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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:
Original poster
ScatteredMama82 · 04/05/2019 10:35

Thanks all for your opinions, it's interesting to see what others make of the options. Interesting also to be called a hypocrite, or told that my children will end up in a dead end job and resenting me for my choices. I did ask for opinions though, so fair enough!

On both sides of the argument only 2 things really stick out to me:
Pro: Anyone on this thread who is actually a teacher has said we should go for it.
Con: From people who aren't teachers - the thought of making an already hard-worked teacher work harder or causing any disruption to the rest of the class.

OP posts:
practicallyperfectwithprosecco · 04/05/2019 10:55

It's not going to cause disruption to the class as the lessons are taught regardless of who is in or absent.

For example we spent a week on fractions before moving onto to decimals. If any children were struggling to understand it I worked with them during the lesson so they did understand it and all children ready to move on with learning. A child has a week off and comes back when we are now learning about decimals. They missed being taught fractions and can't understand how they relate to decimals.

I can't re teach the previous week and now have to somehow in that lesson teach 1 child fractions whilst making sure everyone else is understanding decimals.

Child has 2 weeks off - missed fractions missed decimals and now is expected to convert fractions into decimals.

There are only so many teaching hours in a day and the whole curriculum has to be taught so when exactly am I supposed to reteach the 2 weeks off lessons that child has missed?

And that's just 1 subject. There will also be English plus all the foundation subjects.

practicallyperfectwithprosecco · 04/05/2019 10:56

2 weeks of lessons not off lessons.

Child has been off lessons!

mcmuffin7242 · 04/05/2019 10:57

I wouldn't be happy with the teacher doing it but they choose that job

You chose to have children.
Children should go to school. That's how it works.
Why do you think skiing is so important that the rules don't apply to you?

Ditto "home educators" and "school refusers" nonsense. Children should be in school.

NameChangeNugget · 04/05/2019 11:01

I don’t think it’s good form to pull out of school, which is provided by the tax payer.

Rules are there for a reason

Original poster
ScatteredMama82 · 04/05/2019 11:15

@Essexcat thanks - I've just looked at flights for a couple of days either side and that might be the way to go. We could go the Thursday before HT so missing 2 days rather than a week and it's £600 instead of £1300

OP posts:
JacquesHammer · 04/05/2019 11:16

Children should be in school

Children should have a rounded education which IMO should include a wide range of experiences. I find it a very myopic view that children can only be educated in school.

imamearcat · 04/05/2019 12:20

My kids aren't in school yet but I would in principle but in practice I might be too worried about getting in trouble!

Complete bollocks about them ending up in a dead end job because they missed a week at school.GrinGrin because I'm sure all the people working at Mcdonalds are there because of all the skiing holidays they went on as kids!!Grin

monkeysox · 04/05/2019 13:38

If your dh is military its a non issue. You will have it granted.

MauritiusNextTime · 04/05/2019 13:46

If attendance is more than 97% and they aren't struggling at school or at a crucial point, ie prep for end of year exams then do it.

Family holidays are an enriching part of childhood, we can't all afford the price hikes in the school hols unfortunately.

MauritiusNextTime · 04/05/2019 13:50

'Ditto "home educators" and "school refusers" nonsense. Children should be in school.'

Well I've never tried home ed and thankfully haven't had to support a 'school refuser' but I'm not so intolerant as to say it's 'nonsense'.

Term time hols are great anyway, there's fewer annoying kids about Grin.

CarolDanvers · 04/05/2019 13:59

Ditto "home educators" and "school refusers" nonsense. Children should be in school.

You sound limited in your thinking. Clearly can’t imagine any kind of situation outside your own limited sphere. Embarrassed for you.

mpsw · 04/05/2019 14:16

"If your dh is military its a non issue. You will have it granted."

Not necessarily, as he has not been on an operational tour, and the military covenant does not extend to any term-time holiday.

TriciaH87 · 04/05/2019 14:20

I'm taking my 2 boys ages 9 and 12 out of school next month for holiday. Didn't get time off all together at all last year and it's about 1200 cheaper than summer holidays. Have done this 4 times before and not been fined. Will carry on doing so if we choose to go away but not during gcse years.

