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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

About term dates?

31 replies

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 10:24

We all know holidays in school hols are super expensive. Nothing new there. We really want to be able to take the kids away next year. It's a UK break, and October half term always has good weather (that I can remember anyway) but we've looked at a break with plenty of indoor activities just in case the weather is pants.

So we're looking at October 2020. Gives us plenty of time to pay off the balance bit by bit. Term dates aren't available on local authority website, it just says info will be posted when it's available.

I called to see if they could tell me when it will be available, and the woman said 'I'm seeing the same info as you. I can't tell you what the dates are because we don't know' So I asked when this year's dates were decided. She doesn't know that either.

I'm not asking her to tell me when half term will be, she doesn't have that info and that's fair enough. But I don't think it's U to ask when they usually make a decision about term dates. Surely that itself is set in stone, no? EG term dates are always decided at the start of the previous academic year, or always in January etc.

I'm guessing it will be the 3rd week of Oct, and I'm tempted to book it anyway, but more than once my kiddos have had half term in the last week of Oct and it will be just my luck that next year it will be different. DS will just have started year 7, so can't imagine it will go down well if I take him out for a week during term time, although they've allowed it with DD this year for exceptional circumstances.

OP posts:

PlainSpeakingStraightTalking · 21/02/2019 10:29

As the school directly ? Ours never completely followed the LA pattern of dates.

TBH one child was in one school where dates were put out three years ahead, the other school, you were lucky if you got them a year ahead, and 6th form is a nightmare, it seems to be verbal to the pupils on a whatsapp group

Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 10:33

Ours is an academy, but does follow the LA dates so I'm guessing they'll say they can't confirm until LA makes decision. Which would be fine if somebody could tell me when that decision is usually made!

Looking on the place we're bookings website, the 3rd week of October is slightly more expensive than the other weeks so I'm assuming they think that's when it'll be.

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Spikeyball · 21/02/2019 10:35

Looking at the dates I think it is more likely to be in the last week of October that year (Friday is the 23rd) for most schools in England.

Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 10:39

I think you're right because if it's the Third week, the first term is 6 weeks and then Christmas term is 8 weeks. They normally would have 2 seven week terms instead, right?

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Spikeyball · 21/02/2019 10:45

Generally if there is a full Mon to Fri in the last week of October then half term is then unless you are in a school that always does it differently. The half term has varied over the last couple of years because of there not being a full week at that time.

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 21/02/2019 10:46

Do you have to book it now? Why can't you just save the money and book it once you have the dates?

Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 11:02

thatmust there's an offer on atm, £150 discount and £15 deposit. We looked in Dec and the price has already risen £50 since then so it will just keep going up. So yes, we could book once we know for sure, but I'd rather the extra money was being saved for other things rather than paying more for the same holiday IYSWIM.

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RiverTam · 21/02/2019 11:04

it's very irritating, we don't even have the dates for the autumn term 2019!

Bluelonerose · 21/02/2019 11:04

I always write on holidays forms the reason that I have to take my child out of school is because no school dates were available when I booked. Never been fined either so hopefully it's working

southnownorth · 21/02/2019 11:07

Our LA has the term dates up all the way till 2021. Ours is the week beginning Monday 26th October, but it could be the previous week as lots of areas to different dates now.

Crockof · 21/02/2019 11:10

Which authority are you? Cambridge Is have announced theirs as Monday 26th Oct have a look if they normally tally with your terms

Yubaba · 21/02/2019 11:10

My dds birthday is the 27th October and half term always has this date in it. She’s 12 and never been in school on her birthday. This year it’s the last Sunday before they go back.

PrincessW11 · 21/02/2019 11:15

Half term is usually the week in which Halloween falls, sometimes even a few days into Nov

foreverderbyshire · 21/02/2019 11:23

It's irritating, but you dint need to book the holiday now, as it's not going to sell out before term dates come out. Just open up an account for your holiday fund and start paying into that instead. Simples.

reluctantbrit · 21/02/2019 11:41

If it is an academy a lot can happen. Our trust (2 secondaries, 3 primaries) has now decided to join the majority of schools in the borough and introduced 2 weeks October half term, 1/2 year after categorically saying there are absolute no plans to do so.

I would speak to the school on Monday

Lllot5 · 21/02/2019 11:44

I’d just book to be honest,one week out of school, if it comes to that, be fine

PlainSpeakingStraightTalking · 21/02/2019 11:49

My LA has published term dates until July 2020

Pandasarecute · 21/02/2019 11:50

It's so frustrating isn't it? Even in my LA the October half term dates vary because schools can set their own. So people could have children at primary and secondary with different weeks! My advice would be to contact the headteacher and say you need this information. The school should be setting it now if they haven't already. Failing that go to the chair of governors who approve term dates. If schools don't want you to take children out they need to give out dates in plenty of time!

Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 12:02

We've had a week's holiday authorised after Easter as we booked it when we lived in a different county and then when we moved discovered the term dates were different. Both schools were fine about it, and it's only 3 days off as there's a bank hol and inset day that week, but I don't want it to look like I'm taking the piss

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Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 12:04

forever thing is, it might sell out. It's a small place and only 5 cottages available. 2 are already booked for both weeks, and my Dsis and her husband are coming so need to book the smaller one at the same time. Which is why I'm keen to book ASAP.

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happystory · 21/02/2019 12:08

Ours (London Borough) is always last full week of October. But as someone said earlier many round here are changing to earlier start in September and 2 weeks at half term. Maybe that's why they don't know yet. Frustrating for you.

DeathyMcDeathStarFace · 21/02/2019 12:34

Our church is having a weekend away in October (Friday evening to Sunday evening) and, as we live in a different town to church, sometimes our half term holidays can be a week different. But sometimes (very rarely) our primary and secondary holiday dates don't match. As we have four children we want the weekend away to hit the beginning of half term rather than the end so we aren't taking tired children to school the next day.

I went on our 2 different schools websites to check their holidays for this coming October, ie 2019. The secondary school have their dates up for the whole year (half term is the last week of October, so the weekend away is the beginning of their week off), but the primary don't have their dates up yet. Surely if they are similar the primary should have an idea of when their holidays are and can publish 2019 to 2020s basic dates and add inset days etc later?

Both schools are part of different academies so I guess could choose their own holiday dates, it doesn't help people trying to organise things around other people for holidays when they don't publish theirs early enough. After all, some people have to book their annual leave early in the year in the hope of getting suitable time off, if you don't know holiday dates you can't book the appropriate weeks off work. Then someone else already has half term booked when you find out when your half term is so you have to fork out for childcare/arrange family care etc when you wouldn't have needed to if you'd known your school holiday dates earlier.

There are all sorts of reasons why people need holiday dates early, we only know the dates for one school for October 2019 never mind a year down the line. Now that is ridiculous. (Will have to ask in the office next week for holidays for the next school year, they probably know them but haven't put them on the website yet.)

Original poster

Myusernameismud · 21/02/2019 13:25

I've just spent a ridiculously long amount of time a little while looking at all the local authorities in our part of England. It seems ours is the only one who haven't announced the dates yet, and they all vary. More than half are the 4th week of Oct but the rest are the 3rd week.

I do get that's its a first world problem, but when they're so militant about attendance, it's only fair that they announce term dates in good time. I don't think 18 months is that far in advance to book a holiday if you've got a tight budget.

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GreenTulips · 21/02/2019 13:28

Ours are available

Monday 20th October is half term here

GreenTulips · 21/02/2019 13:29

Here

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