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?

If you can't stand other people why go to Florida? There's plenty of other less busy places you could go to.

He already has an established friendship group from primary school going to his secondary school. I expect friendship groups to change but I doubt everyone’ll ditch him just because he’s gone away for two weeks!

Ok, as long as you don't expect teachers to set and mark extra work, or to help him catch up on what he's missed. That should all be down to you.

Oh, and if you do it every year, please don't complain of he isn't meeting the required standard as a result.

Teachers have enough on their plates.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford to go away in the school holidays.

That old fucking chestnut. Cut your cloth OP and go in the holidays but less often, or choose a different holiday. If you can afford Florida in term time you can afford somewhere in Europe in the holidays. We can't always have exactly what we want all of the time.

For a family wedding that can't be moved, a military spouse or if having a Friday and Monday off is the difference betweeb a family having 3 nights in Skeggy vs no holiday at all due to the cost being prohibitive, that's slightly different. But wanting a champagne lifestyle on a prosecco budget at the expense of your child's education is just being a berk.

I also dislike the... ableism?... of the attitude that a child doing well can break the rules on attendance on a whim but a less academic child shouldn't.

I have actually taken my child out of school for holidays before but only by leaving a day or 2 early etc.
2weeks out of Secondary is pretty ridiculous though, don’t do it

My parents did the exact same thing when i was 15, missed two weeks of school. Was also an exam year. Did me know harm. You know your child and if it will impact him or not. We went what was mid term for UK schools but not Irish schools in October. The difference in the 1st week ( mid term ) and second week was unreal . Ques and crowds virtually disappeared. My sister was in her 1st year of secondary school too. We all went on to do really well in our exams and college after. But we still remember that holiday nearly 20 years later.

I don't really understand people that think the rules don't apply to them. Not trying to sound argumentative but I can't think of a nicer way to phrase it. If your son is bright it may he fine for him academically, but if everyone took their kids out for holidays whenever they wanted it would be chaos.

The resorts are less busy during term time because most people are following the rules, I'm sure they would all prefer a cheaper and less busy holiday.

Not just as he started secondary school, no.
Maybe just before the summer holidays as things are winding down.

You are determined that you are right so I really don’t know why you posted?

Just go ahead and do it then.

So if you do this for the whole of secondary he'll miss 14 weeks of school?

Do what you want, I don't care how your kid does - provided the teacher doesn't have to waste anytime catching him up rather then focusing on those pupils that need additional help.

Seems a bit daft to start a thread when you've already made up your mind.

Did me know harm

None whatsoever! [haha] [haha]

Just go. We don't teach a thing unless it's an exam year and definitely don't plan anything for the two weeks you are away.

And the curriculum is so broad and balanced that we can afford to go over anything he missed several times.

Said no teacher ever.

@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?

If I’m correct

If the council want to take you straight to court. Without issuing the fine. They can do. So that’s something to think of.

@Candyfloss99

Yes you are being very unreasonable and 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. Not everything is about money.

This had really made me laugh!!

OP child will resent her for taking him Disney Land for two weeks

OP do it. It was pretty standard when I was growing up for kids to be a week late in September because their parents had whipped them off for a cheaper holiday. They soon caught up.

I took my DD to Egypt once during school teerm time and considering she literally travels the world for her career I don't think it impacted her too much

MN is the only place I see parents going batshit over people taking term time holidays.

I would, although not in the first two weeks of starting a new school.

It isn’t just a question of costs.

Yes, you have thirteen weeks of school holidays but realistically you can only do long haul in august, December or April.

August is just too hot, stuffy and busy, December is often not possible due to Christmas, so really you are limited to April/March, which isn’t always ideal.

It isn’t at all accurate to say ‘you have thirteen weeks!’ as if you could go any time, anywhere.

To be honest, Florida is the last place on earth I'd want to visit right now. It is a COVID mess. (I am a US mumsnetter, thankfully not in Florida).

Oh well, if it’s because you hate the queues and it being busy then crack on. Because the rest of us all love waiting in queues. Some people are so special

As a one off in November I would do it

Meh; I teach and have taught both secondary and primary. Given a chance I'd have taken a term time holiday. In primary I see no real issue at all and tbh even in key stage 3 is doesn't have a great deal of impact, if attendance is already good.

It has no affect in the learning of other children.

Don't lie about it though - we always know!

And don't expect school to provide catch up with, etc.

I wouldn't hesitate to take my child on holiday during school term, however I would just ensure they were fully settled into their new school before I did so. So yanbu, just don't do it September October time!

He'll miss out 5/6 hours of schooling a day - so you will get him to do this in your holiday resort while you supervise him? Some holiday!
Can't imagine any sensible parent doesn't think enough schooling has been lost already.

You're going to do it anyway, so why ask?
Your priority is a holiday in a Disney resort in Florida when it's cooler and less busy.
That's not going to happen in the school holidays, is it?

50 individual lessons is a lot to catch up on.
But you are determined to do it, so I don't really know why you posted.

@Billandben444

If his school splits the year into sets for the core subjects, he might find he's missed vital work/tests and slips down a set. His friendship group might reform without him. His Head of Year might not be at all sympathetic to any issues/complaints you have about his teachers/homework etc. Schools do not like unauthorised absences.

No friendship group breaks down over a fortnight!

And any school worth it's salt only ever covers key information only once. I have never yet known anyone ever moved down a set because they missed a fortnight of work - even in core subjects. And if it is so easy to drop down a set it's just as easy to move up a set after a fortnight if catch up at home too.

YANBU

We took both DCs to Florida in October so they missed 1 week.
Neither seem to have suffered any ill effects nor seem be scarred in any way from missing that time off.

Do it & have a great time!

DS has just finished Y7, the thought of him having to catch up on two weeks of algebra because we'd been on holiday makes me shudder, honestly. The pace at which they went through it, and how quickly they built on previous lessons would have made it virtually impossible for him to catch up. He has maths lessons every day, so that would have been 10 maths lessons he'd have missed and the complexity of what he was learning on lesson 10 vs lesson 1 was astronomical. It would have meant him dropping down a set realistically - and he's also bright and good at maths.