To think that people just don't get supply and demand

[bottlenecker]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26093691

If airports are currently running at capacity then how can lowering taxes on flights help people get a cheaper holiday.

If families are currently willing to pay current high prices for holidays, then reducing taxes will surely lead to holiday companies being able to hike prices even further because people do seem to be able to afford them at the current rate.

Why do people not seem to understand the basics of supply and demand. If people couldn't afford the current costs of holidays to fill seats on the planes then holiday companies would have to put their prices down. They are full though

Do you not think that giving the HT discretion will effectively mean different rules for different schools? How is that fair?

YANBU. I was taught this at 11 ffs, and that was in relation to holidays in the main.

I have given up trying to explain supply and demand to DH.

This topic has become so contentious, I think a plan for staggering holidays must be forthcoming.

Crowler, yes you would have thought so but it seems to only be contentious on MN. we need to go back to how it was and work on a new plan. bottlenecker - this is already happening. some schools allow it as exceptional if you have fixed holidays at work and others don't. some are saying no fines if you are only 5 days with good attendance, some 10 and one LEA no more than 5 days per term

Santa - not only the M6 but years ago the Millenium Dome totally stuck in my craw....

Selling tickets for exorbitant prices so that only 1/4 of them sold. And then asking the government for a handout to help fund it.

In my job, if I buy a "dog" I have to mark it down until it clears.

But they didn't even think about selling the tickets at half price to fill the place up.....

Yes I know - it's been 14 years and I need to get over it.

YANBU and i'm glad to see the post, I thought I was the only person who thought this. I think one of the problems is that people now think foreign holidays are a necessity. Which they're not.

YANBU. I also think it was a Center Parcs holiday that was in the papers for being £600 more expensive the following week, so reducing airport taxes does nothing to change that.

Staggering half terms and holidays across the country would be a good solution without impacting attendance or Ofsted. Staggering half terms would be especially beneficial because they are not fixed around any fixed calendar points like Christmas so a week either side would not make much difference.

The petition is pointless. If there is a price law put in most in my sector will just up the out of holiday prices. Currently less desirable dates are cheaper march,June,September,October it's cheaper because there is less demand and we need the spaces booked to be able to afford to offer any breaks. Some weeks are £100 others are £350, some weekends £85 some £160. If I have 20 people asking for one date and 1 one asking for the other you can guess which one is more expensive.

We have dates we cannot book at all due to raves and travelling community parties as £1,000's worth if damage has been caused in single units, this year we have so far 6 weekends/weeks we cannot sell due to the possibility of the wrong people making more damage that the cost of the holiday.

If people want to blame someone for the costs blame greedy site owners in the case of caravans, greedy company bosses in the case of butlins/centre parks but a lot of villas/caravans/houses/cottages are just normal family people who have to cover the costs they are charged.

Sodding stupid ideas.

I live in a county bordered by 2 others that have different half term dates. Parent who teaches works in one, kids go to school in another.... how do you sort that out?

You can't stagger the holidays - that would be a teaching nightmare as you could have 2 or 3 groups of kids in your class, not been yet, went last week, going next week, they'd all need a different lesson... and when do the teachers go on holiday?

Ah! I see. You, sir, believe we teachers are overpaid and have too much holiday, so your dastardly plan is to 'accidentally' make holidays for teachers impossible. I see!!!! Mmmm! Pillocks!

And no, OP, YANBU, I have no idea who wouldn't see through the stupidity of the suggestions, for all of the reasons previously outlined. Feckwits one and all!

@ Bottlenecker: we have in effect different practice under nominally same rules for different schools already, nothing new there. I asked for same dates of AA from 3 different schools & got 3 very different replies; they already are winging it.

The big recent change was the addition of the word exceptional.

Nomama - stagger the holidays means one county takes the holiday a week before another county for example, not stagger the kids within a school.

Can I just weigh in with a point.
I totally agree with what has been said previously regarding staggering holidays or giving HT's more flexibility, but can I also say that yes, in most cases summer holidays are a luxury not a necessity, but what about those of us who have families who live overseas? I know its still not a necessity but I would still like my DS to see some of my overseas family (some too old to travel here).

Sorry, didn't read your post properly!

YANBU. It's a daft thing to debate in parliament. Might as well call for a debate on why the front seats in theatres on Saturday nights cost more than the ones behind a pillar on a Wednesday matinee. Clue... it's not to punish people who work during the week...

I live in a county bordered by 2 others that have different half term dates. Parent who teaches works in one, kids go to school in another.... how do you sort that out?

In this circumstance, I guess the teacher would have to find childcare during half-term. Much like many of us do.

It isn't that prices are made higher in the holidays. Prices are reduced to fill hotels & planes at off-peak times of year. FFS. Nothing is going to change.

I think we just need to get used to the idea that

1. A holiday abroad is a luxury (gone are the days of cheap travel) it is not a right.
2. There are a load of ways to have a holiday at home and for it still to be educational.
3. School children are not only off for July/August, there are plenty of other dates working parents can request to spend quality time with their children.
4. Just because a child has a good attendance record does not mean that they should be able to go away for a cheaper holiday during term time. All the evidence and arguments show that when a child is away during term time they miss things and the teacher has to spend extra time with them at some stage.

wot, you think my kids have a right to occasionally meet & get to know their 89yo great-grandmother, Filimou? Plus a huge number of the rest of my extended family? That's outrageous.

Oh right, of course, we can go on the summer. It costs an extra £1k+ a week and everybody but the ancient granny works full time so we'd have to fit around them, driving long miles scattered around a US state twice the size of the UK, but sure, great idea. Can't imagine anything better than battling with jet lag during full days of driving & camping on relatives' floors for weeks to see a small number of actual relatives. At least the sun will be shining (nothing better than being stuck in a car on a very hot day). What's not to like?

The prices are as high as the market will bear. If the number of customers is halved for a particular week (because the other half are searching for holidays the week following), then the demand falls - and the price follows.

I think staggering could work at present scottish summer holidays are roughly all of july and first 2 weeks of august, my DD starts school on 14th August

english holidays generally last week july all of august and 1 week september

but country could be divided into 3-5 zones starting at weekly intervals from last week in june this would mean everyone had first two weeks in august off but the other weeks would vary
this would extend holiday period to about 11 weeks in total

Flights are cheaper in the middle of the night too. Shall we petition the government to stop this too?

lljkk

Is it only you that is doing the running to see family? Do all your family expect you to do all the running around if you go over the the US? Could they not meet you at the granny's. Could you not go at Easter when it's not so hot?

FWIW My brother lives in the far east. We have not been able to go out there yet because DC's are both at school and cost £££. But we are saving to meet half way next year and skype a lot with the kids.

I don't care that much about supply and demand. It's the complete inflexibility that bothers me. I have a 7 yr gap between eldest and youngest so will have someone in compulsory education for 19 years of my life. It's a hell of a long time to miss every weekday wedding or funeral of someone who is not deemed close enough. I don't know anyone who is routinely taking a fortnight off school to go on a package holiday but I know plenty who would like to have the odd day here and there due to work commitments and flight times and things that aren't super important but would be nice. Youngest dc is only in reception. As DP can't take holiday during school holiday time then he will never again go on holiday with his dad. I think that's pretty sad and the government being all magnanimous by making foreign travel cheaper at a time when we can't use it anyway just makes families like ours look like we're complaining about nothing.