Are the new term time holiday laws making you re think holiday plans?

[WindyTums]

Every year, my parents and in laws pay for the whole family to go on a European lodge based holiday. It’s during term time as school holiday costs more than double. DH and I are the only ones who have school aged DC (secondary).

Every year the holiday is arranged for either just before the Easter holidays or just before the October half term. We always go and it’s a great experience for everyone.

This years gathering is just before October half term and I’ve agreed to take the DC out of school for this, accepting we will be fined.
One of our elderly relatives has a milestone birthday next year and it has been agreed to book the next one for just before the Easter holidays. It’s likely this will be elderly relatives last time going.

However, for DH and I, this means our DC would need to be taken out of school again within a six month period and will result in a hefty fine as we have 3 DC. Whilst I could accept the fine, it would mean we could not take a family holiday during term time for another three years due to the new laws.

We simply can not afford school holiday prices. We are planning to decline the Easter gathering but I’m really disappointed and upset for my DC.

I suppose the new laws are clearly working if there are others like us?

Before anyone tells me that holidays are a luxury, not a right, I’m aware of this. However, you can’t tell me this affects the rich and their DC in the same way. It’s another way of separating the haves and the have nots. Nobody on their death bed ever regretted family time.

A day or two is ok IMO, but a full week in term time twice in one year at secondary level is problematic.

My DC aren't school age but I intend to take term time holiday's if that's the only way we can afford to. Depending on the policies and our finances at the time I will have to consider how this will look.

I work in and out of schools and with a few exceptions (start of the year, exam time, year 6, GCSE's, A Level) I am certain that a holiday once a year will be more beneficial to them both in the short and long term than a lot of the schooling I have seen. I observe a lot of classes from nursery - year 11 and to say that education in it's current state is more beneficial isn't reality. This is absolutely not on the teachers but the system isn't fit for purpose in many areas and education doesn't just happen in a classroom.

I'm somewhat baffled by this "However, you can’t tell me this affects the rich and their DC in the same way. It’s another way of separating the haves and the have nots."
Do you think private schools let kids come and go on a whim? They don't. They have long school holidays and longer school days to make up for it. There is little cultural tolerance for then completely taking the piss and removing your kids to save £ on a holiday when you already have 14-16 weeks a year to play with.

Granted the super rich just take tutors with them and enrol their kids in schools that are this flexible but there is little to be achieved by comparing our lives with theirs.

Anyway, that aside, if it's not been booked and it's broadly all the same people why not all go somewhere on a combined holiday at Christmas? Otherwise, I'd suggest that one of the two holidays is going to have to be a parent(s) trip

We've never taken kids out of school to go on holiday although I think it's ok at primary age. Although it's lovely to go abroad it's not essential. Our teens have only been abroad a couple of times and both during October half term for 4 days. It's better than nothing and means they don't miss school.

I agree with this, my DS has now left school but I never once took him out of school for a holiday, I was off the opinion that if I couldn't afford a holiday in the school holidays I couldn't afford to go on holiday

My parents were of the opinion that unless my head was hanging off I went to school so I guess it was instilled in me from a young age & my DS is now the same with work, never off sick etc

We're taking DS out in July his school breaks up midweek so we're going the Saturday before, the prices are cheaper and he only misses two days and no one will convince me he'll miss loads of learning in the last two days of year one

Some schools can’t afford ONE qualified teacher per class let alone two!

Thankfully no fines in NI and schools are more lax. I did take dc out of school for a total of 4 days last year, which was 2 days tapped on to the start or end of a half term. If I was going to get fined I wouldn't have done it.

Team @pinkfleece here

@VivaDixie If only that were true 😁

We do European CPs at Easter and it is only very slightly more expensive the week before the holidays as the actual week of the holidays. In fact I’ve just checked and it’s about 200 euros more, so less than a fine. And it is always empty other than a few Brits. I’m told that Belgium and Holland schools don’t really have Easter holidays hence the prices are broadly similar.
Two separate holidays in the same school year personally I think it taking the piss at secondary.
I speak as someone who is taking her primary school kid out for a week next year.
Adult milestone birthdays don’t seem a good reason, what adult gives a shit about their birthday enough to ask other peoples children to miss school and their parents to get a fine?
Personally I would do one or the other.

