To take DS out of school for two weeks for holidays?

[DimplesEverywhere]

When Covid settles down and we can get into Florida without too much hassle. Hopefully later this year or early next year. We haven’t gone away for the last two years so have been waiting to do a big holiday.

He is starting secondary school in September but he’s well above average in all subjects so I don’t think it’ll impact him that much.

I’d also rather go on hols outside of school hols, as it’s less busy now, that DS is the only DC we’ll potentially get fined for (other DC out of school). It’ll be cheaper so we’ll save more than the £120 anyway!

Thinking of doing it every year from now actually.

Would it BU?

For a long weekend, or a week... yes. But not two weeks. Can you do it over half term at end of October? Might get Halloween stuff then too.

Quite @plodalong12!

We took DD to Florida when she was 6 in a November one year, in the olden days when you sent in note in telling them and the teacher just wished you a good holiday, and it was bliss. Not too hot, no queues at Disneyland, pool empty .

Can you tie it into half term, so you only miss one week?
Or go when the US kids are at school, and the UK ones arent in order to reduce the crowds?

We had to pull the kids out for 2 weeks (we lived abroad, DHs contract stated we had to leave the country for 14 consecutive days every year, or they cut his pay by £10k, and they refused to give him leave one year in the school holidays). The kids were really unsettled for a week or 2 on returning. I wouldnt do it again by choice.

I would go. I go on holidays during term time and take the kids off school. Not every time of course but we do it when appropriate. It can make a big difference financially.
We cannot get fined as we only go for a week and the threshold for the local authority where we are is 10 unauthorized days within a 10 weeks period.

I missed the last two weeks of school every year for holidays (bar obviously GCSE year). The final two weeks were always just watching films or doing fun projects as the year wound down for the summer. My parents took me out then as it was barely any teaching I'd miss.

I turned out fine and achieved very well in said GCSE's albeit donkeys years ago!

Go wild. Enjoy.

your child will resent you for it when he goes back to school and has missed out on 2 weeks

Yes I'm sure they will be traumatised, not delighted with themselves...

We've done it a few times. When DS1 was little it was allowed, and we carried on. Saved £1000s and DC doing well at school.

YABU. Two weeks is a lot of school to miss and a lot of work to catch up on. As a former teacher I also find this just generally irritating. It usually caused more work for me and my colleagues catching them up and it was hardly like we could just take two weeks off because we’d rather not pay school holiday prices. If everyone did this it would cause so much disruption and I really don’t see why you should be any different from any other family. I agree that it’s crap that holidays at peak times are so much more expensive, but I’d save up and go on a big trip every couple of years rather than taking your child out for two weeks every year. It also doesn’t send a great message to your child about the value of education in my opinion.

Of course YABU. He'll miss 2 weeks of work. Are you expecting his teachers to do all the work required to ensure he catches up?

It's not as if you're planning to go somewhere the least bit educational, or mind broadening ...

your child will resent you for it when he goes back to school and has missed out on 2 weeks interaction with his classmates and the dynamics have changed

Don’t be ridiculous. I know literally no teenagers who would resent two weeks off school to have a holiday abroad. Most would be begging to go! And I teach in a secondary school!

No it’s not ideal but I don’t blame you and if I didn’t work in a school myself I’d do this. 2 weeks out for a high achieving student won’t make a difference provided they have good attendance the rest of the time.

My parents took me and my siblings to Florida 3 times, each time in term time. We all got high grades at GCSE, we were good attenders the rest of the time compared to lots of friends who had a day off for things like colds.

@DimplesEverywhere

We took DD to Florida when she was 6 in a November one year, in the olden days when you sent in note in telling them and the teacher just wished you a good holiday, and it was bliss. Not too hot, no queues at Disneyland, pool empty

I would genuinely like to know when this changed because like I said, it was such a normal occurrence for anyone over i’d say mid to late 20’s to remember happening, even if they themselves didn’t go on holiday there were children that did and it happened with such regularity that it wasn’t rare when a child was off school for that reason. Now it seems to be completely taboo.

