Termtime holidays, father wins High Court case

[namechangeparents]

Quite surprised about the outcome actually but haven't read the legislation to see exactly what it says. Just hope lots of local authorities don't have to pay back fines now, because there will be even more cuts to services.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-36277940

Looks like an Education Act might be added to the Queen's Speech next week to resolve the issue rather than relying on the Court of Appeal maybe?

One year of not going to a beach holiday won't hurt.... Will it??

I haven't been on a beach holiday in 37 years.

I would however object to not being able to see my best friend and family who live abroad and I don't see regularly enough as it is.

When you take a job as a teacher you know the terms and conditions

Exactly. And when you sign your child up for school, you know the terms and conditions of that too (sending them in on time, wearing the correct uniform, doing homework etc). If you wish to opt out of the "contract" of sending your child to school then you have the option of getting a tutor, or homeschooling them yourself.

I really hate the "money grabbing companies putting up the prices in holidays" argument, it's just basic economics. You simply cannot conjure up more planes, take off slots or hotel rooms in July/August and get rid of them in September.

You just have to play smart. We are in Scotland and break up at the end of June. We regularly travel down to northern English airports to take advantage of cheaper flights. There's nothing stopping English people doing the same in reverse and flying from here when we've gone back to school half way through August.

There's nothing stopping English people doing the same in reverse and flying from here when we've gone back to school half way through August.

No, just a couple of hundred miles drive and more time off work, you don't have to accommodate that.

"And when you sign your child up for school, you know the terms and conditions of that too"

Luna the terms I signed up for when my kids started school were very very different from those we face now

BOOP - couldn't agree more. the govt must realise that they are on an absolute loser with this one and better to withdraw gracefully than make complete twats of themselves like they did over the academy status stuff. I am not sure Nicky Morgan has any more common sense than Gove though tbh.

Hey instead of boycotting the holiday companies parents could boycott school for day if they bring in a stupid law.

waits for the tumbleweed. I'm not entirely serious but lets face it, the idea is better than the boycott holidays one

Yay. This decision is so heartening. Good attendance and your child's schooling will be absolutely fine.

Itisbetternow , teachers are not allowed unpaid leave, certain schools disicpline if you have a day off and thats even for funerals.

I'm pleased too if this means going back to a less rigid system based on common sense.

how does one set up to be officially part time home ed?

You'd need a flexischooling agreement, which would normally give a day away from school per week/fortnight/month rather than weeks off mid-term.

I wonder how long it will take to change the law?

zzzzzz without a doubt they are. and many people, people who have been on pay freezes for years, cannot afford to go anywhere, a caravan is actually bloody expensive, in uk

Luna the costs wouldn't be any cheaper n August the foreign resorts would still cost the same.

The previous changes were brought in by statutory instrument and only a handful of MP's were involved. in other words it was brought in very much through the back door.

a change will need primary legislation which is a whole different ball game and I am not sure with such a slender majority if the tories would be so stupid as to risk it.

in a way though I hope they do and they get defeated.

Common sense would dictate that power is put back into the hands of the head teachers to decide on a case by case basis whether to authorize an absence

In principle I agree, but god help headteachers if they actually do this

There have always been exceptional cases around absence; they were agreed in the past and are still agreed now. Unfortunately, given the number of folk who insist their case is also exceptional when in fact it's no such thing (and for whom the word "no" simply doesn't register), this is a problem which was always going to happen

The system where HTs had discretion worked perfectly fine for many many years puzzled

Haha at the teachers complaining. 13 weeks holiday which coincide with those of your children is a luxury. We get 28 days holiday in a year 2 weeks of which is in built in the rota and rarely coincides with each other and the kids holiday.

You're right, BitOutOfPractice it did. However it seemed eventually to be getting a bit frayed around the edges, perhaps at least partly because the "ten days" came to be seen as an absolute right, rather than being for genuinely exceptional cases as intended

I hope I'm wrong, but it's hard to see how that could be avoided if they returned to HTs sanctioning absence (or not)

Common sense is the only way as far as I'm concerned.

Where there is a genuine problem, the HT should in my opinion discuss it with the family concerned on a case by case basis to work on improving it.

I sympathise with teachers not being able to take time off in term time, however there are also restrictions as to when I can take leave as well as how many days I can take in one go and overall. There are also other terms of my contract that I was aware of before signing it which although they may not be ideal, they are things I was aware of and happy to accept in exchange for my salary.

I appreciate parents could legally chose to home school or privately educate their children but due to the costs involved it really isn't a realistic option for most.

Where there is a genuine problem, the HT should in my opinion discuss it with the family concerned on a case by case basis to work on improving it.

Good job the HT hasn't got anything else to do.

If interested here is the PETITION against fines.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/129698.

"More than 120,000 people have signed a petition in two days urging the Government to allow children on holiday during term-time...all thanks to one local dad.

Nottinghamshire father-of-three Dave Hedley said he was stunned after his online campaign skyrocketed in popularity, with people across the nation joining his cause.

It has only taken just over two days for it to reach the required number of signatures to have it debated in the Houses of Parliament, having been at just 19,000 earlier on Wednesday.

Read more: www.nottinghampost.com/Petition-term-time-holiday-fines-parents-flies/story-29263631-detail/story.html#ixzz48YZ0A9Ww
Follow us: @Nottingham_Post on Twitter | NottinghamPostOnline on Facebook

They don't have to debate it in Parliament.

Headteachers I know were threatened by parents over term time holidays, so not all relish the responsibility.

Where there is a genuine problem, the HT should in my opinion discuss it with the family concerned on a case by case basis to work on improving it

^ this.

Rather than giving us all the sledge hammer, deal with the families concerned!