TriciaH87 · 04/05/2019 14:23

Oh and my justification is my youngest has anemia and low vit d so sun is good for his health as told by his specialist. My eldest.... Well if school can ask me to pay £965for them to take him skiing during school time which is not on the curriculum well then I can bloody well take my son away when his attendance is currently 100%

TrojanWhore · 04/05/2019 14:35

School would rather buy you a Vitamin D spray. Not that it's any of their business to be paying for any medical costs of any pupil for any reason than arising from their own negligence.

I also think you are confusing the idea of 'boosting vitamin D is necessary and by sunlight is one route and would be good for him' with 'it is medically imperative that you expose your child to sunlight abroad'.

Livvylovesgin · 04/05/2019 14:43

Although term time holidays may not be detrimental to the child, please spare a thought for the HT who will be under scrutiny from Ofsted if attendance data is below average in the school. HT' are expected to address this and keep you all in line! Ofsted judgements can be lowered due to issues with attendance,

Also consider the size of your children's school. Two children missing 5 days in a school of 30 pupils has a much greater effect on data, than the same two children missing 5 days in a school of 1000.

FixTheBone · 04/05/2019 14:44

I am on the follow-the -rules side of the argument.

We do, we could afford a holiday in term time, we cant afford one in the holidays.

We've never had a family holiday abroad. Instead, we go to the coast, rent a cottage, and do something within budget.

An airline flight, foreign holiday etc etc is not a basic human right, being educated with your peers is, in my opinion.

FixTheBone · 04/05/2019 14:44

Obvs, my previous message has term and holidays the wrong way round....

Chickydoo · 04/05/2019 14:48

Just do it
Life is short a week or two won't make a difference to anyone
Most of mine have left school/Uni all doing well
They remember the fun holidays and the good times with rather more joy then the endless days of school.

PoptartPoptart · 04/05/2019 15:00

@practicallyperfectwithprosecco I agree wholeheartedly with your post. You have pretty much echoed exactly what I said much further up thread (but more succinctly!)
Although your points are completely valid, it seems a lot of people on here just seem to either ignore or gloss over them because, actually, what you’ve said is true!

JacquesHammer · 04/05/2019 15:05

Although your points are completely valid, it seems a lot of people on here just seem to either ignore or gloss over them because, actually, what you’ve said is true!

Or that they just don’t apply to their own situation? Smile

I can absolutely 100% guarantee that when DD was out for a week she didn’t miss any work and it wasn’t disruptive by virtue of the time table.

bcfc123 · 04/05/2019 15:23

I assume all the people on here complaining about teaching kids about rules etc has never once gone over the speed limit on the motor way or never once dropped rubbish on the floor and not picked it up? These rules can also lead to a fine but i bet everyone has still broken them at some point!

We took our DD to Florida during school time. There is no way i would go during the summer with the 40 degree heat and no way i would take her during Easter or Christmas with the crazy crowds [she has ASD]

At the end of the day they are my children and i will decide what is best for us as a family. This government doesn't even know what is best for the whole country, so like hell am i going to try and let them tell me what is right for my children.

Book it up and enjoy a great time with them and make some memories. you never know what can happen in this world and we only get 1 life time on this earth.

mumlikeaboss · 04/05/2019 15:28

I can see how tempting to save the money, but I simply wouldn't do it on principle. If there are no boundaries around this kind of thing, what's to stop everyone doing the same thing, and randomly taking their kids off during term time? Which would surely cause issues for the schools?

As for the precious family time and memories being more important than education, etc... Well fair enough, that's a question of priorities I suppose, but if you can't give your family special memories and fun times together without going on an expensive skiing holiday, then I think you have other issues 😁

The point about the kids being able to miss a few days and still get good marks or not be behind is irrelevant too. It suggests that it's fine to break the rules if you're intelligent, but if you happen to struggle academically then it's not okay!

My in-laws are a bit sketchy about stuff like this, and wouldn't be too bothered about letting my BIL miss a day here and there for what I think are fairly irrelevant reasons 😏 and I hate to say it, but as a result he is much more likely to push boundaries in other areas, and assume that rules apply to other people but not to him. Not a good mindset to teach your kids, IMO.

AlaskanOilBaron · 04/05/2019 15:37

I wish I'd done it more when my kids were younger. Now I have a 13 and 16 year old so that ship has sailed (but in five years we can take term-time holidays ANYTIME because there'll be no term!).

I think if you're generally a conscientious parent, it's not a big deal provided that it's harmonised with the lesson plan.

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