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.

We take the kids out of school in term time for no other reason than it's cheaper to do so. And it's almost always the last week in July when the schools themselves are winding down and seeming to do bugging all.

I do value my kids education but I also value a holiday as well.

That should be bugger all, huh!

"If you don't want to go in school holidays don't have kids"

"Many of the attitudes expressed here just underline how little education is valued by many parents these days. Cheap holidays seem more important than a proper education for their children. How sad."

Some of the ridiculous sweeping generalisations on here are unbelievable and completely miss the point.

We have, in the past, taken DD out of school for one week to go on holiday because OH is self emplyed and spends a great deal of time out of the country. This means that we haven't always been able to book a holiday during the school holidays. In each case the school authorised DD's absence because of this. DD is bright and missing a week of school hasn't affected her education in any way.

Also, the summer school holidays are far too expensive, too hot and too crowded.

Now that DD is in KS2 we go during the holidays, but this means we have had to be more creative about where we go to avoid the crowds. We loathe caravan parks or places like Centerparcs and Butlins, preferring to rent a cottage in the middle of nowhere near some places of interest to visit. We are members of the National Trust and have visited places like Ironbridge gorge, Morwhellam Quay, Beamish, the national mining museum etc. If that isn't educational what is? If we go abroad nowadays we tend to go at spring bank, and holiday in the UK during the summer holidays.

I also think that some of you simply don't realise that the extortionate prices charged by holiday companies during the school holidays makes the difference between whether a family can afford to go away or not.

Now this policy is being taken to such extremes it really makes me think we ( and the gov) need to have a complete change of heart (and policy) on this.

Surely they (and schools) could start focusing on un-authorised absences. Authorised absences are in my opinion, completely different.
They are due to illness, health care (such as visiting dentist), and in the case of occasional term-time holiday, about strengthening families and providing a variety of valuable enriching and educational opportunities.

We should, as a society, be able to use statistics wisely to help us plan good policy. Not be under their dictatorial rule ( especially when used so poorly, with little understanding of differences between authorised and un-authorised abs, or understanding of causal or non-causal relationships )

ooh, do you think it's a Tory way of making sure only rich kids get holidays
They're getting rid of libraries and have made it impossible for many kids to go to uni; anything's possible...
Can't for the life of me think why they're ploughing money into billboards rather than into SN or any other area of education.

Holidays are massively educational

good post jugglingjo - there is a huge difference between the two in my view and this is using a sledge hammer to crack a nut..

I do understand that families need time together without the normal stresses of day to day life and that the only way some families can afford some kind of break of that nature is to go during term time. I also understand that there are parents who cannot get time off during the school holidays so need to request taking their children out of school during term time.

But, I think the majority of the people who are taking their children out of school during term time are doing so to get a better holiday than they could afford during school holidays.

Someone above mentions CentreParcs and the difference in price between going in term time or holidays. well, we're a family who cannot (would not!) pay £1600 to stay at Centre Parcs for 4 nights during school holidays. So we just don't go! It's not madatory. We'd rent a cottage or look to go to Centre Parcs or an equivalent in Europe when we have school holidays and their country doesn't.

Two years ago we went to Croatia for a week for £750 (that's flights and accommodation) for a family of four. In summer school holidays. Last year we went to France and were able to book a 2 bed cottage for £400 and we took the cheap ferry crossing from Dover to Bologne for less than £100 in school holidays and accepted a longer drive. I'm not even going to pretend they were educational. We spent most of the time on the beach knowing that happy children gives us a break!

Other years we've just not had a holiday or we've camped, or we've booked a last minute cottage for October half term. We've even stayed in a grotty caravan park in Suffolk but we just used it as a cheap accommodation base and had day trips out and about. We're now getting to the point where the children are old enough to appreciate being taken further afield so we're camping this year and saving up for a bigger trip for summer 2012.

So I have every sympathy for those who genuinely cannot afford any break away with their family unless they go during school holidays and would expect the school to use their discretion and authorise those absences but as this thread has shown, most people expect a certain type of holiday and use the term time dates to get a better holiday.

When you don't permit yourself to take children out of school during term time or aren't able to do so because you work in a school, then you never have that 'better' expectation, you just look for the best you can afford during the school hols.

"But, I think the majority of the people who are taking their children out of school during term time are doing so to get a better holiday than they could afford during school holidays."

I can't see anything wrong with that?

Me neither Juuule. Who decides whether a family's expectations can be authorised like this? Who decides what is cheap and worthy enough?

We don't do random holidays in this way anyway - we have places we want to go and that's where we go. I've only taken dd out for 3 days so far - but we do pay extortionate rates to visit close family on three continents and I imagine most families just couldn't do it.

Allowing 2 weeks in term time would really help to break the price barrier.

We are very lucky in that we live in a country where education is provided free of charge - yes those who work pay taxes which funds some of it but taxes also pay for benefits, nhs, police etc so no where near cover the cost of a childs eductation. However there are thousands that dont appreciate that and see it as there right to pick and choose when their children attend and believe its there right to have 14 days in the sun etc.

I personally dont buy that a holiday is essential, family time doesnt have to be a holiday it can be anything done together as a family. Children have 13 weeks holiday a year, therefore plenty of time to go away should they choose.

Taking children out of term time means teachers have to play catch up and that means other children get sidelined for having already done the work when it was meant to be done.

