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.

I've never taken my kids on any term time holidays, I think it's unnecessary and it's the reason the rules have had to get so strict.

Throughout his primary years I took my son out of school whenever I decided to. I was never issued with a fine. My son learned so much more during those trips with us than he would have learned within the 4 walls of a classroom within the same timeframe.

Now he is in secondary school we book our holidays for outside of term time however that may overlap by a day or so at the beginning of each school break.

To answer your question though, no, the new rules would not have made the slightest difference to our approach if he had still been in primary school.

My son is in the top sets for his subjects and it hasn't had any detrimental impacts on his learning whatsoever.

At my sisters school where she's the headteacher and has been for a long time, it's not the parents who wish to take their children out of school for a holiday for a week or two that is the issue, it's the parents that can't be arsed to get their kids to school on time or the ones that couldn't give a shit if they're in school or not at all that are the problem.

Just lie. Leave your phone at home and call in with chicken pox or something.

No because we don't take the children out of school during term time. In our family Granny recognises that the children should be in school and pays more for holidays so my DC don't miss out! It's also amazing what the DC forget. Museums, historical landmarks, places of interest. Can tell me absolutely nothing besides where had the best ice cream. In my experience its not really a better learning experience than school because they forget they've learned virtually anything at all often even that they went on holiday.

They’ve never been authorised where I am in NW I don’t think….I took mine out unauthorised….any my DD now takes hers out unauthorised….we’ve never been fined though

Yep, they're working - they're working to let people on lower incomes know they are not able to have holidays like the rich children, and they're learning that they shouldn't have nice things because they're not worthy enough. And you're so gleeful about it too, what a lovely attitude!

Everyone cuts their cloth according to their means. I do. So should the OP, without giving the message that school.is optional. This holiday is free for her. She might well be able to afford something less in holiday time.

Bollocks. You're trying to justify taking your DC out of school with tired tropes as "making memories"

You don't need to "go away" in term time to "make memories"

I cut my cloth accordingly. My cloth managed a term time holiday at Butlins. It was £180. In the school holidays it was £850. I just can't do it otherwise.

Sure. My means mean I can afford a holiday in term time and not in August. You seem to be advocating that only rich children should experience holidays due to arbitrary term dates and uniform price hikes and I can't get behind that inequality.

Can you not go for a day less so you keep the sessions missed down?

we take time off each year but if the three years my children have been in compulsory education we've missed 8 sessions for two years and six sessions another year for holidays.

And you don't need to attend every single day of school in order to get a good education.

Except everybody doesn’t lll.when it comes to holidays ……I took my Dc out of school to afford a better holiday…..my DD now does the same

Exactly. The prices are absolutely ridiculous in term time. Why should poor kids miss out. It's very different where I live in Wales. The attitude is so different to a lot of people on here, who are totally against taking kids out of school at all. 1 week a year, especially at the end of term is hardly a crime. Fines should be for persistent absence, less than 90%.

I do wonder if there is a difference in how many children are regularly taken out, for how long, and what the parents do to catch up. Culturally, my understanding is that Scottish parents take education pretty seriously (that may have changed over time, I don't know).

Data would be great.

@TheRavenSaid I don’t need to justify anything as I’m comfortable with the decisions we made for our family. Albeit as stated many times, my choices are not what this thread was about.

@pinkfleece Such a sweeping statement from the limited information you have on me, to say that I send the message that school is optional. I do not think school is optional and nor do my DC. I hope that clears things up.

So don't go to Butlins......

No you don’t…..but it’s fine to choose this option….I did and now my DD does…..no one needs to justify themselves to the likes of you

So don't go to Butlins......

Words to live by

PP can go wherever they please…..and whenever they please….fuck all to do with anyone else

It's silly to suggest that only the rich can afford holidays in school holidays, I managed it and I'm not rich, I'm a single parent.

Your child should be at school at all times…unless they’re suspended for answering back/school have an inset day/teachers are on strike. None of which I think are bad things but let’s not pick and choose when their “education comes first”. Especially when it comes to SEN kids but that’s a whole other story!

I think the main reason it’s clamping down is councils are trying to scrape together every bit of money they can

...good for you? I can't afford the same holiday in August as I can in term time so my choices will be different. Not everyone is the same as you, makes the same choices as you, or has the same life as you. What an odd little world it would be if they did.

I don't know how working parents can take term time holidays - that results in less annual leave to take over the actual school holidays which means spending money on childcare which would potentially cancel out savings on the trip away.

I've never done it as it'd just cause us a headache over the six weeks over summer.