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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To consider a term-time holiday

247 replies

ScatteredMama82 · 02/05/2019 16:00

So I'm looking at prices of flights for February half-term next year to go skiing in Germany. For a family of 4 it's £1300 just for flights in half-term. For a different week it's £280! It's just a crazy amount of money. We love skiing, and are just getting back into it now that DS2 is old enough (he's 4). DS1 is 9 (will be Yr 5 next year). I think we're going to go in term-time. We did it this year, and it got approved by the school as DH is military and had been away all summer so we didn't get a family holiday. We won't have that excuse this time though (unless he gets sent away between now and February which is unlikely in his current role).

Would you do it?

OP posts:
Charley50 · 02/05/2019 17:14

I hate the sanctimonious hyperbole you get on these threads.

  1. An unquestioning deference to 'authority' isn't a good thing.
  2. These rules and fines affect the poorer much more than the richer.
  3. Family holidays are important, wherever they are.
Original poster
ScatteredMama82 · 02/05/2019 17:15

@Mirrivan I'm not implying school is childcare, where did I say that?

My kids are very bright, they don't struggle at all at school. DS1 is in the the top group for everything. FWIW he will be going to a fee-paying secondary, so we will have more holidays to choose from that don't coincide with most half-terms etc. However, we'll have no bloody money then so we won't be able to take advantage of it (I say that tongue-in-cheek, before anyone has a go at me for choosing private education....)

OP posts:
coffeeforone · 02/05/2019 17:17

Yes, I would do it at that age, especially if they are doing fine at school.

JacquesHammer · 02/05/2019 17:17

Slightly different was at a private prep so always get authorised holidays.

We’ve done it once. I took her out for a week in year 5. No effects on her education whatsoever.

They also authorise holidays for teaching staff.

Original poster
ScatteredMama82 · 02/05/2019 17:18

Yes, I'm sure that when they end up in a dead end job because they failed their exams as their parents thought holidays were more important than their education, they can think about their skiing trip whilst they stuff pickled onions into a jar on the factory line

@Lifecraft, bit of a leap there! I doubt many kids would find their life's path unchangeable altered because of 5 days off from primary school.

OP posts:
coffeeforone · 02/05/2019 17:18

These are great points @Charley50

TheTreeHearsYourSecret · 02/05/2019 17:18

Just take them out.

Those spouting off about missing school think on this,

Music lessons take place in school lesson time, we have the same children missing the first 30 minutes of maths every fucking week in every week of school.

In secondary school again music lessons take children out for 30 minutes at a time from different lessons so they don't keep missing the same lesson.

Lots of school trips are organised during term time where they miss 3-5 days of school at Disneyland for fashion/textiles, or at a German Christmas market, or to Switzerland for Geography in year 11, year 11! In a fucking GCSE year and yet the rest of the year group are in school (actual school trips in my children's secondary school.)

It boils down to how easily your child can catch up, if the teacher has already planned the lessons then they can tell you what they were going to teach and if they are kind can provide you with the lesson plan.

No-one is expecting the teacher to catch a child up if they provide the parent with some basic information. This isn't rocket science, it's year 5.

happyhillock · 02/05/2019 17:21

My daughter and son in law take my grandaughter on holiday for a week every year during term time, she's at primary, my son in law has a job where he's away for 3 week's home for 2 week's, it is incredibly difficult for him to get time off at school holiday times, if i was you i would definitely do it, holiday companies take the piss by hiking up prices during school holiday's

TurquoiseDress · 02/05/2019 17:21

OP I would go for it

That's an incredible difference in price for the flights

Even if you get fined it's a relatively small amount compared with what you will be saving

Experiences and holidays with family are IMO a important part of childhood, if you can afford to go away

Go for it!

cantpissinpeace · 02/05/2019 17:22

Oh the Music lessons. And counselling. I have a girl miss an hour of English every week for counselling.

Imustbemad00 · 02/05/2019 17:22

I hate this attitude. Children do not chose to go to school. They do not chose their holiday times. It’s so unfair that they might miss out on a holiday because the state are dictating what parents can and can’t do with their children. If you know your child is not struggling, then missing a week of primary school is no big deal and not going to effect their futures.
The big issue is the price hikes on school holidays but it’s supply and demand so will never change.
In my opinion it’s a parents decision. I done it every year, long before fines ever came in, and since.

