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.

Lovely for friend. I would do that once in a while if i could. But not everyone can. I def wouldn't let her stay just because friend is off.

I’d do it if my child was in reception but not for a 14 year old.

It's going to be 33 here, not breezy at all. So yes, I do think my DC is better off at home than sweltering in a prefab classroom with no air con and spending his break out in the tarmac playground with limited shade.

I'm a pretty liberal parent with stuff like this but I would be a bit dubious about allowing a day off just for the beach. If I was short on annual leave I wouldn't be taking it for that either.
If there are other circumstances, one of the DC struggling mentally/hating sports day etc then yes. But not just because it happens to be hot and sunny on a school day!

Do you know what you’re right - don’t know what I was thinking. Just messaged her to ask if she wants to revise at home - she was all Thank God! Yes please. So I messaged school to say she’ll be having a study day at home and won’t be in! (Registration isn’t until 9.20) Shockingly it’s automatically been authorised!! It appears many have had the same idea!

Some people are special and special rules apply to them. Luckily for them most people do what is expected and so out of a class of 30 there aren't children coming and going with parents making their own rules up all the time . So their child can slot back in and that it dandy.

I don't see the issue.

I wouldn't compare skipping school with skipping work. At work, you are needed and you not turning up will affect colleagues and the company overall. At school, missing a day will not necessarily affect anyone if your child is on target.

I skipped school some time because my parents planned a day out, or because I couldn't be bothered to go and knew I wouldn't be missing out on anything. It's never affected me or anyone else and I have some lovely memories of these days. I would absolutely never skip work.

It's a bit like alcohol in my eyes- expose your children to it and they will have a more responsible attitude.

I am a teacher by the way.

Absolutely not something I would have done/allowed. What sort of a life lesson is that teaching a teenager who might be out in the world of work in a few year's time? That it's OK to bunk off if you'd rather be somewhere else because the weather is hot! Not a work ethic I'd want to instill into my child.

I’d do it – life’s a grind as it is, one bonus beach Friday is not going to set someone up for a life of skiving. As for “teaching them work is optional”, well, work is optional: you get annual leave to take when you want, you can opt to work part time, you get to choose your job and hours to suit. School is set for you.

What sort of message does it teach your child? Nice day, I won't go to work , I'll go to the beach?

It's not a good thing to get into the habit of doing, particularly when your DD is in Year 9. Why not just wait until the weekend?

Ah, well done you. 😊 Such a small thing really but I bet she’ll always remember it! No doubt she’ll have a much more productive day at home with a fan, lots of drinks and cooler clothes!

'One day won't make a difference...' then it's another day or two tacked onto the end of school holidays and so on. And then because many parents will think the same thing, they'll take their kids out 'just for a day', not necessarily on same say, so then we have domino effect of days off, and each time the child deigns to attend, disrutpion for the rest of the class while it tries to catch up
Like parking outseid school gates 'for 2 mins' - but every other bugger is doing the same and it causes chaos

I’ve done this once. And I’d do it again 😊 I care a lot less than I did a couple of years ago and I can’t get upset about an odd day, I probably wouldn’t do it more than once a year though. Personally we did it the day term ended so the kids weren’t doing much in the way of planned lessons anyway. Places are heaving on a weekend when it’s sunny. Earlier this year we took off on a Friday morning to a beautiful, usually PACKED, beauty spot and it was extremely quiet and absolutely worth it IMO.

Assuming from your username you are same area as me...I avoid the beach like the plague in summer - it will be hell & not a treat 🙄
Maybe take your DC for a paddle & icecream this evening instead?

No it's not ok to have time off for leisure except in very exceptional circumstances and weather isn't one of those

I wonder how your friend would feel if ahe heard that teachers were phoning in sick so they could enjoy the lovely weather?

If she wants to go to the beach then she can skip school, go with her friends and face the cosequences at school and home later. I think it's overall not the end of the world, but it's not the sort of behaviour that should be coming from a parent.

Depends on the age of the child, how they are doing academically and what's going on at school, I think.

I wouldn't think twice at the moment as DS's primary do a hell of a lot of fannying around anyway and he's doing well but I doubt I'll feel the same wen he's in his GCSE years, especially if he's behind in anything.

I certainly wouldn't be heading to the beach today, though! Sounds like hell!

M’eh. If you were in Ireland, no-one would be remotely bothered if you took your child out of school for a day at the beach. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m doing it today with two of mine.

Neither are in exam years. Neither are behind. Both schools have said that lessons will be “fluid” today depending on the heat.

my youngest has serious health issues and we get no respite from it except when she’s in school. So today I’m keeping the two others home, DD will go to school (thankfully hers is a very modern air conditioner building) and the kids will get to be kids with no stresses for the day.

Giving kids the odd day off doesn’t give them a sense of entitlement. That’s all about attitude.

Don't forget that these are the same people in August that will have had enough of their kids and want them to go back to school!

I don’t see an issue with it. It’s also none of your business.

Are they? Not true here. I’m always a bit sad when the holidays are over.