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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Private schools and holidays

97 replies

Joysmum · 09/04/2014 07:49

AIBU. To find it ironic that those who can afford to send their children to private school are better able to benefit from cheaper family holidays because private schools have longer holidays and they can take theirs before the masses break up and the prices get hiked!

btw it's just an observation as I'm not anti private school nor anti market forces re pricing

OP posts:
SuburbanRhonda · 09/04/2014 15:56

Oh, ok diamond, didn't realise you were joking.

[relief emoticon]

HmmAnOxfordComma · 09/04/2014 17:46

An awful number of people with children in independent schools that I know of also work themselves in the state sector (as do I) so can't benefit from cheaper holidays.

We also can't afford foreign holidays at any time anyway. Ds is 13 and has never been abroad. 12k of school fees would buy a lot of nice holidays in school holiday time.

Bunbaker · 09/04/2014 17:56

"But I think that the pricing of holidays is excessive. The market is wide open to a firm that charges a more reasonavble price."

It's all about supply and demand. That is basic economics. Holiday companies would go bust if they charged the same prices all year round (what I mean is the same prices as during term time)

If cheap holidays are so important then don't have children. Holidays are a luxury, not a right.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 09/04/2014 18:02

at yet another thread bashing independent schools.

YABU.

nicename · 09/04/2014 18:35

Hmmm - you are right! I can't take my holidays outside of the council school term time!

Where we are, the councils have different holiday dates - I met one nanny with 3 kids from one family (mix of state and prep schools) and the half term week wasa different for each child. Aside from the fact that the mum didn't work and had full time help, that would be really hard for most people to juggle.

What is it with the private school bashing? Really - we don't all live in nice little villages with half decent state schools (with no gang/knife problems).

The 'good+' rated schools are attended by kids on PMs etc - 'normal' folks can't get in for love nor money.

Taz1212 · 09/04/2014 18:47

I have one child at a private school and another one at a state school. DS' private school holidays are only the odd day or two tacked onto the start and end of DD's holidays except for the October week which is the week before DD's week off! There's not enough variance to make the slightest bit of difference to the price of holidays.

softlysoftly · 09/04/2014 18:53

My sister is a travel agent she makes c. 10% profit at the very best.

The retailers I deal with take around 30-35% profit on some foodstuffs eg cheese.

So shouldn't we be campaigning for government intervention on cheese prices instead?

I think it's called communism.

Hoppinggreen · 09/04/2014 18:59

I used to have to go to school on Satirday mornings so we deserved longer holidays ( also so the borders could fly home long haul). Never had flash holidays though - think we went to Benidorm once !!!

KristinaM · 09/04/2014 19:06

My kids are at state schools so I don't pay at point of use for their education.

And I can take them out of school in term time without fear of fines because we don't have fines here.

So we have very expensive holiday with all the zillions we save on school fees.

Am I annoying you yet? Don't you wish you lived here ? < smug git>

ImAThrillseekerHoney · 09/04/2014 19:14

There are thousands of holiday suppliers - probably millions world-wide once you include all the B&Bs etc, they are not operating a cartels. Holidays are not a necessity, and pricing is relatively transparent at the point if purchase, so people can and do just skip them if it's beyond their budget. And suppliers can and do go bust - airlines, tour operators and hotels have all gone bust in recent years. If there was a gap in the market to run a tour companies that charged, say, 30% less in school holidays, then someone would have done it.

rookiemater · 09/04/2014 19:20

DS goes to private school.

What makes you think that those with DCs in private school are better able to afford fancy holidays. A lot of the families I know can only afford to go camping as they are paying for school fees. We only have one DC due to health issues which means we are "lucky" enough to be able to afford holidays. Oh and longer school holidays means more holiday childcare to pay for - because generally both parents are working to be able to send their DC to private school.

If you want cheap holidays in the school holidays then a) forget package holidays and b) book your flights and accommodation as soon as they come out 11-12 months in advance. I have always done this since DS started school and our holidays are generally not that more expensive than they were when we could go June or September.