TurquoiseDress · 02/05/2019 17:24

Also ask the teacher to provide a bit of info about what work they will be covering, take some books with you

I think at their age they are in no danger of screwing up their academic futures, however, skimming through some of the other replies you'd think that you would be destroying their GCSE prospects with a week away during term time! Shock

altiara · 02/05/2019 17:27

OP- have you looked at the Easter holidays? Less busy for skiing than Feb half term and good snow if you go high up.

ForalltheSaints · 02/05/2019 17:28

Charley50 your point about fines affecting poorer people is why I think it should be an alternative response than fines. Or an incentive/reward for not doing this- if people are prepared to fake their faith for a good school, I am sure they would not take holidays in term time whilst their children are in primary school if doing so out them to the back of the queue for secondary school places.

dreichuplands · 02/05/2019 17:28

I used to provide therapy services during the school day, those dc often missed a couple of hours a week. It was worthwhile and necessary but could last up to a year.
Provided you support your dc with any missed learning, I'm not seeing an issue.

Geminijes · 02/05/2019 17:29

Personally, I don't think you should take children out of school to go on holiday. The child will miss a week's schooling and will then rely on the teacher to help them catch up, who, also has to continue to teach those who didn't miss a week.
It's unfair to both the child and the teacher.

coconutcurls · 02/05/2019 17:31

I'm a primary school teacher and I say take them!

I've had a few children go out of school for skiing holidays over the years and they really haven't suffered. At that price difference, it's a no brainer.

Lots of parents ask for work to take away with them and I usually say to read lots, practise times tables and write a diary.

Weebitawks · 02/05/2019 17:32

Do it. I'm not taking my eldest out the week before half term. The absence hasn't been authorised, but they won't fine me. I asked his teacher about taking work with us and she said she wouldn't ruin our holiday with school work.

It's about balance. Education is important, but so is getting out there and doing things and travelling if you can and learning about other cultures.

It's criminal what they charge for the same holiday in the half term. Completely disagree with pp who said if you can't afford to go in half term than you can afford to go.

You can afford to go, enjoy it.

Mitzicoco · 02/05/2019 17:32

Go for it OP! Sounds like you'll all have a great time together as a family which is much more important than 5 days off school.

cantpissinpeace · 02/05/2019 17:33

I hate being asked for work, tbh.

Fine, go, have a great holiday, but don't create extra work for me, please!

Blossom28 · 02/05/2019 17:33

Life is short and 5 days off school is not going to affect their long term education... go away and make memories as a family. Anyone who says if you can’t afford it in the holidays don’t go must either be rich, or live a very boring life :)

TurquoiseDress · 02/05/2019 17:36

Scratching my head a bit at those posters saying that if you can't afford to go in half term then you can't afford to go

That's such a ridiculous thing to say- so we should all just bow down to the travel companies and airlines who hike their prices up just for the school age children's parents?

Bugger that, I'll be taking my primary school child out for a family holiday

Nicknacky · 02/05/2019 17:37

I was taken out of school every year for holiday, neither my sister or I have ended up in “dead end jobs”.

My kids have been taken out of school for holidays and will be next year. I get set annual leave so it it doesn’t fall on school holidays then I’m not off.

I doubt I will take them out during secondary apart from next year when my eldest is in first year, will cross that bridge at the time

nokidshere · 02/05/2019 17:37

What about people that can't afford to go on holiday during school holidays? Should these children never experience family holidays?

The first time I ever went on holiday I was 23. I've been on lots of holidays since then and I definitely am not deprived because we didn't have holidays when I was a child.

There are millions of children who don't, or can't, go on holidays. It's not the end of the world

Flurgle · 02/05/2019 17:38

I’m a teacher and I don’t have an issue with it. As long as a) attendance is generally good and b) please don’t ask for work- it just isn’t possible to just hand over what we do in class as a worksheet. We end up spending a lunch hour finding stuff to send home.
Usually it’s the children who have terrible attendance anyway who go off for a week or two and that is very annoying.
Time as a family is important. Obviously it’s not us who get to decide about fines though!

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