To think ONE holiday ONCE in term time should be allowed

[SilverStreak7]

Basically we booked to go away on a Sun Break (don't buy and newspaper but did buy for the vouchers) and only date we were given was next weekend .. We didn't think it would cause a major problem as my older two , when younger, came on two such holidays with us with no problems .. Now though Im given a letter (with a form to fill in) and letter says if permission is denied Id be liable to a fine or court action .. Some will say we have had six weeks for holidays, which is true, but Im on a limited income as only me and my boys and term time holidays are very expensive and I want them to at least have one holiday away . . This will not be a regular thing . ,probably won;t go again in term time.

To be more reasonable I have said if Homework is given I will make sure it is done and ready to be handed in on Tuesday

I'm a teacher,have been for ten years. My children 4 and 1) have never been on holiday and the last one I went on was 5 years ago, 4 days in the UK.

I think you are being unreasonable, holidays aren't a right. It is so difficult to plan and help children catch up when so many miss lessons for this.

Actually Saffy, the fact that teachers think they are poor speak volumes about what they understand about most families' finances. I am a school bursar and I see it time and time again - teachers who think £10 for a school trip is easily affordable.

This is an interesting thread to see the strength of opinion. I am a secondary school teacher. I am unable to take holiday in term time quite understandably. Therefore it's many people other than families who are affected by this system.
I see first hand the effect of students taking time off. It is VERY easy to run up a significant time of absence when you include being late, illness, etc. students have plenty of time where they are not in school, that I do not feel it is acceptable to take time off in term time. I'm sorry but you need to put education first so your children value it and work to their full potential.

Yes, Soverly, but It's relative. Being a poor teacher means not being able to give your children swimming and gym lessons, being poor means it's a choice between the school trip tenner or food next week and sadly lots of families are in that position.

But, on the other hand, you have to pay around 20% more to go on holiday during school holidays. That just shouldn't be. There shouldn't be a penalty because you choose not to break the rules and take your children on holiday during the specified breaks!

It makes me quite cross.

DS isn't school age yet, so we've been able to go when we want, but I can seriously see the temptation.

It's only 2 days; I wouldn't have even asked the school but would have written sick notes for the terrible tummy bug my boys mysteriously had all weekend.

The school might be suspicious but how are they going to disprove it?

If you were taking them out for a month etc that might have been different but how is missing 2 days going to affect their education?

Go & have a great time

We are looking at next years holiday. I looked at prices for Easter Hols, then 14-30 Jun, then 1-14 Aug. Easter and Summer holiday periods were double the price of Jun and 1 week at Whitsun was the same price as 2 weeks in Jun. I can see exactly why people do it.

But again, in OPs case we are talking about 2 days, not 2 weeks - and at the very start of term. I honestly cannot believe it would cause that much disruption, to the students or the teacher (and don't believe it has warranted some of the more 'robust' replies she has had - yes OP was rude, but I'd expect she is pretty pissed off)

I don't suppose it could work in practise, unless someone somewhere really wanted to make it anyway, but I'd like to see a law that said the cheapest and dearest price for the same holiday over the course of a year can't differ by more than (say) 25%

" If it comes to it I will withdraw them and home school them .. "

I think this would be an excellent idea. It's beyond most parents, but if you can I think you will benefit from removing you DC from institutions where you are at such odds with the ethos.

So originalsteamingnit and ilovesooty, if you don't take your DC to the GP when they have a 24 hour bug, then you wouldn't be expected to provide a sick note I take it? So I still don't get it. Why would it impact on the genuinely ill?

Parents under scrutiny of the EWO are expected to provide evidence of a medical appointment every single time their child is off school, or else the absence is unauthorised. The letters we are sent are horrible and threatening and no different from the ones that parents receive because they think it's OK to let their kids have duvet days, take them shopping on school days or before taking them to school, even if it means they will be late, or let them stay off because it's the poor bairn's birthday, or just don't bother to send them at all.

I'm planning to take my dts out of school for 4 days so we can all go to my dh's home country together. They are Year 1 and I think the cultural benefits outweigh the loss of 4 days of formal education

I do think you should be able to take your kids out every few years in primary for a holiday.

My eldest dds had 2 holidays before they got to 13-i doubt it impacted their grades. We would love to take smallest one who is 5 on a florida holiday with her big sisters in July after middle one finishes her GCSEs but clearly this would have a devastating impact on her fgs

But you can still have the time off if it's on religious grounds. If you want the time off send your child to a faith school. It's always one rule for one and another for somebody else. Why not extend the courtesy to those who can't afford a holiday....