NearTheWindymill · 09/04/2014 19:58

Ha, ha. My DC went indy. Two separate indies. DS's used to break up really early in July and he had to be back late August for sports training of some sort. DD never broke up until about the 15th and used to go back 7th/8th September. Add to that the October when jointly they were off for 3 weeks and an Easter where between them they were off for six weeks. I have lost count of the times when Feb half term has been two different weeks.

Doesn't always work out OP.

SuburbanRhonda · 09/04/2014 20:10

rookie, if you can pay for private school fees by simply taking money from your holiday budget, I'm afraid the sob stories about "only" being able to go camping don't wash with me.

And WTF is an "indy" school? Do all the kids wear fedoras and listen to Noah and the Whale?

NinetyNinePercentTroll · 09/04/2014 20:19

Lots of holiday companies have cottoned on to the indie sector holidays now anyway and start their high season pricing a couple if weeks sooner than they used to.

suburban Indy is independent sector, as I suspect you know but it doesn't suit your stirring agenda.

NinetyNinePercentTroll · 09/04/2014 20:20

Of not not, btw. I'm utterly crap on this keypad

NinetyNinePercentTroll · 09/04/2014 20:23

I don't just mean package operators when I say holiday companies. We 'build' our own holidays and the flights tend to go up in price at the start of July now, rather than the specific week (or 2) at the end when the state schools break up.

FyreFly · 09/04/2014 20:29

I'd always understood that the price disparity was due to holiday companies REDUCING the prices during term times to try to boost sales, rather than profiteering during school holidays.

Plane tickets and hotels are expensive things, I don't know why this always surprises people Confused

If you can afford it, great! I've holidayed in Britain the last few years, except for a weekend in Paris last month. You can have just as much fun in the UK or nearby :)

clairemum22 · 09/04/2014 20:29

Out of interest, why do people have one in private and one not? Is it a primary/secondary thing?

Taz1212 · 09/04/2014 20:45

clairemum22 I have one in private and one in state because it is a long commute to the private school and DD isn't old enough for the long days yet. Assuming she is accepted, she will join her brother 2 years from Aug.

morethanpotatoprints · 09/04/2014 20:49

I don't have a child at private school, (yet), but am amazed at all the recent threads bashing private schools. Are some people really so fuelled by petty jealousy to make such assumptions. It really wouldn't have crossed my mind, nor would I be bothered what holidays privately educated dc and their families have.

rookiemater · 09/04/2014 21:35

Suburban - perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. We can afford to go on good holidays and send our DS to private school, by dint of the fact that we have an only child. The point I am trying to make is that we did not choose that situation.

The other families I am talking about, that go camping, tend to have 3 DCs.

Aw sod it, what do I care what you think. Yes we go on fab holidays - skiing in Feb half term, off to a cottage for a week next week, France in the summer then Tenerife in October. All in school holidays - oh and state school dates as well if that makes difference. My parents pay the school fees. We have a lovely life and I appreciate we are very lucky.

Bunbaker · 09/04/2014 21:46

I agree with morethan. DD goes to a good state school, but we did look at a private school when DD was in year 6. We concluded that we couldn't afford it and so far have been happy with DD's state education so far.

And we always take our holidays during school holiday time.

SuburbanRhonda · 09/04/2014 22:15

Interesting, ninety, that rookie, whose post I was responding to, didn't seem to take offence at my comment about the term "indy", yet you did. Of course I know that it is shorthand for independent, but it seems weird to me to use it to mean private school. Just seems a bit coy to me.

Sorry if you see my expressing a different view as stirring, but it goes with the turf on AIBU Smile

rookiemater · 09/04/2014 22:25

suburban - I didn't respond to your remark about "Indy" as I didn't use the term in my post and therefore assumed your remark was aimed at a different poster. I also tend to ignore any comments that have swearing in them - unless it's justified, or funny.

AIBU is the area to express strong views, however it is nice to do it as politely as possible and also if you are going to directly pick up on a comment then to correctly read what they have posted.

AlarmOnSnooze · 09/04/2014 22:30

I am another one with 2 in separate private schools, thus ending up with differing holidays.

dd1's school has the same term times as local state schools, so has much shorter holidays than dd2. it was especially noticeable last summer when dd2 broke up nearly 3 weeks earlier than dd1.

clairemum - one in private/one in state could easily be due to additional needs, especially if a statement is needed.