Yes has definitely made me think twice. So far I have only taken my eldest out before she was 5 so no problems there and then we took her out last year for 4 days at the start of Year 4 (same teacher/friends so no issues) so no fine due there either. My youngest has just started and in my mind I was quite gung ho about taking them out for holidays (max 1 per year) but it has definitely made me think we will have to do it wisely.

@pinkfleece that is my point; that they are working. I don’t know why posters are jumping on me with such smarmy comments. I thought MN was a place for debate and discussion.

I did not ask whether people agreed with me for taking my DC out previously; we all have differing opinions on this. To me, it’s been important and valuable. To others it’s not, and that’s ok.

To call me entitled and privileged because I’m disappointed that my DC will miss out because we can’t afford to do something is ridiculous. Is nobody ever allowed to be disappointed because there are people worse off?

My OP specifically asks whether people are re thinking plans, it’s relevant to the new laws. Yet posters are frothing at the mouth to tell me I’m wrong and entitled for doing something that has worked for our family.

Fortunately we don't have this nonsense in Scotland.

How would this work? My colleagues couldn't cover my lessons if I went on holiday, because they'd be busy teaching their own classes!

DC have life long family memories which outweigh the downsides of missing a few days of school (let’s not pretend we have state of the art education in the UK, our schools are a mess).

It’s interesting that you posted this, because I was just thinking as I read the thread how we’ve all, collectively, lost sight of how privileged we are to have free education available to our children, and that as a society we undervalue it greatly.

If your in-laws and parents want you there, and you’ve declined twice, why do they not consider going every other year and pay to have you there in school holidays

you caving before and taking the kids out has now set a precedent

tell them no, keep it no and that you’re not going to fall foul of school and the fines.

They are answering your question though! By saying 'No, I'm not rethinking my holiday plans, because I don't think it's right to take dc out of school for holidays'.

No term-time holidays for me until I retire from teaching, unfortunately.

I wouldn't particularly care if parents took their kids away in term time if I didn't have to catch them up. There's a girl in my Y8 class who's missing the first 2 weeks of the school year!

@NoSquirrels We are privileged to have access to education, but this is what we pay taxes for. If you read some of the threads on MN, you will see the state of education at the
moment .

However, this is rightly not a reason to miss school; I was simply explaining that my DC have gained more from quality time with granny than they would have in a maths cover lesson where the class were disrupted by lack of qualified teacher. This is the situation regularly in many schools.

many things are not a life necessity but life is so much better with them….including lovely holidays…..my DD will continue to take her DC away in term time…as will lots of others

I live in another country where this would be totally unacceptable. I've missed weddings etc because it's just not possible - risk of losing school place for too much unauthorised leave! Making memories on holiday is mostly bollocks anyway - kids forget it all, don't put importance on the same things as adults.

@Kitkat1523 Agreed. We could all die tomorrow, my last thought certainly won’t be “thank goodness my DC missed no school” .

I feel it’s about balance; of course education should be prioritised, but unless in exam years, how harmful is one missed week to spend with family in the grand scheme of things.

No.

My ds is on a 50% scholarship at an independent school. Summer holidays start July 8th or 9th so I always book a holiday in that 2nd week of July, saving me £1k+. It cancels out some of the fees.

Its not just about what your child will or won't gain, its also about the impact to the other children in the class and the teacher who has to spend time teaching your kids what they missed. Its extremely selfish, which isn't exactly the lesson you hope to teach your kids during a week in Europe.

Am I reconsidering term time holidays due to the new rules? No but that's because my eldest is now Y8 and it no longer feels appropriate to take him out (have taken kids out for 3 days pre half term for last 2 years and still saved hundreds if not over a thousand);