OK, one vote each...

[ClockWatchingLady]

Should schools/LEAs allow parents to take children out of school for a holiday (once per year, say) during term time?

There's been plenty of debate already, so let's just have a little show of hands so we can count up...

I say YES.

Personally I don't care - I work in a school and can't take annual leave in term time - BUT we do get fourteen weeks off y'know. Plenty of time for holidays. It can't be that much cheaper in the week before the summer hols?

I'd be interested in a breakdown of how much cheaper the average holiday actually is outside of term. I never look!

Sorry, one word.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

It's not even about foreign holidays for many families.

Our Haven holiday is costing £850 to go in the summer holidays (with a £350 discount because we booked early). If we were going in June instead, we'd be paying £400. It's double the price and then some to go in the holidays and the only reason we are affording to do so is because they now offer a monthly payment plan. Dp works long hours and needs the break and we need time as a family together. Dc are at school on time every single day apart from medical appts. I wouldn't take them out near SATS or anything else important but I feel time together without all the stress of every day life is equally important.

No, but head's discretion for odd day for close family wedding/funeral or a very exceptional circumstance for holiday (thinking parent with terminal illness etc)

No, two weeks per year is too much. Odd days, parental discretion but I can't begin to imagine the disruption that would be caused in the class if every Monday the teacher had to begin to catch up on the work missed by the children who had been away on their jollies for the previous two weeks. Also think it's worth noting that genuinely poor children will not be going on a two week or even one week foreign holiday no matter what time of year it is. Poor people in this country aren't worried about the price of holidays, they're worried about the price of food.

No

No.

We should be campaigning against the ridiculously inflated prices during school holidays, it's almost extortion.

yes

Teacher here and it doesn't make that much difference compared to the socio/emotional development. Should only be granted depending on attendance though.

Yes.

Yes

No

Have we had an invasion?

NEVER. Just accept your responsibilities. There is no God given right to a fancy holiday in this life. Spend the family allowance on the children rather than the holiday fund

Need to fix the root cause, don't play into the hands of (those bastard) holiday companies / airlines / tourist industry charging way OTT during school holidays. Don't prejudice our children's education because of corporate greed!

Why not. School is nothing compared to the education of life. Teachers are nothing but disciples of the man and I tell my kids this every day thy will break free from society

I hope so, otherwise one might as well just read the daily mail and be done with it.

No unless there are exceptional circumstances and then at HT discretion.

I'm a teacher. YES for things outside parental control such as family weddings/funerals and shift patterns in jobs that cannot be adjusted such as emergency services.
BUT parents should never expect teachers to provide work to take away to a "social" event (long-term sickness is obviously different) OR teachers to catch up children who have been absent for a social event. Therefore if your child misses the week on learning how to do long division/write a critical essay/answer a particular part of the exam parents should accept that as the choice they made in their child's education.
Responsibility works both ways. (But I know this will never happen and LEAs and parents will still blame teachers for pupils not meeting targets, even if the pupil had a two week family holiday, an extra long weekend for a wedding, a day for a funeral, a week off for the flu and three or four other days for assorted other ailments culminating in about 4 full weeks missed from what some people already argue is too little time in school...)

No.

Because "they" wouldn't put the resources in place to catch the children up. What frequently happens is that the 1-to-1 TA of the statemented child is borrowed to catch up the tanned, refreshed child.

I do not believe that a child who is taken out for holiday is disadvantaged by so doing. I'm thinking purely about the teacher and the rest of the class.

No way

Yes

There are lots of reasons for Term Time 'Holidays - not simply because it's cheaper. Some people need to think about those reasons instead of just assuming it's to do with money FFS. About 2 years ago a MNer was told 'No' she couldn't take her DC out of school for a family holiday - despite it being paid for by a charity & despite her DH (the childrens' Dad) being very ill (possibly terminally ill?!) and him at that stage looking likely to be able to make it, whereas if left until a time that suited the school he wouldn't have been likely to have been able to be there.

Yes.

And no stress filled nonsense about 'we'll do something educational about the trip while we're away' - ffs there are equally vitally important things about growing up equipped for life like being with a family and spending quality time together. I'd rather you as a family had a week you'll always remember messing around on a beach than came home with some forced essay.

(Teacher).

Provisos - if you do it during SATS I'll judge, and if you take the child overseas for months at a time several times a year every year (child not receiving schooling while overseas) I'll advocate for your child to the authorities. But I'll still defend your right to a family life.

Yes

no

No. Our job as teachers is to educate and help students achieve. If children miss school because of illness, it's difficult but we do our best to help the child catch up. However, if a child misses school due to parents taking them out, it would be completely unreasonable for those parents to expect teachers to spend lunchtimes helping them catch up. If parents don't prioritise their children's education that's up to them, but it's a stretch too far to expect schools to look kindly on it.

No, of course not, apart from very exceptional circumstances. Bloody stupid idea. 30 pupils in a class each taking a week off, imagine how disruptive that would be.

YES, one week is enough though.