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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that 6 weeks before the summer holidays is far far too late to start changing the holiday dates

48 replies

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 19/06/2017 22:14

School have just sent out an email detailing the dates of 2017/2018 term dates.

The dates have been on the website for months and months so not very exciting.

Except they have changed one of the flipping dates! The training day that was at the beginning of September is now after Easter. Unfortunately we booked our holiday based on the dates that have been up there for nearly a year.

So Dd is going to be starting juniors on very little sleep (late night flight) and poor little DS is going to be starting school on little sleep.

The worst thing is that they just sent the dates out as an email with no indication that something has changed. Luckily one of the dates is one that has significance for us or we quite easily could have missed it completely and just turned up a day late having missed ds's first day at school!

AIBU to be a bit lot annoyed with school?

OP posts:

RufusTheRenegadeReindeer · 19/06/2017 22:19

Yanbu

What possessed them to do that...its not so much the change

More the fact that they seem to be trying to 'sneak' it through

Sisinisawa · 19/06/2017 22:27

Just go a day later. It's not a huge deal. Notify the school now though.

Original poster

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 19/06/2017 22:31

Yep - just relieved I noticed - have let all the mum's on our FB site know and half of them hadn't realised! Am sending Dh in tomorrow (the better negotiator of the two of us) to point out that loads of unauthorised absences on the first day of the year will really mess up their attendance statistics!

OP posts:

MsVestibule · 19/06/2017 22:33

I would just take them in a day late. I know missing the first day of school seems a big deal, but it really isn't.

I hate the casual changing of days off - surely headteachers know that people have booked holidays based on the original dates and should at the very least draw attention clearly to any changes?

Original poster

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 19/06/2017 22:34

Sisi But it is ds's first day at school. He'll miss out on all the "this is where the toilets are, this is where the drinks are" stuff. He's a summer boy and is not very good at asking for what he needs.

OP posts:

OublietteBravo · 19/06/2017 22:35

YANBU - we always come back from holiday the day before term starts since childcare for the last week August/first week of September is insanely difficult to find.

PippaFawcett · 19/06/2017 22:35

This would piss me off too.

Original poster

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 20/06/2017 05:29

Actually - now I think about it the thing that has really pissed me off is that we did everything right!

We don't take holidays during term time but actually it would have been far better for both children if we had taken the last week of the summer term off. And it would have saved us a huge amount of money!

We shouldn't be in this situation.

(And I've hurt my back so am up in agony in the middle of the night which technically is not the school's fault at all but is just making me even more fed up!)

OP posts:

Westray · 20/06/2017 06:09

Yes it would piss me off but I wouldn't book a holiday so close to the start of term.

Kids sleep patterns can go out of kilter on holiday. when they get back they need at least a few days to reorientate themselves, get focused on school, prepare their stuff etc.
I would allow a week, no less than 3 or 4 days between getting home and starting school.

And I wouldn't want my child to miss the first day of school.
I would be contacting the airline to see if flights could be changed.

Spottytop1 · 20/06/2017 06:13

Dates I've seen always say inset days are subject to change- this is because providers of the training ( if external) can have to alter the dates for various reasons.

I don't think they've ' sneaked' anything in - they have given you the dates as they've altered....

PumpkinPie2016 · 20/06/2017 06:15

YANBU people plan their holidays often 12 months in advance and use the school holiday dates as a guide - it's unfair to start changing things so close when flights etc will be booked.

The school I teach at changed the Xmas hols for next academic year in about March and I thought that was late (they are altering by about 3 days). It doesn't affect me personally but I bet will affect some.

LynetteScavo · 20/06/2017 06:25

YANBU - the first day of the school year is a big deal, and I say they that as someone who doesn't think it matters too much if a child with otherwise good attendance takes a weeks holiday mid year.

BikeRunSki · 20/06/2017 06:33

The school has probably been let down by their training provider.

HotelEuphoria · 20/06/2017 06:34

Explain the problem to school and see what their reaction is but I would just take two grumpy, tired DC to school. See the positives, you can catch up on your washing with little interruptions and then the DC will come home from school, dinner, bath and an early bedtime.

We have had a couple of very close calls in the past due to delayed flights. One straight off a nighttime US flight at Manchester then straight home, uniform, school and another a very very delayed flight from Turkey which meant getting to school after it started.

Still unreasonable of school though.

Petalbird · 20/06/2017 06:48

But they haven't changed the holiday dates. Training dates don't count in the holidays and therefore can be moved.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 20/06/2017 06:58

Is your ds definitely starting on the very first day of term? Every school my dc have been to have had some sort of staggered site.

Dd's new school hasn't even published their inset days for 2017/18 year yet at all

ForalltheSaints · 20/06/2017 07:02

A bit unusual but I am sure you will never assume a training day is fixed again.

DandelionAndBedrock · 20/06/2017 07:03

I spent the day before the start of term sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight. Finally landed in Gatwick at half past 2 in the morning. I'm the teacher .

I expect your DS will find the whole day quite tiring anyway, so I'm not really sure starting it tired will make that much of a difference iyswim.

Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes · 20/06/2017 07:03

You can't assume INSET days won't change. It's annoying but as others have said it's not just down to the school, a training provider may have let them down. Our school has always made clear that they are subject to change and it does happen from time to time.

Ceto · 20/06/2017 07:17

In my children's school, dates for starting school are always staggered so that only a small number start each day. Try suggesting to your children's school that that would be a good idea?

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 20/06/2017 07:29

They haven't moved the holidays, they have moved a training day. It's very common as they might have had a new need come up, a provider move dates etc.

Booking a holiday right up to the start of term was your choice, not theirs. There are six weeks to go away in so not like there's little time.

PlumpAndPlain · 20/06/2017 07:35

The school I work at had to do this last year - like others have said, it was due to the training provider rearranging. For everyone who could show they had booked holidays before the date change had their absence authorised.

Iris65 · 20/06/2017 07:35

Our school's term dates changed very late in the term and a senior member of staff had previously booked a long haul, very expensive holiday. The dates were changed back very promptly.

OnionKnight · 20/06/2017 07:36

I'd send them in a day late but on the other hand I wouldn't have booked a holiday that finished right at the end of the six week holiday, you had five other weeks to choose from.

Westray · 20/06/2017 07:41

Our school's term dates changed very late in the term and a senior member of staff had previously booked a long haul, very expensive holiday. The dates were changed back very promptly.

Our term dates are set by the LA, not the school.

The school has no leeway to change term dates. Iris what you are suggesting simply couldn't happen in my area. Even in emergency circumstances- such as urgent building repair work it's the LA who makes the decision to alter dates.
Where are you?

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