I wonder if those who take term time holidays would be fine if they came back and the teacher said ooh i'm having the next two weeks off too and the class was covered regularly by a temp - I am sure they would be the first to complain.

If I wasn't fortunate to afford a little exclusivity during school hols, I'd definitely go in term time for no other reason than to avoid the crowds. That is the absolute worse thing about August. Having a choice between May/June, August or October would ease this a little.

As a single mum, I know how hard it is to find affordable holidays out of term times! I would not want to take my son out of school, or affect his education in any way...and don`t think this sends an acceptable message to the child. The holiday companies should be more flexible and less capitalistic...that way lower income families are not being so manipulated and controlled.

Oh no, no catch up here I'm afraid!

I always just said, if you've missed it, you've missed it. Take them by all means, but you cannot expect the teacher to spend time doing catch up on your return.

As for the teacher randomly taking two weeks off, I think it's a little different as you're a professional being paid to do your job. You know the score when you sign up and as readily discussed, there are many benefits to teaching.

well then the government should do something about the way prices for everything to do with holidays are hiked during school hols!

I too, will (and occasionally do)take my primary aged kids out of school. I'm extremely supportive of the school in every other way, but my family time comes first.

Thing is, LeClaire, they are a business and we don't live in a communist state.

The same people on here saying the government should regulate the travel industry are also complaining about over-bearing government on other threads.

After giving it a little thought reading this thread I really think every family should have the right to two weeks for an annual family holiday in term time.

It wouldn't make a hap'orth (sp?) of difference to their education, except possibly in a good way. And would help to strengthen family life, which is crucial to children's well-being.

Families with relatives living in other countries could add the two weeks to a school holiday, allowing visits of around a month ( which would be useful if you were going all the way to India or such like )

If families can then afford better, more interesting, less crowded holidays then we might be getting somewhere ! ( nice and sunny too, I hope )

I just don't view school the way you do Juuule. I've chosen to put them into a state school and to me, it's courtesy to fit in with their timetable and ensure that my children are in attendance when the school is in operation and the staff are in attendance.

If taking time out for a 'better holiday' is not a good reason imo to pick and choose when your child is present in school. On the same grounds a parent could keep their child off school on random days for all sorts of reasons. If parents want that type of flexibility they should home educate.

On the other hand, I would like to see summer school holidays occur in the month of June, when the UK seems to be blessed with the best weather. By the time August comes the summer is over and it is no wonder people desire a holiday abroad to be guaranteed some sunshine. Maybe a two week half term at May or October would help people be able to get away, as Christmas and Easter are already such busy times for people without children, so the prices are sky high then regardless of schools being on holidas.

I would like to see schools stagger school holidays or rethink the whole school term structure so that there is less of an intensive peak period and holiday companies even out the costs over more months of the year.

It's the hypocrisy that gets me. My DS has attended two primary schools. Both completely regarded Friday afternoons as free play time. The lego comes out and not a teacher is to be seen just classroom assistants. In one on Fridays one classroom was always the DVD room. I asked DS if they put on films about wildlife etc. "No, it's Mr Men". So doing the maths that's approx 18 days per year of questionable educational benefit. I fully appreciate the teachers are probably planning lessons.

Jugglingjo - what if every family wants to take the same two weeks off? Or will there be one of those year planners up in the classroom and families will have to fight for the two weeks off that they want, like at work?

I imagine September and May are very popular times to go away in term time. What's the teacher supposed to do if they only have 10 out of 30 children in at the beginning two weeks of the new academic year?

Last year, because we have 4 children of different ages in different schools with different activities and a heavy workload, for dh & me, the only way we could get 2 weeks together as a family was to take the 7 year old out of school for the last week of term. Teacherr friends I spoke to ( not at his school) ALL said - do it, he'd only be tidying up anyway - and one of them is a schools inspector! Really opened my eyes - HT even commented in a general newsletter that the childern shoudl do their share of cleaning the classroom and preparing it for the next yeargroup!!!

I have to agree with the travel agents being told off for putting their pirces up. I have had 2 (1 was to get married in las vegas) holidays in 14 years so if you can afford it then that is great. I could not afford to take my DS on a holiday during school break. Think they should also review nursery fees.... thats another story....

The problem with staggering school holidays is where do you draw the lines? At one point I had children at schools in different authorities (which is quite common in this area) and I actually worked at a school in a third authority, so staggered holidays would have meant we never got a holiday together.

Rusty, the hols could be standard throughout the country but staggered throughout the year. Lots of 2wk breaks give parents more choice and stop Aug prices going through the roof as everyone needs to go then. This wouldn't happen if there was 2wks in June and 2wks in Oct too. Though. I think somw LEAs having last 2wks in May and others 1st 2wks in June would help more.

But tbh, it is a rare situation to have all your children at school in different authorities and you teaching in another.

The rules should be the same across all schools. A friends daughter goes to a school with a high proportion of international kids, NO PROBLEM when they want to go on hols. Whereas I had to go and BEG the head for 2 days off at the end of the Autumn term to go on a one-off holiday at Christmas. She only agreed because we've had a family crisis.

Even with staggered holidays, you would get parents who expect to be given extra time off. 'Little Sarah needs another two weeks off to go and see her cousins in Leicester because they have different holidays'...