Page 10 | Supreme Court sides with government on term-time holidays

Mulledwine1 · 2017-04-06T09:28:47+00:00

[[https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2016-0155-judgment.pdf]] [[https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2016-0155-press-summary.pdf]] AIBU to get the popcorn out for the discussion of why this is/is not a great judgment?

BarbarianMum · 06/04/2017 14:59

MywhatIcall just because you worked in a shit school doesn't mean all schools should strive to be shit surely?

OlennasWimple · 06/04/2017 15:00

Unihorn - my experience of the US public school system is that they are very very relaxed about students being away during term time, provided their overall attendance and performance is good. When I emailed to say that my DC would be missing a couple of days because of having family visitors they were surprised that I had felt the need to give advance notice...!

FlyAwayPeter · 06/04/2017 15:00

Sorry Flyawaypeter I was agreeing with you. Apologies if it didn't come across

No need to apologise forfoxsake I understood that - I think I was the one being unclear!

resipsa · 06/04/2017 15:00

I think the decision is right. If you want the benefit of a state-funded education then follow the rules or pay the fine. That said, we took our child out for 4 days last Easter (when the two week long school holiday began the week after the Easter weekend). We travelled to the other side of the world so she could meet family. The absence was authorised because of the circumstances; we had always planned to take her before she started school but my husband became seriously unwell and could not travel meaning we had to postpone it. The HT authorised my request within minutes. I am sure DD got far more from her 3 week long trip to Australia to meet family she'd never seen before than she would have got from 4 days in school post-Easter but pre-school holiday.

ghostyslovesheets · 06/04/2017 15:01

Yes

ghostyslovesheets · 06/04/2017 15:02

So basically some people are of the view if a child is lucky enough to be healthy and above average intelligence then term time holidays are fine. If you happen to be ill or struggle st school then tough

er yes because the argument is based on attendance and attainment - that's the objection to term time holidays

Rossigigi · 06/04/2017 15:02

Parents can't take children on holidays yet schools can take chasten on a husky during term time. Not fair.

Rossigigi · 06/04/2017 15:03

Start again. Parents can't take children on holidays yet schools can take them during term time. Not fair.

ghostyslovesheets · 06/04/2017 15:03

which is why they should just let school authorise up to 10 days - like they used to - schools know the pupils and the individual circumstances - so are best placed to make a sane decision rather than an arbitrary fine

Dannythechampion · 06/04/2017 15:04

Better yet, I think someone should sue the school if they're DC watch DVDs in the last week of school, since we're now criminals for them not being in school. The school should be penalised for stopping educating the children before the end of school. Tit for tat and all that."

There are no words for how stupid this statement is.

Sirzy · 06/04/2017 15:05

er yes because the argument is based on attendance and attainment - that's the objection to term time holidays

So with that logic then you could have siblings where one was judged to be able to go and the other not!

If you want to go on holiday in term time go just don't complain if you are fined!

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 06/04/2017 15:07

Better yet, I think someone should sue the school if they're DC watch DVDs in the last week of school, since we're now criminals for them not being in school. The school should be penalised for stopping educating the children before the end of school. Tit for tat and all that.

Ridiculous statement.

Notthemessiah · 06/04/2017 15:10

I laugh at all the people saying (essentially) 'Well you chose to have your child educated at state school, therefore you have to live with the rules'.

There is very little choice - I cannot have them educated privately because it is too expensive and while it is still just about possible to home educate them, especially during primary school years, the government is making it harder and harder (with the help of papers playing up the home education when a child is who is being 'home-educated' is abused). Places for a home-educated child to sit exams are deliberately being reduced until eventually there won't be any at all.

Soon it will be like Germany where home-education is actually illegal.

Then again, I said that in my first post but obviously people only read what they want to and ignore the rest. Baaaaaa.

