to think less of someone who is willing for DS to miss nursery so they get cheaper holidays?

[oasis]

When I said that our kids starting nursery this coming September means we have to go on holiday during the school holidays from now on, she replied that her DS will have to have a poor record for attendance for the first year as it was not that important and she was going to have her holidays when she liked!

[FioFioJane]

nursery isnt compulsory anyway

[Wisteria]

Sorry Tena - didn't mean you to think it was you!
No just thought the op was unreasonable - the dcs don't have to go to nursery anyway and why shouldn't people have a family holiday at an affordable cost before dcs start school - I just can't stand people who think less of others if their views are different! Just thought it was a really judgemental post. I'm going back to my housework now so will stop upsetting everyone!

[handlemecarefully]

Tebalady (lol, you got a bit tied up in knots there for a moment ), YABU (you are being unreasonable) - and was just succinct response to the OP

[lucyellensmum]

to the original poster, you are being unreasonable. Maybe you can afford to take holidays during the school holidays, but not everyone can, i know i certainly couldnt. I tend to think that schools can be a bit anal about this too but then its not good to let children get behind at school if its not neccesary. I wouldnt want to miss two weeks or anything, but a week cant hurt, once in a blue moon? Says the mother who took her DD out of school to go to disneyland paris when she was 7. I dont think her schooling suffered in the long term tbh, would of course be different if this was a regular thing.

[chocolatedot]

At our Nursery School, you lose your place if you take a holiday during term time. I find it immensely irritation as their school year is 3 weeks longer than my other 2 and my 3 year old is only there for 2 1/2 hours so it is seriously inconvenient.

A friend's child's lost her place recently when the parents (who work for a charity) took their daughter to an African country ona trip to visit some aid projects for one week.

[Wisteria]

That's just silly chocolate isn't it? How many children get an experience like that?
This is just typical of the ridiculous attitude the education system has towards parents these days. Most of us are very concerned with our dcs education - mine for the record have never yet missed school for a holiday. However, if we had an opportunity to do something interesting then I would have no compunction in taking them out.
For the last few weeks of school mine appear to do virtually nothing except tidying up, sorting things out and play games it seems. For instance my dd1 (13) is off to Alton Towers with school on Friday - how is that educational? Oh and she's off with an inset day today which we didn't know about until Friday night when she told me, no letter, no notice, had we known earlier we could have gone to a festival!!

[Anna8888]

How perverse - to lose a place in pre-school because your parents were taking you on an alternative and far more mind-broadening experience

[chocolatedot]

I find it unbelievable and thoroughly depressing. Apparently the trip was extraordinary and made a big impact on their daughter.

The difficulty is that the school is 80% Muslim and in the past, many children have bene taken to Pakistan for 6 - 8 weeks at a time. I still don't understand why they can't have an allocation of say 10 days a year leave at the discretion of the principal / governors.

[Anna8888]

I'd have thought it was fairly educational for toddlers of Pakistani origin to spend some time in Pakistan with their extended families too

[chocolatedot]

Well I can see why it is quite disruptive for children to go absent for 8 weeks at a time (often without any notice) but also, it means that their place is sitting empty for almost a term at a time when the school has a big waiting list.

[Anna8888]

Yes... I can see that point.

Difficult.

[bookwormmum]

My dd's school 'lets' children go abroad with their parents but the parents are expected to teach the child whilst they're away. I don't know how many do in practice.

[Reallytired]

chocolatedot ,
Does a child at your pre school lose their place if they catch chickenpox or have a really bad bout of flu for two weeks? I could understand if a kid take 6 weeks off.

[chocolatedot]

Illness is allowed, although you do have to phone every day and tell them what's wrong. My DS is scheduled to have impetigo for 4 days in September as it happens

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

We take children off roll after 4 weeks - that's the ten days discretionary, plus another ten. And we only do that if they aren't due back for another two weeks. They go in the knowledge that this is what may happen.

For us it's not been a problem before as the school hasn't been oversubscribed but now we are surrounded by new housing and pressure on places is huge. This coming year I'm sure we'll see children losing their place because of extended holidays. None of the schools near us have spare places for nursery in September and most have a waiting list.

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

We take ours off all the time (following the Education Regulations 1995 (I think ?)) - never yet filled the place in their abscence though.

They would be allocated a place at a undersubscribed school and Education Welfare would take them on as non-attenders.

[plummymummy]

Yep unreasonable.

[mymama]

Our state schools have to take any children that live in the area regardless of numbers. If they get extra children they get extra teachers and classrooms. We are very lucky we don't have to worry about placements and so on.

Our school year runs January to December so we are taking our dc out for the whole last term of 10 weeks. Not a lot of "new" work is done in this term. I have already spoken to the school principal and put in our book lists and uniform orders for next year. She asked for plenty of postcards

[PrettyCandles]

YABU - it's only nursery for goodness sake! Many if not most children go to nursery or pre-school part-time in any case.

[nomdeplume]

YABU, it is nursery.

I don't know whether anyone else has made this point, I've only read the OP, but what if term time is the only way she can afford a holiday at all ?

[TranquilaManana]

isnt it a shame we cant all say the same as mymama??
have a nice holiday

[LittleBoot]

mymama where d'you live? (I'm moving! )

[mymama]

LittleBoot - live in Australia.

[ratfly]

This is a personal bugbear of mine. I teach, and I think family holidays, particularly abroad, are [waits for outcry!] MUCH more educational and important than our crappy education system!!!!

I would fully intend to take ds out of school for holidays, except that I can't because I also work term time and can't get days off, as apparently we have enough holiday already !!