To take my kids out of school for the last week of term to save risking our holiday

[DIYandEatCake]

We stupidly booked a uk holiday starting a couple of days after term ends in a few week’ time (about 6 months ago, thinking Covid would be a distant memory by now). Cases are rising in our area, there’s been one in my son’s class (he’s currently isolating) and in nearly all schools round here. I’ve never taken the kids out of school in term time before, but am very tempted to just take them out of school for the last week and homeschool them (I won’t be working that week) so that we can all just enjoy a much needed break. It’s our only holiday this year, with grandparents the kids adore and haven’t seen much of, and we won’t get our money back if we cancel at short notice. The kids are happy to miss the end of term (they’re really looking forward to this holiday and getting anxious about covid cases/isolating) and obviously not much learning goes on in the last week. Sports days etc will all have happened by then. But I’m worried about getting in trouble with the school or getting fined (I would be honest with school). AIBU to keep them at home that last week?

If I wasn't a teacher and had a holiday booked for the start of the break I would do this - and I've said anything like that before. Seems the strategy now is let it rip through schools just before the holidays as it won't matter as then it's the 'fire break' of the holidays. Who gives a shit if families and teachers get their holidays wrecked?? .

I'd do it too in your position OP.

Schools won’t be surprised to see parents do this, you certainly won’t be the only one.

We have a similar dilemma- with a rescheduled wedding to attend as well. We are all currently isolating with DS who is positive and crossing everything that we don’t all get it in sequence. Or get them back in for 2 days at the end of term and get exposed again at the last minute. Haven’t made a decision yet.
Can’t believe this seems to be the actual government strategy now.

Do it.

Yeah take them out for the last week. It's not like they do much work in the last week anyway!

I’ve done it - head teacher said lots of parents were and she fully supported us all in that decision.

I’d send them in and if they’re told to isolate I wouldn’t do it. They won’t know you’ve gone on holiday and of all the times my dc have isolated no one else has had a positive test anyway.

So it, I’m thinking the same. But don’t be honest, there’s no need.

It depends when your holiday is as according to the announcements today aren’t they stopping isolations for under 18, just keep testing so presumably as long as negative you can go.

We are in the same boat btw!

*do it

I wouldn’t think twice about doing it, 8 out of 12 classes in my kids’ school isolating from just 4 cases. I’m going away for the weekend in early July and we’re planning on staying in the house for a week before hand

I hear there is a tummybug going round. shame about the diarrhoea and 48 hours thing once it has cleared up.

Our school ( Independent) has given permission for pupils to miss school if they have a holiday booked after school ends on Tuesday.

My daughter has a residential next week, they are allowing all kids going to stay home and use google classrooms on fri as they all need to take a test Sunday night to allow them to go. If one kid tests positive they'd all have to cancel then and self isolate and prob then miss the rest of term too. As they won't be in school on fri if anyone test positive only people in contact the 48hrs prior would have to isolate. I think it's a great idea from the school and takes a lot of worry out of it all! I think schools are being flexible or look the other way! Tho you can always say they have symptoms or have been told to isolate!

I’m a teacher and have a holiday booked starting the day after we break up. I think I won’t bother going in till September now because the holiday (carried over from last year and booked 20 months ago now) is really important to us as a family. Yes?

Yanbu. They rarely do any learning in the last week anyway, and the schools don’t seem to care because they’ve already finalised their stats for the year. Loads of ppl at our school do this every yr.

My daughter almost had a dance comp on the first weekend of the holidays and I was going to do this

I think they will scrap bubble isolation by the end of term anyway

But if you actually get Covid, it's still an issue...

What will you do in that last week, just sit at home?

I know loads of people doing this!

Even if they suddenly change the rules and say close contacts don’t have to isolate from the 19th, you’d still run the risk of them actually getting covid from school (yes, those covid-secure institutions) which could easily put a spanner in the works with a holiday. If they caught it, even if you didn’t realise, due to a lack of testing etc, they could still spread it round your holiday home to the grandparents,

I think you should do it.
Having said that, to the people saying that they don't do anything in the last week anyway, yes most schools do.
I am a teacher and have had to plan every lesson up to the last day, they have missed so much that I can't imagine any schools not doing anything in the last week!

Just don't expect the school to set work.

You answered this for yourself when you said
We stupidly booked a uk holiday ...

@GladAllOver

You answered this for yourself when you said We stupidly booked a uk holiday ...

Don't be a dick.

@GladAllOver yes, we went for what we could afford and availability when we booked 6 months ago, and I have to admit I hadn’t even considered the possibility, back in December, that things in schools would be this awful right now. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing.