To wonder why it's deemed acceptable to take children out of school for cheap holidays?

[shrunkenhead]

Am I the only one who thinks it's not on to make your child miss school for the sake of a cheap holiday???

Who said it was a right? I wish it was as we havnt had one for 2 years even out if school holidays we can't afford it.

If we could we bloody well would.

Besides many couples cannot get the same leave weeks as each other if they go for school holidays.

As someone has already said often both parents work and getting time off together can be very hard. Ideally we would've taken our holiday this week only dh isn't allowed to take time off around a Bank Holiday so we have to wait till the summer holidays when it's even more expensive. If we could take them out the last week of term we would. And I KNOW they do very little in the way of learning. Unless you regard watching Brave educational?

Whether you think it's unacceptable to take kids on holiday in term time is irrelevant really. Parents will still do it if it's the only way they can have a holiday.

I would feel comfortable teaching my DD that if you disagree with a rule, and breaking it will not harm yourself or anybody else, then it is okay to break that rule so long as you are willing to accept the consequences (eg: a fine).

Would you not prefer to teach her that protesting to the people who make the rules might be a more constructive stand to take if she disagrees with a rule? So that she learns how to frame an argument, how to exercise her right to protest, etc? Rather than just to say, if it's ok with you, just do it?

My DH is a hotel manager
He is not allowed to take annual leave in the school holidays .
Should we go without him then ?

I think people's priorities have changed. When I were a young thing my parents wouldn't have dreamed of taking me out of school in term time for a holiday, for whatever reason. To be honest, when I was at school the last couple of weeks were a bit of a waste of time. I don't think that's the case so much now, in fact I know it isn't. Pupils can have a lot of learning going on in those weeks.

everlong massive price difference, we tend to drive to France every year now but have taken our kids out a few times. Last package holiday was 2004 and we went last 2 weeks in June self catering to Crete, if we had waited till the school broke up end June price was a £1000 more expensive! Last year was California and our boys were with us at all times, not a kids club in sight! Why shouldn't people who work and want a family feel "entitled" to one?

Whether you think it's unacceptable to take kids on holiday in term time is irrelevant really. Parents will still do it if it's the only way they can have a holiday.

You are, of course, talking about those parents who think having a holiday is a right.

It's not a right but it's bloody lovely if your partner works away most if the time and you don't get to do the normal things like both doing school pickups/homework/weekends time.

Some people don't know how lucky they are.

My DH is a hotel manager
He is not allowed to take annual leave in the school holidays
Should we go without him then.

I think this would count as exceptional circumstances. I'm sure the heads in my two schools would grant this.

Though in your DH's shoes I would be arguing with my employers for at least some time off in school holidays and if they were unsympathetic, I would be looking for another job.

It might not be a 'right' but let's face it if it was I think we'd all be very happy!

We only ever go for a week, 5 days which when we did take them out the last week of term their attendance was something around 98% pretty shit hot I thought.

And their education didn't suffer.

Who was that post to, thebody?

OP - I think your comment about breakfast/after school club = a disregard for family time, is pretty shitty.

My DCs go to Breakfast club because I work. And because I work I need to get leave requests approved so I can take holiday. I only get a max of one half term a year due to others parents in the office wanting school hols too. I get only a few days off at Easter and a few at Xmas for the same reason. I can also book a maximum of two weeks ( not consecutively) if im lucky in the summer. DH is in the same situation.

As a result we often struggle to get even one week of school holidays together as a family over a full year.

So yes we do sometimes take term time holidays, AND we put our DCs in breakfast club BECAUSE WE WORK!!!

Agree with morethan if you choose to send your child to school then you know it will have term times where the child will be expected to attend. If you don't the rules, then home ed or find a private school who allow term time holidays.

Nobody needs a holiday, it's not an essential but a luxury. Family time doesn't require time away, it can be done anywhere.

Choosing to disregard the rules just sends the message that it's ok to break the rules and skip school. These are probably the same ones who go onto have multiple times off work with a sniffle or after a hard weekend of fun. They see sick days as an extension of their holidays.

FFS - its not about going away somewhere, its about having a week with your family, which may not be possible in school holidays.

One of my DCs has 100% attendance thus year. The other has missed 2 days due to sickness bug. I have had c5 days off in the past 10 years (1 bout flu, 1 bout sickness). My DCs know they only get a day off school if their leg is hanging off!

I presume you don't holiday with your family Happy

I think in a perfect world, no one would ever take their DC's out of school for holidays, and holidays would not cost several hundred pounds more in the holidays than they do in term time. However, I am far from perfect, and have taken DS out of school a couple of times for holidays, and almost certainly will do again. His attendance has never dropped lower than about 97%, and he is doing well academically. The only thing that I can see being harmed by him missing the odd couple of days of school is the schools attendance figures, and to be honest, I really can't bring myself to care!

I have to be at deaths door before I take time off and same applies to my kids. Malingering is also not allowed.

Would you not prefer to teach her that protesting to the people who make the rules might be a more constructive stand to take if she disagrees with a rule? So that she learns how to frame an argument, how to exercise her right to protest, etc? Rather than just to say, if it's ok with you, just do it?

Yes of course I will teach her about protest in all of it's forms. I'm not going to say that in every case if something is okay with you you should just do it, of course you should weigh up the consequences and also look at alternative methods of protest. There's no reason you can't do both (eg: take your child out of school and campaign against the law on a wider scale). However I don't think just because something is written in law it is automatically fair, sensible or reasonable and in those cases I think it is okay to take an informed decision to break that rule when it won't cause harm to yourself or others. I don't think that is the only form of action worth taking and not would I want my DD to think that, but I will be happy for her to see it as a possible form of protest. I think it is good to have an anti-authoritarian streak and not to accept things purely because they're the rules.

