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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

249 replies

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 25/06/2018 16:43

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?

OP posts:
MrsJayy · 26/06/2018 17:45

*Art, music and hospitality I think graph communications was on the list as well they picked 2 that rotated

dementedpixie · 26/06/2018 17:47

I'm sure dd did ICT in first and second year and then it branched out into different areas and she chose computing for S3 and will continue that into S4

Totallypearshaped · 26/06/2018 17:49

My teens have been off since the end of May, yes, May.
They’re due back in September.
12 weeks holidays here... three whole long months to lounge in their pits on their phones.

In Ireland btw.

Oh, they get two weeks off at Christmas,
two weeks at Easter and
twoX one week per mid term break,
a half day every Wednesday,
add that to the snow days,
and they’ve been in school for less than seven months this year.

Doing ok academically for all that as they really put the boot in when they’re in school, and they start ridiculously early, stay late, with classes at lunchtime and on saturdays too.

I prefer the long summer holidays, as they really tune out from academics and get a chance to sleep in, grow, eat, and hang out with their mates.

(They’ll be getting summer jobs soon enough when they’re 16.)

Clionba · 26/06/2018 17:49

@SoddingUnicorns - I can be amazed at things that don't affect me.
You just said that you were amazed at what you consider to be an unsatisfactory English system. That doesn't affect you. You and I both can freely express our amazement, and should do so without fear of being criticised for doing so. But it is completely illogical to criticise someone.... then do exactly the same!! GrinGrin

Edinburghsmedinburgh · 26/06/2018 17:53

@aroomsomewhere was it include in S1? I've heard of schools doing it in one or the other. And they could be using ICT skills in other classes of course.
If it's normally offered in S2 and it's not this year, I suspect staffing issues. But it may simply not be there - there are lots of other subjects to include too.

cherish123 · 26/06/2018 17:54

It is boring for them at this time of year but I think you are right to send them to school this week. Everyone is tired, especially the teachers. As a parent, you are teaching they the correct behaviours/attitudes to hold when they are adults. You are instilling in your children the right attitude for adult life. As a adult, you can't just say - it's the week before xmas so I won't go to the office.

Katherine2626 · 26/06/2018 17:55

Have you discussed this with anyone at school? i am so familiar with 'everybody and nobody' syndrome - if you are told that 'nobody is going to school and nothing happens' I find this rather odd, as the school's attendance would be in a dreadful state and the LEA would be onto it at once. There is a legal obligation for children to be at school for a statutory number of days each year...hmm. I would be suspicious.

ARoomSomewhere · 26/06/2018 17:55

No not in S1 either.
How can ICT possibly be left out of a High school curriculum in 2018? the mind boggles tbh.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/06/2018 17:58

There is a general shortage of ICT teachers and the quality can be patchy. People who are really into it will probably work in the industry somewhere as pay is higher and it's easier to keep up to date etc. Someone would have to be keen to be a teacher to be in ICT teaching or they teach something else as a specialism and do this on the side. It depends on what teachers the school has available and how many exam classes they are offering and therefor how many periods of available teaching time there are. ime my DSs did get some ICT in 1-3rd year (prior to starting Nat 5s) but it was usually 1 period a week and not for the whole year. I think they got a term of that, a term of cooking and then sometimes just extra english or maths.

accidentalbride · 26/06/2018 17:58

cherish123 - so so so in agreement with you!!! It's not just about academics but about discipline, sense of responsibility and the ability of dealing with boredom and unstructured time. Perhaps some of the biggest lessons you can teach them.

totallypearshaped - 12 weeks summer holidays..? I think I would shoot myself Grin

dementedpixie · 26/06/2018 18:01

Dd did ICT in S1 and S2 and her column for S3 is shown. She chose computing

To send my children to school in the last week of term?
SoddingUnicorns · 26/06/2018 18:04

But it is completely illogical to criticise someone.... then do exactly the same!

I’d have kept my opinions to myself if you hadn’t sneered at Scotland’s system.

PolkerrisBeach · 26/06/2018 18:08

We've been off on strike for four days. Tomorrow is the last day of term. Mine are all going. Two at senior school, one primary.

accidentalbride · 26/06/2018 18:11

Katherine 2626 - we are in London where schools are on until 20th July. They stop doing the register at the end of June and the attendance / lateness / sickness figures are all locked then. So whatever happens in July is really immaterial and doesn't impact attendance figures. Teachers need 2-3 weeks to finalise their end of year reports etc... I know this is how it works at our schools so I imagine other schools may be similar? I don't think the last week affects attendance figures in any way

Clionba · 26/06/2018 18:14

@SoddingUnicorns I didn't mean to sneer. It's obviously upset you terribly, so I'm so sorry. I'm sure it's a marvellous system, and who would blame hardworking teachers for having a bit of a lax time after a very demanding term. Everything about Scottish education is indeed laudable. I personally don't care if you sneer at the English system at all.

SoddingUnicorns · 26/06/2018 18:15

It would appear I’ve overreacted so I’m sorry too. There’s a lot of anti Scottish shite on here at the moment, so I took it too personally.

prawntail · 26/06/2018 18:19

I very much doubt they don’t want kids in: it will affect the school attendance records and that has a bearing on ofsted reports.

rediredi · 26/06/2018 18:23

I’m a high school teacher in Scotland and I teach every term until the end. I might let go only the last day but I would always put on a relevant educational movie (science teacher here) so that my pupils don’t miss on getting educated. And tbh there’re not that many kids off school in the last week anyway-maybe one or two per class. Hard to class that as ‘hardly nobody is there’. If your kids’ teachers are letting them do nothing I would raise that with the school-that’s not acceptable!

prawntail · 26/06/2018 18:23

Pressed
Send too soon: our school has terrible problems with parents leaving for holiday a few days before end of term and are getting dreadful ofsted marks in this area. They certainly do not stop counting attendance towards end of term and it’s been made super clear to us that every single day and every child in attendance, counts. We are in London.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/06/2018 18:24

we don't have ofsted and I think school aren't taking registers. friend has had texts from the absence service to say her son isn't at school when he's legitimately been at an appointment that she's told them about. He didn't go in for 4 days and not a peep.

Clionba · 26/06/2018 18:26

@SoddingUnicorns heaven forfend I would engage in anti Scottish slander, and I hope that I would challenge anyone so ignorant and prejudiced. I spent a very happy time at Glasgow University. A centre of excellence in medicine.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/06/2018 18:27

I'm also sick of the shite that the school spout about every day attendance counting when they aren't providing any teacher for my DS for one of his subjects for 4 periods a week and haven't done for the last month. If I had my time again then I think i'd join the band of getting a cheaper holiday and missing school.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/06/2018 18:28

I'm not aware of any anti-scottish-ness. Maybe a bit of anti Nationalist stuff but i'm not unhappy about that .

roundturnandtwohalfhitches · 26/06/2018 18:29

DS is going in and we are heading for our holidays when school finishes on Friday at 12.30. He's primary. I'm not sure what they are doing but he has reading homework this week.

bigKiteFlying · 26/06/2018 18:32

Wow - I'd be annoyed beyond that not sure what I would do.

My DD1 is on a trip abroad - she'll get back at about 1.30 am - they all have to be in school the next day or the department won't be allowed to run trips again and any Dc not attending will not be allowed on future trips - which would be a issue as we've already started paying. It's all about attendance figures Hmm.