To think billboard adverts threatening parents about removing their children for a holiday in term time are a bit well, pathetic.

[BurningBuntingFlipFlop]

Haven't the government got bigger concerns?

Sure a couple of weeks of a child experiencing a different culture once a year during term time isn't that bad?

My children aren't old enough but if they were i probably wouldn't pull them out in term time personally. But i'm shocked that this is apparently a major concern in the education sector right now? What about the parents who just don't give a shit if their kids ever go to school? Or the cuts that are happening?

I can't find a link, they're in Manchester anyway.

sleep I didn't say the post about private school parents paying for holidays during term time.

I know numbers of kids in class is probably what makes the diffference. TBH I think state schools should cram more into their curriculum.

DH and I both think that non-teachers should be heads of schools and that they should be managed like a business. So the head teacher would be in charge of the curriculum side of things and still teach where possible and the manager would be like a burser at a private school. (this is a bit irrelevant to the OP actually - sorry). As you were.....

I know that teacups , it was much earlier on in the thread, but it irritated me!

I think many state schools would like to run that way vintage but the budget won't stretch to a suitably qualified business manager/bursar sadly.

As I had my first family holiday when I was 30 I can guarantee that children miss out when they don't get to go away, even if it's just Butlins or camping or Centerparcs!

If you can take your vacation in the school holidays then fantastic but if you cannot, for whatever reason, then you really shouldn't be made to beg for the chance to give your child such a wonderful opportunity.

I did because parents of kids at private schools pay less due to their holidays starting before and ending after the state holidays. They get far,far longer holidays.

They are able to do exactly what most state parents do,latch on a week before or after the state schools break up. Sorry but if their kids don't suffer why should state educated kids.

Kids are kids however they are educated.

I think they should have 2 weeks in October, 2 in December, 2 in Feb, 2 in April, 2 in May and 4 in July.

Not a bad idea nappyaddict - But none in August ?

Billboards are in Didsbury and Chorlton as it happens. Chorlton being named as "middle class nappy valley" recently, the newsagents on my road has the highest sales of the guardian in the country

perhaps 2 at end of july and 2 in aug??

I could take the whole thing more seriously if schools actually took 'every day's learning counts' seriously. Like having teacher training days in school hols, closing school for a few snowflakes, not having days at the end of term when they just watch videos, no weeks they just spend preparing for tests to make the school look good. My son once begged to stay home and help with housework (!) for a few days at the end of term as he was so bored- I wouldn't have let him watch 3 films in a day at home and I told the head so - The head wanted me to sign DS as sick to avoid messing up his unauthorised absence stats.
I do think schools have to take truancy seriously, but if a family go on holiday for a week or two in school time for some reason, and maybe get the kids to do a diary and catch up work after, surely schools should trust the parents to judge what's best.

Of course, I can't do that as like most single working mums, covering the school hols with 4 weeks leave a year is enough of a nightmare, without taking extra weeks off in termtime. How does anyone do it?

Yeah that's what I meant teacups or perhaps all 4 in August.

missy I must agree with you there! As a part-timer I would have to plan the days I work around the INSET days the individual school chooses. Why can't INSET days be nationally set dates? There is nothing worse than odd annying days for inset & when schools decide to finish for xmas on a Wednesday. Full weeks please!!!

TEACHER TRAINING DAYS ARE DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS.

Before KB introduced them there was one more week of school holidays. That extra weeks holiday has been given over to INSET days. Children are having no less school days.

Yes missy - about the doing a diary idea - I think schools could do much more with this type of idea.

If schools were able to take the partnership idea much more seriously, and trust parents, the holiday could be embraced and supported as a learning opportunity for the child, and sometimes for their classmates too.

After we got back from our snorkeling experience ( we went to Egypt in Easter hols one year) my DS and DD took in their snorkels for show and tell.

I think show and tell is great, but could all be taken much further. It's always nice to see a map up in September of where everyone's been. One of England/UK and one of the world is good !

My Mum always got us to do diaries of our hols, and it's a great way to enhance the learning aspects of a holiday. It may have started because my primary school had a diary competition after the summer hols.

But surely whole weeks are more useful to parents? Especially those that work part-time like many mums do! A Thursday off here, a Tuesday off there etc. is very difficult to plan for.

yours might be doris, I know ours aren't.

Sorry, Buzz but they are. Your kids may have started back, say on Wed this week. Teachers back on Tue. They seem like they are tagged on the end but a weeks hols (used as 5 separate days) has been given over to them since they were introduced 20yrs ago.

I admit I haven't read the whole thread properly, but have skimmed through it and what strikes me is the downright hostility and dismissiveness that so many poster seem to feel towards schools. All this talk of 'They won't learn anything anyway,' and 'They shut when they like for INSET/snow' is really unpleasant. If people's dcs pick up on this sttitude it's no wonder so many pupils at school have no respect for teachers.

Sorry, I can't find the specific poster, but someone accused a school of double standards because they had to have a poorly qualified supply teacher for a GCSE class. That is poor but it's not double standards is it? It's not as if the school set out to deprive pupils of a suitable teacher. I've worked in a challenging school with staffing issues and it's no fun.

And Vintageteacups - You think we should cram more into the curriculum!! Wtf? Have you seen how much is crammed in already? I offer extra help to pupils after school and they struggle to take me up on it because nearly every day they are studying classes after school that won't fit into the school day. On what basis should we be cramming more in?

Still, what do I know, I'm only a teacher.

If kids having a couple of weeks off is such an issue why not increase the term time by a few weeks to compensate?
The only month dd has full month at School is November with more holidays than term. With 1 Wk in February, 2wks Mar/Apr, 6wks summer, 2wks Oct, 2wks Dec plus odd bank holidays/inservice days etc, along with the 12.30 finish every Friday (for teacher training!).
How many parents get over 12wks holiday a year to take whenever they want?
With many parents working in small companies with other parents who gets to decide who can be home with their kids in the holidays, I've seen parents put in for holidays over a year in advance just to get some of the school holidays off.

Oh and if it's such a hot political issue, why are we having an extra bloody bank holiday just because someone is getting married and another extra one the following year just because some old woman hasn't died yet!

Teachers don't get any holiday to take when they want

I don't see why Head teachers can't decide in advance to have all five training days together. If each local area had the same days off, but different to other areas, parents could plan their time off and maybe take advantage of cheaper rates.

LeQueen - I completely agree with you. Your holiday in Tuscany sounds wonderful !

Having 5 days together probably wouldn't be useful as they are used for different purposes throughout the year.