I would say it's good to know it's not just my school that takes the rich kids skiing during term time, but it's not good at all - just says that school hypocrisy is everywhere.

mummymeister · 06/04/2017 15:13

I think that those of you under the impression that we are "back where we were" are now very wrong. my understanding is that the intention is to make this an offence.

so it wont be just a case of paying up your £60 per parent per child and going anyway. you risk it being criminalised as with speeding.

Don't just everyone be thinking that they can take the financial hit and go because that is going to change.

wonder how people will feel then when the obvious inequality of the whole situation really kicks in because paying the fine of £60 becomes the least of it.

how long before we hear a story like some of those on previous threads - parents wanting to take kids away after a bereavement and being refused, parents wanting to take kids to a funeral and being refused etc. and these parents then ending up with a record because they did it anyway.

no one on here has a crystal ball and can see the future. none of the people currently in favour of this can see that at some point in their lives shit might happen to them and then they wont get the time. Or they move to work in a small firm of 10 people all with children and are the person who gets no time at all off in the school summer holidays.

maybe then they will be jumping up and down saying how unfair it is.

ghostyslovesheets · 06/04/2017 15:13

Always done it - never been fined because our lea is sane!

Public sector resources are so stretched I'd rather the focus was on children missing education and with attendance at chronic levels

ShotsFired · 06/04/2017 15:14

@Unihorn As an example, when pricing 4 days in Bluestone at the end of August/beginning of September, there is an £800 jump in price. That is fucking disgusting.

As pp keep pointing out, that is NOT what is happening.

The people who go outside of school holiday times benefit from a discount to the actual price (which is actually probably still under-priced, given that everywhere gets sold out).

So you are not losing anything at all, just paying what it costs; and it's just tough shit that you can't currently take advantage of the discounted price. Life ain't fair.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 06/04/2017 15:17

Then again, I said that in my first post but obviously people only read what they want to and ignore the rest. Baaaaaa.

How mature.

Dannythechampion · 06/04/2017 15:18

"maybe then they will be jumping up and down saying how unfair it is."

Life isn't fair. Sorry.

A holiday isn't a human right, you can go at another time during the year, Easter, Xmas, half terms etc.

windypolar · 06/04/2017 15:20

messiah - I think we're far from a situation like Germany. It is difficult to find somewhere to sit exams, granted, but some LAs can be helpful in this, otherwise it's up to you to trawl the local schools and colleges to find somewhere willing to have you. There's helpful groups dedicated to exams as you'll be aware.

Fair point about some people not being able to afford to HE (I haven't found it cheap) or go private, or flexi school and state school being their only choice.

windypolar · 06/04/2017 15:20

Missing comma there!

Trifleorbust · 06/04/2017 15:20

I think someone should sue the school if they're DC watch DVDs in the last week of school

Do it. In relation to what financial losses are you suing?

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 06/04/2017 15:21

I agree with the decision.

Dannythechampion · 06/04/2017 15:21

"Then again, I said that in my first post but obviously people only read what they want to and ignore the rest. Baaaaaa."

I take it you missed quite a lot of school?

As said, you educate your child at a state school. The state school works within a set of parameters set by the government, attendance is one of them, they don't get to choose the rules.

You might not have the choice to educate your child somewhere else, or at home, but you do get your child educated by the state and you have to work with the school in the conditions the school has to work in.

Entitled, self centred, arrogant, and with arguments that are intellectual devoid.

Baa indeed.

Trifleorbust · 06/04/2017 15:22

Fair point about some people not being able to afford to HE (I haven't found it cheap) or go private, or flexi school and state school being their only choice

It's not really a fair point. I can't afford lots of things. That doesn't mean I get to redefine the terms under which I access the services I can afford.

Buck3t · 06/04/2017 15:22

Dannythechampion
Come on lay it on me, why is it stupid?

I get fined if I take my child out of school. Presumably because it prevents them getting educated (correct the presumption if you wish).

The school stops educating the children in the last week of term. where my child is not being educated when I've been told that's why I would be fined if I took them out early. So why not sue, or why is there no penalisation?