Fair enough, chester, but I wonder if you would feel the same about her deciding to walk down the street naked, just to be a bit - you know, anti-authoritarian? Not harming anyone, but definitely against the rules.

Just strikes me as odd when so many people claim they think rules should be challenged, because abiding by a particular rule would disadvantage them personally.

Fair enough, chester, but I wonder if you would feel the same about her deciding to walk down the street naked, just to be a bit - you know, anti-authoritarian? Not harming anyone, but definitely against the rules.

I think the rules me impose around nudity in the UK are ridiculous and walked the streets naked in Barcelona where it is legal. I would discourage her based on the legal and social consequences but if I felt that she were old enough to make the decision I wouldn't try and stop her.

if you choose to send your child to school then you know it will have term times where the child will be expected to attend. If you don't the rules, then home ed or find a private school who allow term time holidays.

Unfortunately home education is not state funded so this is not an option for many families, even if they'd like it to be. When she's school-age I would home educate my DD in a heartbeat if I could afford it, but as a single parent I know I won't be able to so state education is my only realistic option as legally she must be in full-time education. As such I will send her to school but I won't necessarily follow the rules I disagree with if breaking them won't cause harm or disruption to my daughter or her classmates.

We have taken dd's out of school twice during term time.

DH is allocated his holiday and has to swap with other people, he is usually able to do this and get time during the school holidays, however one year he was only able to swap for the last 2 weeks in July. We had planned a trip to Florida that year, therefore we decided to take the dd's out for the last week of term, I don't believe they missed out on much education as that week is usually spent winding down and playing games, both dd's were in primary school at the time.

The other time was one Friday to attend grandfathers 70th Birthday party in Ireland.

DD1 is starting GCSE's now so would not consider taking dd's out of school during term time, however in earlier years I don't think missing the odd week is that big a deal, as long as they are not behind and their attendance is generally good.

We are fortunate that we can afford to go away every year during school holidays, so we wouldn't take dc's out purely to get a cheaper holiday, but if our financial situation was different and we could only afford a term time holiday then we would consider taking them out of school for a week.

I also believe that children can learn a great deal on some holidays, for example, we took our children to Kenya, the amount they learnt in those 2 weeks was far more than they could learn at school in two weeks.

Do you know what I bloody hate the whole 'I value my child's education' because some families take their kids out of school for a week! There will be families who don't let their kids miss any school but spend no quality time or help with their schooling etc! Then you can have another family who take their kids out for 1 wk but spend every night reading with them, listening to them etc etc.
Just because you take your kids out doesn't mean you don't value their education so please get down of your pedestal!!
It's called prioritising and as I'm currently watching a very close friend squeezing as much family time as they can at the moment with their 6yr old as my friends dh has cancer I'm sorry but 1wk a year missing school is a ridiculous thing to argue about.
Each to their own but please don't judge others as what you do for your family is your choice not what everyone should do!

There is so much more to a child's education than school. School is just one part of it. I have taken my DCs out of school on various occasions, once was for 5 weeks when we took 8yr old DS & 4yr old DD on an amazing Road Trip around the western USA. DS wrote a detailed diary of all the places we visited and the things we did. It was a great adventure. I still have the diary, 26 years later.

I remember another occasion, when we were living in UK and DS was 6. My parents turned up out of the blue and wanted to take me, DD and DS to the seaside for the day. I grabbed some beach clothes for DS and we went to the school. I spoke to the headmistress and she had no hesitation in letting DS out of school to go with us. Of course, we didn't do it very often (in that school it was justtthat one day) but it was fine from time to time and nobody objected.

I am glad my children were young in more relaxed and enlightened times. I feel sorry for children nowadays in the UK. They are more miserable and depressed than most other countries' children, they start school 2 years earlier than many other countries, they have constant assessments and exams. There is even now a prescribed curriculum for babies!!

Thank God that my then single parent father took my sister and I out for our first ever trip to Jamaica, November 19th for six whole weeks. I learned more in those six seeks that has resonated with me than all the other education that I received up until age seventeen.

I can see why this country is half off its head on drugs and drink. If we aren't kowtowing to some kind of institution , we are automatically seen as "selfish" and "rule breakers". The Jealousy Martyrs on here with their "nobody is entitled to a holiday", "you can wind down on the weekends" (like people don't work weekends, or faff about doing the things that they couldn't do in the week and only have time for on the weekends) and the fuckery of deliberately not understanding that parents holidays do not tally with school holidays reeks of an education mis spent.

Sorry that you busybody vibes crampers don't value family holidays. British holidays are often overpriced and underwhelming when it comes to the weather (lets not talk about customer service). Let's face it, some are not cut out for damp, wellington boots and tents (plus country folk who blanche at anybody not looking like them).

You lot say that you value education as if you are so superior. In fact you value school. Education is not stagnant and not only dispensed by "teachers". Stop covering up your lack of agency (love following "rules") by throwing all parents that take their kids out of school for a few days (whether they are frying on a beach, or not. Nothing wrong with that. Not every holiday is about visiting Roman Ruins)under the same bus as those who care not one iota how their kids progress in life.

I'm Still a bit ? at the "Britain with sun" comment. Potentially self hating and elitist, methinks.