Taking kids out during term time for family holiday?

[NotmySundaybest]

Do any of you do this?
When we were kids we always got took out to go away. I know times have changed & obviously fines are now issued.
Just wondered if you would still take the kids out of school as paying the fine is cheaper than the extra holiday cost?

If you would do this or have how old are your kids?

Since mine have been at senior and mid way through Primary I always book when they've broke up. If I knew they deffo wasn't missing anything important I would be tempted.

If you could only take holidays in the school holidays a lot of kids wouldn't have the chance to go. Being able to take the kids off for 1 week in term time, means people on lower incomes get a chance to take their kids on a holiday. The price difference is prohibitive.

Of course you can understand why people take their children out of school during term time for holidays, if it makes the difference between having a holiday abroad or not.

Please be honest about what you’re doing and please don’t ask for work to do. Thats unfair on the teacher and probably the child too.

I do think there is something of a case to be made for not doing it on a regular basis- every term perhaps. That has the potential to indicate that school is unimportant and it won’t really work when in the workplace.

Ultimately, people do what they feel is right for their family.

As a teacher, I find it interesting the agonising some people do about taking their kids out and debating whether to lie about sickness or whatever.
So many of our parents just phone in v. early in the morning (ie before the phones are manned) and just say "my child won't be in today." We've even had "won't be in all week."
Can't do a thing about it.

Oh, and our Head makes it very clear that no work will be provided for unauthorised absences. Waste of time anyway.

Why is it your business though. Nurses give medical advice and people go against it all the time. In fact lots of health care professionals advise their patients of things they should not do. I think some people need to not take their job so seriously.

We have done it ad hoc over the years.

Last year ex Mil took them abroad to visit family despite exh and me not going we both got fines for them both as they were out of school for over a week (they missed 5 school days).

We paid it as MIL had paid for everything and was a chance for my dc to meet their cousins they'd never been able to meet till now.
(MIL couldn't afford school holidays and we couldn't have afforded the top up.)
Just one of those things.

No. It's nothing to do with the fine. Children should be in school and they need to understand that school takes priority.

I don't. Teachers have a hard enough job without kids missing school and needing to make up lessons.

We do what we can afford in the holidays.

I don't blame people for doing it. It is the difference of going on holiday or not for some people.

The whole don't lie and say your kids are ill thing. I get that. I would never tell my kids to lie about anything. However, if you can't afford a holiday you probably can't afford a fine either.

Do you do this to give the teachers an easier life?

to me that would be at the expense of my children….can’t understand why yo would put a teachers well being before your own kids🤷‍♀️….my kids often look back on their childhood and talk about the lovely holidays we went on ( which we wouldn’t have afforded if we had gone in school hols) ….. my DD now does the same with her girls…

I have done yeah, but I’m in Ireland where they don’t impose these stupid fines. A boy in my ds’s class went to Australia for a month in March and the school couldn’t have cared less. In fact they made him tell the whole class where he had been and what they had done etc.

My GDs went to Australia at Christmas for 6.5 weeks….the head just said have a great time…no fine was mentioned…..think it depends on the head

@Justrolledmyeyesoutloud interesting. Does it vary by area as I was told that schools have to report absence to the council and they will then fine everyone with PR even if it's "historic" and they are no longer involved.

@Kitkat1523 yep hugely entitled, thanks.

Probably why I can afford to take holidays in school holiday time 👍🏻

@Miracleasap Why have you taken such a massive leap from my saying "I find it interesting," (by which I mean I suppose I've noticed, come to think of it, on the back of reading this thread) to "why is it your business and why take your job so seriously?"
I couldn't give a flying fuck if you want to take your child out of school. The only one to lose out (educationally) is your child and that's on you. Just as long as you don't expect me to set work and all is good.
My point was that all people need to do, rather than agonise over whether to lie or not, is to leave an answerphone message with no details/reasons, as the parents at my school have taken to doing.

DD is due to start in September, but we've already booked a holiday which will mean missing 3 days before May half term. As it's under 5 days I'm hoping it won't be a fine, but if it is then it doesn't matter as the holiday was cheaper than what the fine would be!

Until DD is in secondary/GCSEs, I don't see the harm in it, especially if close to a half term so perhaps a week where they are winding down anyway.

get You🙄

Hmm possibly changes from area to
area.

Nope, I don't take them out. There's always something available within budget I find.

Agree with this. I feel like it teaches children that school is less important than a holiday, and that you can break rules when it suits you if you can pay the fines.

I would view it differently if it was a religious holiday or something really special family wise (wedding, funeral), but just to get a cheaper holiday is wrong. I would rather go abroad less frequently and do it properly.

This is something I don't get, if both parents are working it's hard enough to cover all the school holidays as it is, let alone having more time off in school term time.

We took ds2 out for one day when he was in year 9. Request was refused but no fine. Apart from that day he hasn't missed a single day of secondary school despite being in resus and hdu on one occasion with those orange rubber pad things stuck to his chest because they thought they might have to restart his heart at some point.

The only one to lose out (educationally) is your child and that's on you. Just as long as you don't expect me to set work and all is good.

you’re not seriously suggesting that the only place children can learn is school, are you?

"you’re not seriously suggesting that the only place children can learn is school, are you?"

She did specify "educationally", as in following the curriculum that they're going to sit tests and exams for. Well done for ignoring that bit though 🙄

Depends on where the children are from. The schools here finished last Friday and my nieces and nephews finished 2 weeks ago.