everyone Covid clear before that Christmas and I'd do it again especially knowing what I know now about Boris and gang

GeneLovesJezebel · 12/04/2022 21:24

No.

luckylavender · 12/04/2022 21:26

@goaskmum

When the end of term is approaching, DD would always ask me if she can take the day off as they do no work and she says some of her friends stay off
It's a great lesson to teach children that in life you can't always have your own way.
Figgygal · 12/04/2022 21:30

No the holidays are long enough to cover as it is and they love being at school with friends on last day - its not all about learning

MerryMarigold · 12/04/2022 22:09

No. It's the best day to go in and have a laugh. You need the good bits of school. Plus in my DC school they have an assembly/ awards and DD always seems to win several - each one is a large bar of chocolate which she shares with me!

Original poster
goaskmum · 12/04/2022 23:13

I’m just going to make it clear that I don’t encourage my DC to stay off school without a valid reason, I was only asking to see if it was something parents actually allowed their children to do.

I’ve seen in some PP that some teachers on here have said that if a parent reports their child as ill and the teacher doubts it that they just mark them as unauthorised anyway, is that true? Just curious

OP posts:
UserError012345 · 13/04/2022 09:27

No.

Crunchymum · 13/04/2022 09:35

Not as a rule no, but we are going away last day of term in July (we go on the Friday they break up).

Luckily the school have decided to have this day as the extra BH, in lieu of the Jubilee, so we won't miss the last day.

Ylvamoon · 13/04/2022 09:36

No, they work hard all term why should DC miss out on the fun bits?

Heythere13 · 13/04/2022 09:44

@goaskmum

I’m just going to make it clear that I don’t encourage my DC to stay off school without a valid reason, I was only asking to see if it was something parents actually allowed their children to do.

I’ve seen in some PP that some teachers on here have said that if a parent reports their child as ill and the teacher doubts it that they just mark them as unauthorised anyway, is that true? Just curious

But you already know some do As your DD says her friends take it off
Cleothecat75 · 13/04/2022 09:45

I must live in a mumsnet town. The dc have never asked to be off on the last day of term, nor have they reported high absence rates on that day. I never Even realised it was a thing to be off on the last day.

RaleighDurham · 13/04/2022 09:45

I cannot believe what I'm reading here - that so many people are willing to do this!
Here, on the same Mumsnet that was frothing in rage about schools being closed during Covid.
Astounding.

Heythere13 · 13/04/2022 09:46

I just get over how many kids want to take it off

My kids love their school. And never ever would want to take last day off!

I’m pulling them out a day early for summer holiday. Both are very pissed off with me about it!

CarmenThePanda · 13/04/2022 09:47

No.

Why? It’s a school day.

MerryMarigold · 13/04/2022 10:27

@Cleothecat75

I must live in a mumsnet town. The dc have never asked to be off on the last day of term, nor have they reported high absence rates on that day. I never Even realised it was a thing to be off on the last day.
I definitely don't live in a Mumsnet town. My kids' school is very rough and I'm sure a proportion of children do this but definitely not the majority.
RaleighDurham · 13/04/2022 10:31

We do get a disproportionate amount of children with dental appointments on the Friday afternoons before Bank Holiday weekends.
They must think we're stupid.

shinynewapple22 · 13/04/2022 10:33

Not without a reason, no. We had a couple of times we went away and got flights that were cheaper either to go last day of term or come back first day of term - so did that occasionally but I don't get why you would just let your DC stay home with no particular reason. Doesn't give them the right idea about what working life would be like either - if you just stay home cos you fancy it.

RaleighDurham · 13/04/2022 10:50

There also seem to be a rising number of people who think it's OK to keep their kids off school when it's their birthday.
I mean, WTF?!!!

oldwhyno · 13/04/2022 10:51

No.

tigger1001 · 13/04/2022 21:15

@saraclara

Is this a new thing? Because I've only been out of teaching for three years, and I never had any more absences than normal on the last day of term. The pp who said that no-one else is at her kids' school, must live in a very strange area.
Sadly, it's more than a few years since I left school and it was done then too in my school.
Haudyourwheesht · 13/04/2022 21:40

I'm a secondary teacher and we have around half capacity on the last day. This is a massive increase in recent years: when I started teaching you'd only have 2/3 pupils per class.

I don't tend to put DVDs on unless they're directly related to with they've been doing (as an English teacher there's often the film of the book!), but they'll often be making posters or similar, and I let them have music on.