To take our kids on hol in term-time

[zozzle]

We are taking our kids out of primary school to go abroad in term-time (end of June) and have been surprised at the slightly shocked/negative reactions I have had from other friends (mums in the playground). DCs are 4 (Reception) and 8 (yr 3).

My friends seem to tow the line more than me though, and admit they don't like breaking the rules. Breaking the rules has never bothered me though if I think the rules are unreasonable!

It will be the first time we will have been abroad as a family since DC were born and it's also partly to celebrate my 40th. We have holiday'd in the Uk for the last 8 years and fancied a change this year.

We can't afford to go abroad in the school holidays and the possible £100 fine we will incur from taking the kids out of school (although DC 2 is only 4 and doesn't legally have to be in school yet - so fine will prob only be applied to DC1) will still make the hol much cheaper than going in the school holidays.

Won't the hol be an educational experience in itself for the DCs? Wouldn't do it in SATs years or exam years. It is a v. middle class school with quietly pushy parents.

I just don't get what the big deal is!

It's not 'ruined.' But it's hard to catch you miss two weeks of lessons and it tells a child that it's alright to miss school.

And the same rules do apply to us all

What if you refuse to pay the fine?

Do they actually have a right to issue fines in a legal sense?

If you're a teacher then why haven't you heard about fines 4ducks

Almost all LA's have a fining system in place now.

As for the people saying 'it's only 1 or 2 weeks'....kids already have 13 weeks holiday and then generally a couple of weeks sickness on top during a school year.

I wouldn't do it personally. My mum used to take me out of school for one or two days a month to make a long weekend so we could visit my gran, who lived 300 miles away. Whilst the time with my gran was lovely, I was really behind at school. I think these days off really set me back.

I don't go on holiday abroad these days anyway, it's too expensive so we settle for camping holidays in the uk. So yes I think YABU. Sorry. Although I guess if you got permission from the school and they gave your Dc work to take with them so they didn't fall behind, then it wouldn't be quite so bad.

Christ, the vitriol!

I don't agree with taking children out of school every year, I feel it shows a lack of respect for education. But, to totally contradict myself we did it last year. They had two days off, which was before they broke up for October half term.

We had a rough couple of years with one thing and another and we went away because that's what we needed at the time. Trust me when I say our whole family benefitted from it and if it meant sacrificing two days of school, so be it. Won't happen again and any other holiday we have ever had has been in school holidays. You just budget for the hike in price. There are parents who take their children out once a year for 2 weeks in term time, without fail.

Incidentally, don't all schools give 10 days? And you get a £100 fine? News to me, that one.

Yeah tiggy I thought that too... How odd?

Teachers that condone it should be happy to have a wages cut then, after all, they are teaching one less!

Bogey if you refuse to pay then the fine doubles...eventually you'll end up in court.

The Government are also proposing to take the fines directly from CB to stop non payers flouting the law.

I'm amazed you haven't heard of the fines 4ducks, even if they don't do it in your school.

Parents who go to court also get named in the local paper!

It's very entertaining seeing the slackers named and shamed!!

Our holidays are very educational - I usually read at least 4 books in a week while I am lying by the pool!

I'm in England and I've never heard of it either. Not doubting it, it's just news to me.

And genuinely, I thought all children had up to 10 days authorised leave (can't remember what they call it now) in the school year? Our school even has holiday forms!

Personally I don't agree with taking children out of school to go on holiday at all. There can be good reasons to take children out of school for a time, but cheaper holidays isn't one of them.

Using the ridiculously crap excuse that the holiday will be educational is just kidding yourself. You are trying to justify it, when you should just admit that the only reason you are doing it is for a cheaper holiday. You can go to many countries and learn nothing about them, or you can go and learn nothing of any real value. Everything you could learn about the country that would be useful could be done at home anyway.

The only thing your children are likely to learn about is what flying and airports are like, but that's not exactly life enhancing stuff, and it can be done at 21 as easily as it can be done at 8. It's not exactly hard to navigate an airport so it's not something that needs to be learned anyway.

My parents took me out of school for a couple of weeks to visit my uncle in Germany, we saw him loads so not like it was a one off opportunity. I feel it set me back for the rest of the school year. I never did get to grips properly with long division.

Tbh I have more respect for parents who just say it's all about the money rather than try to justify it as a learning experience. Two weeks in the costa del sol or lanzarote, is not going to expose them to another culture really is it.

I'd take them OP and don't worry what others are saying. It's a week not a month and they're both still at junior school. For me that's fine, once they hit secondary though I wouldn't.

Enjoy!

Bogeyface - the difference is there are no fines and I don't need to ask permission to take them out of school.

YANBU
I missed my yr 6 SATS when my parents took me on holiday. Not intentional, the week for the SATS changed after the holiday was booked. It had zero effect on me. Top sets all through secondary school, ten GCSEs , three A levels etc.

People get very precious about it now, but it was the norm when I was at primary school. Go, and have a brilliant time whilst they're young.

we took dds out for a week at the end of term before easter, we had to fill in a form to explain our reasons and it stated that permission wouldn't be given if the reason was cheaper holidays.

unless it is exceptional circumstances i don't think it is a good idea.

YABU.

Then again I also feel the LAs are BU for fining families.

I would do it, but not every year. (What happened to the 10 days authorised leaved we used to have?)

A week or two over all the primary years is very different from missing three weeks every year. A pattern of missing school doesn't set a great example about the value of education or encourage a good work ethic. However, I can hardly believe a rare term-time holiday where you would otherwise miss out will damage your child's education, and family time is more important IMO.

Someone I went to school with used to get a mysterious week-long 'tummy bug' several times a year and return to school with a tan.... Now, that does set a bad example.

Holidays can be educational - depends where you go and what your do.
I have taken mine to widlife parks in Borneo, to an amazing museum in Wellington, to national parks in Tasmania, to the ice festival in Harbin...