To wonder which school years are most important?

[SingingInTheRainstorm]

Looking at holidays and the prices for every suggested location are crazy, but DH is insisting we go the last week of August, as you get more days off with the bank hols. Which obviously makes it crazy expensive.
We've had meetings about SATs next year, for one DC, so wondering if a week off this school year would affect his education.
I started motherhood with big dreams, children that did really well with nurture, but now I think as long as they're happy and healthy, the levels attained, as long as they've tried their best don't really matter. The same career wise, big expectations initially, but then realised I had the same myself and happiness is/was far more important in life.
I know not everyone will agree with my assertions, but at the same time I don't want them missing anything vital.
Do many parents here take term time holidays? Is there an ideal time to have off?

YABU. You just need to have the holidays you can afford whilst the DC are in school.

As long as they don't miss actual exams, they can catch up

Are we talking infants/early juniors? Are you a regular, engaged kind of parent? If so, they will miss NOTHING! The school will pretend they do, neurotic parents will tell you they do but no, they won't.

I think I'd be too embarrassed to do it, frankly. I can't imagine how I'd explain it to DC or to the school, without being a total hypocrite.

I think half term holidays can often be cheaper than those in the longer holidays.

Yeah, its kinda awkward to get kids not to brag that they are going here or there. I wouldn't personally take a fortnight holiday during the term, but let's say its a memorable event, maybe once in lifetime opportunity, but it would cost a day or two of attendance to get there and back, i'll take them.

I do agree with you, that family time, happiness and well being are valuable, and the odd term time week holiday is harmless. But many will say that school comes before any of that.

I sometimes think that with school, you've either got it or you haven't. I was in school every day, except for very occasional illness. I'm not very bright at all. My friend missed a week of school to go skiing every year. She's very bright, and went to university. I don't think that it makes any real difference.

Brace yourself for "a foreign holiday is not a right" brigade

I mean, the only real difference it did make is that she now has wonderful child hood memories of skiing holidays with her family, and a lifelong love of skiing.

I wouldn't take kids out if school in years 8,10,11. But all other years I would consider it. Especially if it was just the last week of the summer term.

It wouldn't be for a fortnight, plus not going abroad either. If it came down to it we could afford the extra, but it was nice when there was a rainy day and the beach was pretty empty.
We prefer cottage holidays in the UK, so Cornwall is particular favourite as the beaches are lush and the weathers usually good. Also the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles, Lake District, Highlands of Scotland, all have different things to offer. If you ever have 2 weeks spare the Scilly Isles are amazing, it's just getting to them that's the issue unfortunately.
Even caravan parks which we're not keen on are pretty expensive. When I say expensive that doesn't mean we couldn't afford to spend more, but thinking realistically £800 for a week away, without activities is a lot of money.
Passports run out this year, so going abroad is a bit of a no go. We had planned last year to do a road trip around France, Spain & Italy, but when it came to it, it was more work than we really anticipated, even with Lonely Planet guides.
The children are in Juniors, we've been abroad before we had DC, but not that much after. Thinking of the sanity of fellow passengers, plus our children. We have highish standards so would go towards all inclusive, DS isn't a fan of hot weather so it doesn't really seem fair.
(Best comment last year during the mini heatwave, getting out of bed, shouting at us to turn the heating down, a story to remember for future GF)
I'll speak to DH and say a week out of school isn't bad. We'd still get them to do their prescribed reading, they get a lot of support at home, as education in our minds isn't solely down to the teachers. The children love us for it (not) but they earn time together on games by co-operating. Obviously there'd be no homework during the holiday, but we visit places where it's experience based, they learn history, geography, sports, etc. DD loves fossils atm so trying to incorporate that in, so she can go searching.
Thanks for your help.

Actually i thing you need to justify where you go and why. It should be irrelevant to schools if its a grandma's funeral, cousin's wedding in Jamaica or a long weekend to Disneyland.

All years are important. Work in each one helps lay foundations for the next.

I find booking holidays in adavance helps bring prices down. That said I have just booked 4 nights at whit for £350 in a caravan.

Maybe you will need to lower your expeditions but the deals are out there!

I think you can have a holiday without devastating impact regardless of which year - obviously spring just before GCSEs or A levels are the exception!

from my experience
don't take them out the first few weeks of the school year. tag a week onto half term in spring or take the last week of the year.

I have 3 DC's at school and work in a school as well. We never take term time holidays.

However, our holidays are therefore horrendously expensive!

We go end of June, usually all SATs are over with and school plays, topics, sports days etc are finished so they don't miss out too much.

I wouldn't take them out right at the start of a new term (and especially not the start of a new school year). We're in Wales so they have national tests every year from Year 2 onwards which are usually in May, so i'd not take them out then either.

We've taken the dc out for a week every year so far - ds1 is 8, in Year 4. Either November or March time. We go abroad for a fortnight every summer holidays so the week off during TT is a caravan/cottage UK type holiday - once was DLP.

I wouldn't feel right about taking them out for two weeks in term time, but a week I don't mind. I thoroughly enjoy a caravan holiday but I absolutely refuse to pay the ridiculous school holiday prices just for a UK caravan/holiday park. We went to Bluestone last November which was fabulous and cost about £140. For the 4 nights in the Oct half term it would have been around £400. For 4 nights in the summer holidays, near to £1k!

I went to a BBQ in the summer with 2 teachers at my son's school. They both said that in their opinion, as long as a child's attendance is otherwise good and they are achieving the necessary levels, they think a child can learn more from 2 weeks on holiday than in their class. They gave an example of a girl who came in having learned to swim in the time she was off.

I would have no problem with taking a week off or even two off if it was occasionally. My son had 2 weeks off in reception last year. This was for a big holiday that we genuinely couldn't do at another time due to other children's exams, uni and schooling. He will have nothing off this year or next but will probably have a week the following year again for a big holiday. I was not fined by the school and the head teacher was completely fine with it. He otherwise rarely misses a day from school as is lucky enough to have good health, and is above average in his attainment.

I think pretty much all years are the same as the next. Except for year 6 up until the SATs are over in May. I would never voluntarily have a child out of school that year.

My year 9 child (at the time) also missed 2 weeks of schooling for the same holiday and is now year 10 and predicted all grade 7-9's and has not affected her education at all.

OP we've just booked a cottage in Cornwall for the last week of the summer hols for under £600. That was slightly more than we planned, but we have found that the last week can be considerably cheaper. The place we've booked would have been more than £200 dearer the week previous (which I think is awful!)

I know of a lovely cottage in Somerset that is cheaper the final holiday week :)