To send my children to school in the last week of term?

[ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs]

Here in Scotland it is the last week of summer term. According to both my dds (14 and 13) NO ONE goes to school in the last week, and definitely not in the last couple of days! They know they will both be sent in anyway, but are moaning that it's really boring, they don't do any work as the teachers can't teach anything because they would just have to teach it again when the rest of the class was there. Apparently they are told to "play on your phones", and some teachers are actively hinting/ suggesting they don't come in!

I'm a bit pissed off with this. On one hand the school officially disapproves of parents taking children out during term time to get cheap holidays, on the other hand the children who do make the effort to go in are seen as an inconvenience, it would seem. There is no penalty for not going in. Dd2 is home upset because her lovely friends are all staying off the last two days and going to a theme park, despite knowing that dd won't be able to join them, and will be in school on her own. (This isn't just hearsay, they did this at the end of last term too) So I am the worst mother in the world for making them go to school. Am i?

Lankin why does it bother you so much?

The Scottish education system is excellent.

Very sensible in its approach to the wider picture.

No child is going to have their long term education scuppered by a laid back final week of term.

Scottish universities (and others, obviously) are full of high attaining Scottish students.

Difference between being laid back and not sending your kids in though. I’ve worked as hard this week as any other, producing more “fun” activities is not actually any quicker than normal ones (unless it’s a dvd and I haven’t succumbed to that yet!). Our school pupils seem to have missed the memo that they don’t come in either, especially all my favourites

I think your kids might be having you on. I'm a secondary school teacher and I've yet to teach in a school where there are no pupils in the last week. Our senior classes are all still working on the course until the last day. If you aren't there then you miss the content. Other year groups are still doing content based work but generally more "fun" activities. These activities take longer to prepare for teachers. Generally in Maths these are problem solving type puzzles that are consolidating learning.
Kids probably think it's just fun, unimportant stuff though.

Dd has been subjected to pitch perfect in class! She came home at lunchtime yesterday as there was no hot food at lunch and as there were so few people in class they were doing no work. I'm not making her go today as its a 1pm finish anyway

Honestly, I'm not deluded, and my kids aren't having me on! I've spoken to some of the mums who just are of the opinion there is no point in sending them in, so they dont! So far this week they report some classes have only 5 people there, and dd1 has had one class "cancelled" with no place else for her to go, she seems to keep wandering to the music department and no one seems bothered . Both my dds know they are going, they just wish their friends were too, and that they had something to do.
I was in private school, so this is all strange to me! When my mother was paying for something she was damn well getting her money's worth! Ironically she was a teacher in the same state secondary my dc now attend, and I'll bet she worked her classes until the last day- Id love to have had her take on this if she was still alive.
Oh well, last day today! Maybe I'll have the guts to bring it up with the school next time.....

My DS 14 has his last day today and he's decided he's not going, he has an attendance of 98.9%, and I'm happy for him not to go on this occasion because they will literally be doing nothing,

I've said he is not getting his Xbox controller tho so he'd probably have more fun at school but it will show him just because it sounds great to skip school it isn't necessarily so.

It’s DS1s last day too, he’s still in bed.

My kids all went yesterday, absenteeism on the last day isn't a thing at Primary and everyone was there. Possibly because of the four days of strike attendance at the secondary school was exceptionally low, my older two said there were about 7 or 8 kids in each class. So a quarter.

DS has finally caved. The break up tomorrow at lunch but there is service first and we don't do religion. he's not due to start until 11 so it seems pointless to drive 20 minutes each way for about half an hour of school.

I think attendance has been reasonably high but I think the younger years are getting less in terms of lessons than the older ones, DSs missing teacher being the exception.

Good grief nobody said "no kids turn up".
Many kids do but others dont. Mine did and they watched films related to topics and played games some related to topics some not so much shock horror it was a pretty chilled day for everyone. One day not bent over books constantly wont affect the rest of thier lives.

If I had my time again, i think I'd be a little less vigilant about them going in every day regardless. I expected DS2 to ask earlier in the week not to go in, but despite many things, he actually prefers being in school, talking to his friends, having a bit of banter with the teachers and just being out and about to lying in his bed . I've bred a monster.

willow2017 yes they did!
It was true when I was at school no one did go in
And
no kids go in the last week, certainly not in high school. for example

Down to 5 in a class of 25 today for one of the subjects. Thankfully only a half day tomorrow, I imagine the numbers will be even lower.

We finished at noon today and I guess that maybe only about 30% of the pupils were in. It was pleasant.

I don't agree that the Scottish education system is "excellent". I think it's now well behind the English system. It's true that the last week of school is spent watching DVDs, etc. My DC is taking authorised leave and doing something more productive with the time. I do think that they should have proper lessons of some kind in the last week

Had a thought today. What if teachers keep teaching right up until last day, with last day being a more "fun" day. Then those kids who didn't come in could catch up, or pay for a tutor session, where the teacher would be paid to reteach the lesson at a later date in their free time. If it suited them.

That way those of us that choose to access the "free" education system that we pay for could, and anyone not wanting to avail themselves of that free option could pay to access it later. Simples!

So when I start teaching in August and some of the class have no idea what I’m on about, I should just say well your parents should have paid for me to come in to tutor you (not that I would) rather than have that cheaper holiday. And then ignore them? No, not workable at all!
If the Staffroom section on here is anything to go by we are still far, far, FAR better than schools in England in terms of morale, workload, lack of random pointless interventions.

Having had a ds just go through the Scottish system, I've been very happy with it (But I know the plural of anecdote is not data )

He's just finished S6, so saw the introduction of CfE in his latter years at primary (where in practice, nothing changed, because they already taught that way ) and was the third (I think) cohort to take Nat 5s (his school allows their pupils to take 8), going on to do 5 Highers, then 2 AHs and 1 crash Higher. He's off to Aberdeen with an unconditional to do International Relations.

This is at a state school in Glasgow - where, if you believe some, you need to move out to East Ren or East Dunbartonshire to get a decent education.

As a product myself of a "naice" education in East Dunbartonshire at a "naice" school (Bearsden Academy), I'd say ds had a better, all round education than I did - even though I got 6 As at Higher in S5

Well done to your DS prettybird

I absolutely give up.
If you really believe that there’s no point in going to school for the last week cos it’s shit and nothing happens then either the school or your fucking mindset are an absolute joke.
I believe in commitment, effort, courage, strength and ultimately achieving your potential.

If you believe in those things, and the school just puts the children in front of fun dvds for the last week, or whatever, then you can maybe organise something more useful / interesting for your child? Basically, the teachers treat the last week of school as their own time to pack up for the holidays / prepare for next term? In which case, I think it's fair enough not to send your child in.

For the most part I don’t believe that teachers are just sticking kids in front of a DVD, it’s the parents who are taking the piss and saying “naaa yer all right , no point going in it’s a load of shite anyway, let’s go to Disney Land”
Therefore, the teachers have a class of about 3, and quite frankly what the f are they supposed to do?
It’s a peasant mentality

If they genuinely want to teach, they can teach even better with a small number of pupils. They do an extension activity, or an activity which reinforces current knowledge. It's no excuse to say they can't do anything because other children will miss it.

I agree classes do seem to wind down the last week whist teachers clear out the room ready for next year but the kids still do learning stuff - just tends to be more "fun" and creative that week as its prob easier to organise.

I dont remember ever having days off at the end of term cose no one was going in. We just had more down time/play times and less strict classes.