Thoughts on taking your DC out of school to enjoy the sunshine?

[Dorsetdelight211]

DD is 14, year 9. She's just had a message off her best friend to say she won't be in school today as her mum is taking her and her younger sister to the beach for the day. Que DD saying how cool the mum is and how unfair it is that I never let her miss school for fun stuff. I've got to work and even if I didn't I still wouldn't let her do it.

YABU-its a beautiful day, one day off school won't make a difference
YANBU-school is important and you can't skive off just because the weathers nice.

An acquaintance of mine always took her kids out of school for holidays, often just before SATS and GCSEs. They struggled academically anyway, so this the worst thing to do. She then complained that the school was unsupportive.

I don't think any of them achieved much academically in the end. It didn't help that two of them were dyslexic.

For younger kids I took them out of school for whole holidays with no guilt. They kept holiday diaries so they did some “work”. This stopped at secondary though,

Bloody hell, heard it all now - letting your kids have a day off is equivalent to burglary

One of mine missed months of school in 3rd year due to being unwell. Still managed to walk out a year later with 6 Nat 5s so I'm struggling to see an academic impact of one day.

Are you suggesting that was her potential?
If so she should be congratulated and the teachers/school deserve a medal! I hope no others were not impacted by her absence.

I wouldn't do it. I've had pupils miss lessons for this kind of thing and was a key piece of learning that they missed.

Are you suggesting that was her potential?

I don't know what you mean by this?

If so she should be congratulated and the teachers/school deserve a medal!

She studied hard. Let's not act as if school gave her anything extra. She simply went back to class (part time initially) when she was able.

I hope no others were not impacted by her absence.

Why would anyone else by impacted by her absence?

I can see both sides but in my experience my DC both have friends who seem to take days off for all sorts of reasons. Granny's birthday- day off, shopping trip with mum - day off, dentist appointment at 10 am - day off, Harry Styles concert during GCSE'S- two days off (because she's "tired"!). I actually feel sorry for these kids because they are the ones who are likely to fail their GCSE'S and are now panicking that they might not get into 6th form college. And yes, it has been the same kids throughout their school lives.

Luckily we've never had to grapple with this since we took DD1 out of school for a week in June when she was in reception and when we got back she told us that we could never take her out of school again as she'd missed "The Great Fire of London". 😂

Sounds like she has a good work ethic. Good for her!

I meant did her illness/absence impact her grades?

Why would I not act like the school did extra?

Student absence indirectly impacts the learning of other students, often through the extra teachers have to put in order to get the students up to speed. There are targets to hit for all in school.

@Buttercupsx

The only people impacted by her not being in school were is at home because we had a very unwell child. Tbh I think your comment about it possibly impacting other students was misjudged. We are talking about a child who was seriously ill for months - maybe a bit more though could have gone into that.

I still don't know what you meant about 'was that her potential' though? She walked out with 6 Nat 5s - she could not have done any better. Did you mean she was limited by her potential? She had the same potential as any other kid in her year.

You asked a question and gave you ansew some people sound like they need a holiday themselves. How are all the kids doing after covid? Most kids will have caught up and that went on ages. No point getting stressed about others choices.

Covid lasted a lot longer than 1 week. You can't control what others choose to do.

I was working but not year 9.. maybe younger

Never in a million years would l do this.
Doesn't instill a good work ethic does it? And that is what weekends and holidays are for.

Forgive me if I my post comes across insensitive. The point I am trying to make is that your original post and individual experience suggests that school makes little difference to the education of children. It gives the impression school is a drop in service and consideration of the impact on other students and teachers is non-existent when that is not the case. As many have said, to think taking a day of here and there is ok and that it has no impact except on their own child of which the parent is content with does not consider the bigger picture of how education is delivered to hundreds of students on a daily basis. Once again, I apologise if I caused offence.

"gger1001 It’s a shame that you child is experiencing that disruption to their learning but if you use the reasons you explained as a justification to take time off then you inevitably contribute to the attendance chaos (both teachers and students) that is taking place in the school"

No I haven't. Mine have rarely had extra time off but occasionally they have done. And when they do it's because it's beneficial to them/us. I don't need to justify it. School doesn't ask for a reason for absence. It's a text absence line so all that's needed is x isn't going to be at school today. I suspect though it's more the other way around in cases like my sons school. It's hard for the school to justify why an extra day off isn't allowed when they regularly come home with x teacher wasn't in so we watched up (again - in 4th year of secondary school)

My thoughts are education doesn't just happen in school. Life experiences are important too. Sometimes the two clash. Most of the time they are told tough but occasionally I allow them.

It is getting harder though to insist they go to school for the last day of term. As all they do is watch films. Not even while films as the class time is shorter than the film. Christmas time my youngest watched a bit of 4 different films.

Life is to short. Enjoy the sunshine, go to the beach, have fun ☀️

every so often surprise my DDs with an unexpected bunk off school day. We usually go to a hotel for a night and have afternoon tea. They’re so rarely sick that they don’t usually get any time off. Just once or twice a year … their education definitely doesn’t suffer.

School's not an optional extra, FFS. It's compulsory

Education is compulsory

School is not

You sound like a fab mum at least your DDs will remember having a nice time!

My mum used to do this once a year. We both had a sick day and we used to go shopping for my school disco outfit. We had some of our best memories. But this shouldn’t be done very often

My kids didn’t go to school ever and they achieved everything school attending kids achieved and in fact more.
Believe me, one day off school isn’t going to affect a child’s future!!!

I don't send my children to school, but if I did, I would do this, absolutely! Life, and childhood in particular, are far too short to worry about missing a few days of school. I'd much rather go during the week than at a weekend or during the holidays when it would likely be heaving with people, and too crowded to enjoy it.

For a special occasion, for example my kids will have a Monday off in September as my husband has a big birthday so we're going away, that's fine. But it's the first time we've done it on a school day and I'd never do it just because the weather is good

@IfIhearmumagaintoday Awhhh thanks 🙏🏻 I just love your name!!! 😂 mine have to call me by my name after 8 o’clock when Mummy’s knocked off for the day.

SweetSakura
and what about the children whose parents work and can't easily take time off in the school holidays....

In my experience the vast majority of those that do this are not booking holidays but calling in sick