To take DS out of school for 4 days next year?

[The3Bears]

We came back from our family summer holiday last Sunday, 2 weeks in Cyprus at the Holiday village and we absolutely loved it so want to book again asap while we can benefit from the free child place as ds2 is 2 next year so we will have to pay for him too. We went on the 24th May this year and our holiday cost a fortune, no free child place and £1600pp aswell as our wedding in Cyprus on top of this
So we had a look and it's over £1000 cheaper to leave on Thurs the 28th May next year and a free child space but ds1 whose 7 and will start Juniors next year will miss 4-5 days off school and I'm unsure wether to book. We've never had a holiday in term time before and his attendance is great, he's doing really well with all his work and with how much everything cost this year we'd be unable to pay extra to go on the 24th this year so would have to miss out
IABU if i book this holiday as I'm feeling really unsure about it all and would like some advice as to what you would all do?
TIA

Laymedown - precisely.

Maybe the HT in your anecdote is more of a hard liner, marmalade.

But getting back to the OP, no-one is saying she shouldn't go on holiday, as you implied. What some of us are saying is that, within her budget, there should be plenty of other alternatives to going during school time.

The only people I know that have taken their dc out of school for hols in term time recently have been governors and members of the PTA :)
I really don't give a shit what other parents do.
My ds1 (11) did his sats last term.
This term it's the school show (last week)
Sports day (this week)
Summer fayre (next week)
Schools trips (2)
Enrichment day
Charity day
BUT if I take him out for a holiday now it will "irreparably damage" his education apparently
What a load of crap.

"Maybe the HT in your anecdote is more of a hard liner, marmalade."

No. I think that it's the norm isn't it, that parents annual leave will noit be considered as extenuating circumstances?

Our head is actually very pragmatic about this. She feels that it's pitting parents against the school and resents having the discretion of the ten day grant taken out of her hands.

"There is a persistent feeling of being ripped off which spoils the holiday somewhat."

You are not being ripped off. Holiday companies and hotels lower their prices in term times, you are just paying the full price.

hmm well that is debatable -

I understand how supply and demand works candy

It still feels like a ripoff.

Either way, people just want to search for any excuse to justify their holiday.

totally agree Lay Me Down.

there is no way on this earth my dc will ever say I want interested in their education for a start unlike all our neighbours we travel to the far better school an extra 15 min walk away, as you say Lay, hours spent on homework, all the extras, supplementary work books to help with weak areas, support with geography and history, and geology!! ( she is 6) Every half term or summer holidays I say "right, what are we going to learn in the holidays", and she knows her half her tables, over the summer I imagine she will crack the rest. We do some spelling and learn about other stuff, this is by the way only twenty mins each or every other morning.

there is no way she would ever every accuse me of not being interested in, or taking her education seriously IF we took her out for a few days abroad.

Its maddness christwaddle I agree.
BUT ITS A maddness we are letting them get away with.

My children are not yet school aged but I WILL take them out, not necessarily in order to save money, but DH & I both get allocated annual leave. So it may be the only chance we get to spend time with them.

Thankfully money isn't an issue, although it sounds like we will still save money at present paying the fine & I have no idea how academically able the DC are (too young) but we are both very able so fingers crossed...

I would never expect the teacher to provide work but would take workbooks and do a diary depending on age.

Agree fragolino. Dd is also 6 and has private one to one tuition as well as lots of learning at home. I also try and expose her to a wide range of cultural and learning experiences.

Why are we getting at each other and having arguments somewhat heated discussions?

Droppingin has it right: I would not be controlled by Gove...

Let's get annoyed at this increasing nanny state, not each other.

Parents are easy pickings. Why are we so goddamn pliable? Why should we be putting up with this level of state interference? My sympathies are with the ones who just want a few days to make it financially easier to get away somewhere nice. I don't mean the ones who take the piss. But it can't be that hard to differentiate when allowing leave or otherwise.

The recession has hit so many of us hard. It's all become a bit too prohibitive. And the nanny state thing leaves me very uneasy.

Would be interesting to see what goes on on other countries.

Parents are easy pickings. Why are we so goddamn pliable? Why should we be putting up with this level of state interference? My sympathies are with the ones who just want a few days to make it financially easier to get away somewhere nice

Agree.

Its our fault we have let this happen and do nothing about it....in France they would be letting the gov knw what they think1

Our head is actually very pragmatic about this. She feels that it's pitting parents against the school and resents having the discretion of the ten day grant taken out of her hands.

HTs still have discretion to authorise absence, but tbh I'm not sure any HT would authorise an absence so that a family could spend £3700 on their holiday rather than £5000 (if we're still talking about the OP, that is).

Heads still have the power to grant leave under exceptional circumstances i.e funeral/wedding with proof of wedding existing. They don't have the power to grant leave because parent's annual leave or even just because that's when the family fancy going as has been in the past. That's what our head is resentful of.

Exactly, frag! We do have a tendency to roll over and take it here. Maybe I am generalising here a tad.

I agree frogolino.
After last time my dc needed to miss a day of school and I was honest to the school (I had made a genuine mistake when booking the trip) I was still sent a stroppy text despite me informing them in person and via e mail that they would not be in school that day.
I will just lie next time like everyone else does.

Living in Ireland this is something I find very hard to get my head around. That I as a responsible parent would have to go cap in hand to the head teacher to get permission to take my own children on holiday is outrageous.
Of course there are parents who are grossly irresponsible and neglectful of their childrens education, but it disgraceful that the British government seem to work off the premis that this is the default position for all parents and they need to be made answerable to someone else or they will fuck their children up.
There would be absolute war here if the Irish governement tried to bring in something like that.

but it disgraceful that the British government seem to work off the premis that this is the default position for all parents and they need to be made answerable to someone else or they will fuck their children up

YY.

Oh we are all good little puppets here. Uncle Government knows best.

I recently took my 2 out for 3 days before Easter. It wasnt authorised but as it was under 4 and a half days, i wasnt fined.

The school were fine with me taking the days (i know some of the staff including the head) and the head doesnt agree with the fines but it is out of her hands.

Not the same in all schools but its worth asking.

This topic gives me the rage.

I imagine the law is to protect children, rather than parents.

I just dont buy the arguments the school give: " we face the same costs".

Yes you do teachers and HT BUT, and its a huge massive BUT. You face them on a far larger salary than US.

Is this how much you value your childs education?

Actually as above I value their education very highly, see points above, however I also value family time as precious and our holidays always have wider educational value.

Protect them, mostly from a nice family holiday in stressed out miserable wet britain?