I'd like to know what made the situation change this year (no holidays allowed)from the one we have always had (10 days at the discretion of the head)?

That's good point revealall, we have a family who are member of The Church of something or other. I'm not being disrespectful, but I can't remember the correct name. It's not a mainstream church and basically seems to involve celebrating all the festivals for all the "core" religions. They are off constantly!

The problem with it being at the discretion is the head is different heads have different levels of discretion which did make the system unfair with some children being allowed whatever holidays they wanted and another school not allowing any at all.

I would have thought stopping days off for religious reasons would be classed as discrimination. Given that the majority of faith schools in most areas are Christian based it isn't as easy as just sending your child to a faith school. If you are Christian they the school calendar pretty much follows the Christian Calendar so there would be no need for a religious day off but for those of other faiths their celebrations don't fit neatly into the english holiday dates.

The situation has changed because of changes to Ofsted the impact of performance management on schools and what Gove and Wilshaw deem appropriate in terms of standards.

It's no good talking about how things used to be because things are different from how they used to be.

It is not about whether a couple of days off in primary will matter much or whether attendance is generally ok. The law has changed and this is all about accountability and the fact that one poor Ofsted puts a school's existence and people's jobs in jeopardy. Headteachers won't risk that when their decisions have to be justified.

Of all the times to go I would have thought September/October are the absolute worst. This is the time the kids are being taught the essentials for the entire terms work.

Well done OP for not considering lying.

To those that would: you'd really lie about your child's health?

Making your child lie to a teacher is awful. This is an adult they should have a deeply trusting relationship. For little DC having to lie is a BIG DEAL in a world when adults teach them lying is wrong.

Would you really risk the relationship your DC has with their teacher?

I find that a very depressing thought.

I know some people are anti-religion but really, comparing it to a holiday???

Is it okay for teachers to go on holiday seeing as it is so expensive during the school holidays?

As a teacher, I personally don't mind if the child goes on holiday, so long as I'm not expected to set work, mark catch-up work, or have to answer why little johnny didn't do so well this year. That is all little johnny's and the parents' responsibility, not mine.

But I would be even more understanding if I were allowed to take holidays leaving the kids with a supply teacher for a week. An idea that I'm surprised many parents don't whole-heartedly support considering how much they think that a week off won't hurt their child's education.

My sister's a high school teacher. She's childless and single.

She genuinely couldn't even afford a Sun holiday this summer.

She lives in a very quiet area, but it's 'touristy' so the rent is extortionate. She also pays a lot towards her car each month.

Her biggest bug bears are kids strolling in late to her class, homework not being completed, and pupils having days off for daft reasons (holidays included). It messes up her lessons and definitely does interfere with the other pupils' learning.

She has this year decided that she will volunteer to hold a session at interval/lunchtimes 1-2 days a week to catch up the absentees (unless they had a good reason for being absent, if so they'll be helped in class time) and latecomers on missed work. It's then up to the children whether or not they care enough to attend the extra sessions.

She's been back 3 weeks now, and out of six lunchtimes only 2 children have bothered showing up for the extra lesson, despite there being numerous children just arriving back from holidays last week.

To be honest, I'd rather just save up the money for a year or two and try and go somewhere cheap during the holidays. I'm in Scotland, and most places only up there prices to coincide with English holidays, so I manage to find a cheap caravan for the last week of June/first week of July.

Op, i think your children can have the best of both worlds here. It'll just take a bit of planning and organisation. Leave Friday afternoon after school, and come back Sun night.

Well, that seems to have gone well....

I have two GCSE pupils sodding off for a fortnight each, starting today. One missing exam revision, one missing a Controlled Assessment. When they miss their target grades it'll be my fault, of course.

But the end result of taking time off for religious reasons is the same as a holiday.
Everyone has a "reason" for taking time off in term time. What makes religion allowable then? Especially when people on here always say home school as the answer to not following a schools ethos. No faith school near you.There you go.

As the rules have only just changed maybe there should be an amnesty for the first term at least as there might be people who booked a while ago before they were informed it is now a definite no-no. Don't the Sun holidays just allocate you a date, so you have little control over when you go? I think you should just go anyway, phone in sick if you have to, but there again I am naughty like that!