To take DC out of Reception a week before hols?!

[NeedToHoliday]

Planning to go on holiday next year and thinking of taking our daughter out of school during the last week of term, or maybe the week before that

We wouldn't do it ordinarily but I'll just be back from maternity leave so money will be a bit tight. As it's reception Class, will she likely miss much?!

I really don't think anything of people who do it. It may depend on each school, but our school does nothing really important during last week before summer holiday, regardless of year group. In fact, it only matters in yr6, because they are doing all the fun worthwhile things as a year group.
And before the government decided the school cannot authorise term time holidays, a lot of people, including children of ta's at school have done it.

Whether you get fined or not depends on previous absence rates potentially pushing them over a threshold.
As a teacher, please don't expect me to spend extra time catching your child up with things they have missed after a holiday. If you, their parents, clearly don't give a toss about their education, why do you think I should?

I don't think you are being unreasonable and to me it's not a big deal. We used to take ours out for the last week of term (not always the summer term) to take a holiday. In those days there was no fine and the head at our DC's school was very accommodating. We used to be given work sheets for them to do while on holiday. It meant our DC could travel and have experiences we could not have afforded otherwise. Both gained excellent GCSE and A level results, one gained a First at uni' and is in very interesting and well paid work, and the other is at uni' and on target for a First. I also think the 'children in poorer countries don't get the education ours do' argument is irrelevant, and it is the equivalent of the 'starving children and eat your greens argument'.

That’s your job wow

This year school sent ds(7) home several times for fears he was ill... they are trigger happy at excluding for suspected d&v. Ds worked out if he mentioned having diarrhoea then hed get a free pass home. As a result he had time off when he was perfectly well but coukdnt go to school. Massive inconvenience for me.

He got full marks in the SATS and excellent school report so its not done any harm.

My point is that time off is not the be all and end all of 'your dc's education will suffer".

Personally i have enough holidays to cover whilst working i dont want to add to it.
In reception and y1 we had last day of may term off 'sick' to take advantage of cheaper flight and will consider same again in future if its convenient.

I think some posters can be really sanctimonious about term time holiday. How do all the homeschoolers survive and thrive? Just do what works for you.

I wouldn't do it in secondary. Though right at the end of term has got to be the best time generally as the teaching seems to wind up towards the year end.

We just took our five year old out for the last week, it was for a trip home to the UK from Sydney.
He's still in Kindy, pretty common here at this age, there were three other kids in his class doing the exact same thing.
They have a form for this type of request, I understand it's different over here by the concencus is that a big trip like that will be beneficial to their learning and development on so many ways.

wow I don't think going on holiday for a week means parents don't give a toss about their child's education.

Fishing did you make your DC do worksheets on holiday? Did you do some work on holiday too?!

DS's school are always fine about this in the earlier years. One child has had 2 weeks off during Y1 and 2.5 in y2! I think they tend to let it go because they know the parents are likely to keep up basic skills during the long holidays (e.g. do reading, colouring, writing with child over the holidays,).

We've taken DD out for the last 3 days of this term. She's in reception and was 5 in June, so doesn't legally have to be there until September.

We got a bit of a stern letter back when we submitted our absence form, saying they'll refer us to the EWO, but that's clearly standard wording given when she turned 5.

They did their transition activities a few weeks' ago, so she isn't missing anything of huge importance (it's take a toy to school day tomorrow, for instance). We won't do it any other year, unless something exceptional occurs.

I can't bring myself to get worked up about it, to be honest. She's doing really well at both maths and reading, so I don't think this will be detrimental at all.

I’m a teacher so couldn’t do it but just to say- please do check the diary dates of events in the school. Although people think the last week is a doss around, it may actually be better to miss a random week in the middle of June or whatever (provided no testing, events etc!) when nothing is going on. For example a little boy I teach in Nursery went on holiday on the Wednesday of the penultimate week, so missed around 8 school days, and in that time he misses a transition morning where they met and spent the morning with their new teacher for September, Sports Day, our little Nursery Graduation ceremony followed by a garden party and a class trip to the beach, plus missed the day school reports were handed out!

I think it is fair enough

Thinking back my dd didn't have any reception as she had a July birthday so-went straight into Y1. So she missed a whole year of reception that other children got.

She has just graduated with a very good degree

Otterly No it's not my job to make up time that parents have deliberately and knowingly jettisoned. If a child is ill, then fair enough. But you can't have it both ways and say that it doesn't matter to miss a couple of weeks of school but then complain that they've missed out.
My HT agrees, fortunately, and is very clear that we will not provide work for holiday absenteeism. We also note on their exercise books that they've missed such-and-such a topic due to holiday absence.

They don’t do anything worthwhile during the last week and attendance isn’t counted at that stage either as reports with their attendance generally go out a week or two before the last week. So yes, I would.

As a teacher, please don't expect me to spend extra time catching your child up with things they have missed after a holiday. If you, their parents, clearly don't give a toss about their education, why do you think I should?

Whereas I would be disappointed if a teacher felt the only way a child could be educated was in the classroom.

DD’s school didn’t agree and were quite happy to authorise term-time holidays.

As a teacher, please don't expect me to spend extra time catching your child up with things they have missed after a holiday. If you, their parents, clearly don't give a toss about their education, why do you think I should

I think perhaps you need to revisit what you learned when you were training, as your attitude is appalling. Surely you know about experiential learning? Sustained shared thinking? "Wow" moments? Out of classroom enrichment?

I'd much rather a child in my class spent a week in a new culture, having wonderful experiences with loved ones than be restricted to a stuffy UK curriculum.

My daughters school don't like people doing this.

They can't stop you if they're not yet five but as others have said they meet the new teacher for year one in the last week. My daughter had a non uniform day where others joining in year one came to meet them all, they have been playing in the big playground without the other year groups in there, they have had a class picnic lunch in the local park, today is the non uniform class party etc etc so it's like they miss out on the most fun week of school!

Fine, ProfessorMoody.
Just don't also expect me to redistribute my time and precious resources (eg TAs for intervention groups) to run catch up sessions.

Catch up sessions for what movie they missed?

No films allowed in my school.

Whether you get fined or not depends on previous absence rates potentially pushing them over a threshold.

This depends entirely on your local authority. This is not the case at my school at all, your previous attendance is not taking into consideration at all.

I'm taking my dd out of the second year of year one for a holiday.

Even with the fine, it works out cheaper to go then instead of during the holidays.

I've already notified for the school and had my application denied but I'm still doing it.

It's one week. She's a clever girl, and will catch up quickly and I will do all I can to help her catch up too.

I think family holidays are just as importantly as a child. I wouldn't do it I feel it was an exam year however but others yes

Taking them out at the beginning of the school year is about the worst time of all, actually.

Like I said, she will catch up

She's a fluent reader and writer, can do basic maths and got an excellent school report.

I'm not worried about a single week where with my support she will be just as strong

My DS had a week off in summer term for 2 years before it was made illegal. He got outstanding SATS results so I dont think it made a difference to him.