Love Florida but personally when they get to secondary it’s a lot to catch up if they miss and if they are a conscientious if will stress them.
I’ve taken DD out once 2 days tacked onto October half term so we could go. I personally wouldn’t year 10 or 11. Late August is quiet in Florida as US kids are back in school.

We go to Florida a lot (or did)

For non exam years I don't see an issue.

But tend to either straddle a half term or Easter so that it's only a few days of school being missed rather than the full fortnight.

Still helps loads with flight prices. And we avoid the August heat!

Socially not great at secondary school as well as obviously not good academically - friendships can change a lot in year 7

Just remembered that DS’s new school has an online learning platform for homework so he could just login and go through it for a hour or so every other day and the day before he goes back so I think he’ll be fine in terms of keeping up.

@plodalong12

Everyone is so weird and uptight about this on here but unless you are somewhat young, or went to school in another country where things are different, then you are old enough to have been in school at a time when doing this was a completely routine and normal thing to do by parents who could afford to do it. Only in the last decade or maybe a bit longer has there been this completely OTT reaction to missing the last or first week of school. Or is it just a MN thing?

OP is not talking about the first or last week of school - she's talking about 2 weeks potentially in November which is smack in the middle of term. And repeating this every year in secondary school (it would be somewhat different if she was talking about a one off with an infants aged child).

Times have changed since I was at school (being not somewhat young). The secondary school year is really packed, they work at a fair pace to get through everything and everything builds on everything else. Two weeks out of school would mean 2 weeks extra work to catch up on in their own time. Most children would not be delighted at this.

Secondary schools don't even really wind down before holidays these days - my Year 10 DD was doing GCSE coursework literally in the last week before the summer, so even missing that week would have been a bad idea.

Do it. A family holiday is important

There is a world of difference between taking a 6yr old out of school for a fortnight and a secondary aged child.

I'd like to take DC ski-ing in term time, because we can't afford a Feb half term ski trip for four of us, but I don't because their education is more important than a ski trip. Some parents at DC's school can afford half term ski trips so they go and we don't, but that's just life really.

And how will he manage to do the homework that's been set on the online platform if he's not attended the lesson?

I'd pick the timing carefully. Not sure the first term of secondary school is a good idea as friendship groups will be forming and would be awful for your DS to come back and feel excluded. My DC have just started primary and I have been thinking about this for viwitbg in laws who live abroad to celebrate a non UK holiday....o feel like I can justify this a bit more as they will be learning so much about their family's culture. Saying that my parent s took my and my brother out of secondary school for 2 weeks in Florida...not every year though...and I got good grades

@DimplesEverywhere

Just remembered that DS’s new school has an online learning platform for homework so he could just login and go through it for a hour or so every other day and the day before he goes back so I think he’ll be fine in terms of keeping up.

That won't help when the homework is 'complete the worksheet handed out in class' or 'write essay on '.

@DimplesEverywhere

Just remembered that DS’s new school has an online learning platform for homework so he could just login and go through it for a hour or so every other day and the day before he goes back so I think he’ll be fine in terms of keeping up.

brilliant so not even a real holiday for the kid

and what kind of holiday is he supposed to have during school breaks?

Not really worth missing school when you also miss out on holidays when you are friends are off.

It’s not even about affording a holiday in school hols for me. It’s about going at quieter times and enjoying the holiday more.

Last time we went away in summer 2019, I swore never again. From the airport to the hotel to the beach, it was just packed. I just can’t stand other people!

I'm a School Governor at a Secondary with the link role of Attendance.
Pupils going away in term time is a big problem. Even if 3 or 4 families do it it can really impact on Attendance stats.

Will you be the first to complain if the schools Ofsted rating goes down?

Do whatever you want. Your Ds could go every year and get excellent GCSEs if you all have a good work ethic and make sure he works hard at school.
Other kids could attend 100% of their school days and just arse around and not do so well.
I don’t see the issue really.