To think children shouldn't be taken out of school for holidays?

[MidiMitch]

Just that really. An article today says four million school days a year are being lost by parents removing children for holidays. I am a teacher so probably rather biased on this but I think it's dreadful that children are taken out of school because of a cheap holiday. I definitely think that more needs to be done to stop the hiking up of prices in holiday time but I don't think the answer is to disrupt a child's education.

As always I am befuddled by why people care so much about what other people choose or need to do for their own families?

I know two children, very well actually, who have problematic home lives and who miss a lot of school. Quite why I am supposed to consider them when making decisions for my own children, both of whom have many challenges in their lives due to their multiple additional needs, I cannot begin to comprehend.

Despite your concerns about my kids school attendance figures.

I couldn’t care less about your children’s school attendance figures!

You were the one that brought it up earlier. Asking if I had looked it up.

I am a skint single parent and our family holidays are massively important. When DH was alive this was our chill out time, we had amazing experiences and we travelled about 3 times a year. I have carried this on since DH died as much as possible but would never take DC out of school for a cheap holiday. DD just carried on and went into school when DH died but has since a few days off with illness after 100% attendance. The things that were covered on those days were never made up.
The way the UK education system works is that our children are taught to pass tests. Taking your child out for a week or two assumes that an over-stretched class teacher will then make up those lessons with your child. They will not. So if your child misses some building bricks to move onto the next level during the week away it could mean, for example, they will not understand the basics of algebra.

Also we have to prepare our young people for life. I was lucky in that I could get a Saturday job from the age of 14, have been to university 4 times for various degrees and post grad courses and worked on Europe fairly easily. And I had a lot of fun. This will not be an option for our kids. They have to be focused from a much earlier age and in reality will work into their 70s.

i'm well educated my dh is well educated and my children (now adults) are well educated we took them out whenever we saw need.
school is not the be all end all.

My understanding is that that the fining system was put in place due to kids at the lower SES end of the spectrum taking a lot of time of out and falling behind. I'm not sure it can be proven that losing one week makes a huge difference, particularly at the end of term.

I think if schools want parents to believe every week counts they need to make every week count, ie I get why a teacher wants to put videos etc on in the kids week of the summer term, but you can then see why parents don't think they're missing much.

Think each kid should get a week leeway to allow for funerals / parents who can't take holiday during holiday time etc before the fine kicks in then no one would complain.

Plus agree, what on earth can be done to control prices going up during holidays, especially when you're talking about hotels / companies that aren't even British...!

I couldn’t care less about your children’s school attendance figures!

Ok dear.

SoozC

One of my DSs teacher took two weeks off, just two weeks into this term to go on holiday............

Funnily enough where I work we pick up the children/young adults in the school holiday and annual leave is really tight!

So I take my children out of school. Family holidays are important. Just like surprise Inset days are!!

East Sussex have a campaign going called "get a grip" basically says no excuse not to be in school. That includes being ill! It's been on the news quite a bit as there's been enough signatures against it for a debate in parliament!

YABVU IMO.

I also get annoyed by this assumption that by taking them out is purely to get a cheapo Benidorm style holiday

My DS has severe SEN so the focus is more on learning simple life skills rather than a more traditional curriculum.

A while ago now, my DS's class were doing a space project whilst we were planning to take him out of school.

It was purely by coincidence, but one of the reasons we were going was to witness the final launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space centre, which we did, along with meeting a real astronaut.

The whole experience was absolutely mind blowing and is one of the best moments of our lives at this point in time.

The shuttle launches were notoriously unreliable so we were incredibly lucky that it did go ahead in the first place.

So OP, as a teacher, which do you think was more beneficial to my DS?

Sitting in a classroom looking at astronomy books or on the internet versus Actually being there, feeling the ground shake, Hearing that indescribably roar of blast off, as well as getting to talk to and ask questions of a real Astronaut, a Female one at that too, who was also a Teacher when not whizzing around in space?

To me, and my DS's very sensible Headteacher it's a bit of a no brainer really, don't you think?

Especially because my DS learns in a very visual, emotional way.

Each case should be judged on it's own merit. Not all parents are taking their DC's out to sit by a pool quaffing sangria.

That get a grip campaign is awful.
I’m a fully grown adult and am about to enter my third week off sick recovering from flu. I would not be able to teach for the day. A pupil with the same would not be able to be in school. Ridiculous.

Also meant to add this........

I am not one for cheesy life affirming quotes, however, I do firmly believe in this one....

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"

As you are a teacher OP I am a bit surprised you even need to ask AIBU in the first place. Education comes in many forms and surely as a Teacher you should encourage that?

wow - so you went all that way to watch the space shuttle, then hurried back to school?

We did that trip too (in school hols) - watched and felt a rocket launch, went and visited the makings of the international space station , also met a real live astronaut - and spent 2 weeks in the sun and theme parks, on the beach and the Disney/Universal rides, sitting by the villa pool quaffing wine - not sangria.

Well this has been enlightening.

I have taken my DS out in Primary for Christmas a few days before he broke up. He did his carol singing and then we left for the airport. We went abroad for an extended family holiday, with aunts, uncles and grandparents.

I would not do the same for my DD, she's behind (we suspect APD) and very sickly. Last week she was out of school with Tonsilitis. Last year it was asthma (several times for the year).

However, with all that said, videos in the last week of school rankles me. Education is not free it is provided with taxpayers money. We're all taxpayers. unapproved videos (I.e PG rather than U or in DS's case 15 rather 12), during school time is not fair when 4 days later the price of a holiday shoots up astronomically. If my DD was not so far behind, I'd definitely take them out (although not this year as it is a GCSE year.

I think it depends on the individual child.

I had on average 3 weeks off school every year (including years 10, 11, 12 and 13)for holidays, Thorpe Park, zoo trips and even a shopping day. I left with straight A’s at both GCSE and A level and went on to get a 1st class degree.

The benefits of time with family definitely outweighed the benefit that I would have received by being in school for an extra three weeks a year.

But there are children who would severely suffer from missing any school. And I’m sure there would be complaints if children were treated differently depending on their academic ability.

My DD's school have an INSET day at the beginning of July and then go back to school in their new classes. Avoids the end of year slow down and means when they come back in September they already know their seats, have met their teacher etc. I certainly wouldn't take her out at the end of summer term as she would miss all that.

I don't really agree with taking kids out of school in term time full stop. It's disruptive and devalues education. Schooling costs the taxpayer £22,500 per annum - based on 39 weeks a year that's £115 a day. If you were paying £575 per week, often for multiple children, you'd make damn sure you were there.

If you were paying £575 per week, often for multiple children, you'd make damn sure you were there

Part of the draw for us of private prep has been the flexibility its given us. We've been able to take her out for opportunities she wouldn't have otherwise had, fully authorised.

Sweetheart, most don't care about the cost though as they aren't paying it and believe everything should be free for their children anyway.

Those interested in their child's education won't be pulling them from school, those that don't care or believe that the rules only apply to certain people will do what they want regardless.

The fine should be what it costs per child to run a school, that way at least no money is wasted.

Jacques that's interesting! IMO when you sign up to a school, you sign up to their T&Cs and expectations. The military families etc above are given exemption from those rules for good reason. You're working within the rules of your DCs school, and at a state school the rules are different. Yes it's "penalising the poor" but unfortunately a cost of having DC and sending them to state school is limited freedom, clipped wings and expensive, school-holiday-priced holidays. There are other options (home ed, private school, don't have kids), as you've discovered.

@Sweetheart absolutely. DD is moving to state secondary and won’t be having time off (unless it’s authorised).

I have taken my child out of school several times for a week before Xmas. although I agree it isn't the best for education but they are hardly ever out for reason such as 'Ill health' or 'I can't be bothered to take them in today' plus the last few weeks leading up to xmas is full of movie afternoons and party days etc....

Family time is important in our lives as my husband has a very demanding job and we don't get much of it! Xmas weeks seem better time to me as it's not as disruptive I don't think

YANBU, in the real world life happens outside of the school holidays. Not everyone can get leave in school holidays, people have family abroad, family crisis and illness. I really dislike the assumption that in making this decision, I could solely be responsible for damaging my DCs education. Let’s also consider other factors that are damaging to my DCs education like poor teaching, teachers leaving during the school year, having endless supply teachers, failure to set or mark homework, not supporting students, not dealing with low level disruption in lessons. These issues are far more common and impact far more students than term time holidays. Please can schools provide some stats on the impact that poor teaching or supply teaching has on my DCs GCSEs results before they lecture me about a missed day watching DVDs at the end of term.

I’m intrigued by all these children watching DVDs and playing games at the end of term.

I certainly never did it. My DCs have never done it. I’ve never seen it done at schools of volunteered or worked in.

The only time I’m aware of my children (or those at my school) watching a DVD at school it has been relevant to that days learning.

It's such a hackneyed and lazy cliche to accuse schools of just spending the last week or two of the school term watching videos. This hasn't been standard (or even true) practice for years. We are point-blank not allowed to do it in our school, unless it specifically relates to something we are currently studying in class.
Mind you, it is often difficult to teach anything of particular importance in the last week, as so many children have buggered off on holiday. This has the knock-on effect of devaluing the school experience for those left behind and it can be even harder work getting them to concentrate at that point.