Why do parents let kids off school a few days before the end of term?

[Coffeenoww]

I'm in N. Ireland schools finish next week for the summer (yes 9 weeks long lucky us) but I've had to listen to my 14 year old moaning that absolutely nobody is in school and I am unreasonable to making her go in. Dropped her off this morning on my way to work and it seems she's correct the school looked like a ghost town.
I understand some will be going on holiday etc. And thats sort of OK but this is every term the school breaks up! If schools open I send them always did through primary and now definitely in secondary. I know they aren't doing much but better there than hanging around the house, am I wrong? Is it normal to give your children an extra 2-4 days off when school stops for Halloween, Christmas and summer hols?

Do they?
never seen it or done it myself

Cheap flights?

Lot's of EE DC head off to their grandparents for the summer, they leave early for cheaper flights.

The last week is the best week in primary school.

Secondary school is like a ghost town the last week.

@Hoppinggreen maybe it's an NI thing I would even send them in on the half days apparently I am in the minority among local parents.

Yep it happens here in Aus too.

Next week is the last week of term and there’s a teachers strike on the Thursday.

In order to get everyone back in at school for the last day they’ve organised a colour run for Pride 😁

When I was in school (left in 015) there’d more or less be no one in just as the term was ending. There was no point going in either tbh. Most lessons would just be wrapping up the whatever we were studying or you’d just be on your phone during the last few lessons.

If the term would finish on Friday, we usually wouldn’t go in Weds, Thurs, Fri because there was literally no point

It's not the norm but I suspect it's quite prevalent. It will primarily be to get cheaper holidays I expect. Lots of people think school attendance isn't that important. Lots of people on Mumsnet have that attitude tbh.

Some kids are off school here - England - for the last day or two, but not to the extent you are referring to. Seems mad when they have 9 weeks anyway!

@EmeraldShamrock1 i totally get some leave to visit grandparents etc but 90% of my daughters friends are staying home planning trips to into town etc today/tomorrow she is a more than a little miffed she's at school. Surely 9 weeks is long enough...

I’m an ex teacher. In my experience it’s because there aren’t proper lesson so it seems pointless. There is a lot of new things happening without the usual social norms of a classroom and this can be anxiety inducing.

These people will probably complain in a few years that their kids can't hold down a full time job and wonder where they got their workshy ethics from TBH.

I need to go to work, so my kids need to go to school.

Lots of dd friends do this. They seem to have most Fridays off too. It's so obvious why they are off. I assume they will be fined / receive a phone call.

Burn out? If they've done their end of year assessments, finished up all their work for the term, nothing new is starting, and there's nothing to work towards then what is the point? My DC reach a point towards the end of term where they're mentally done, they're tired and they're checked out. The last week of term usually consists of games/free time in every lesson, sports day which they both dislike, and helping the teachers pack up the classrooms ready for the term ending. If they wanted to skip it then I'd let them.

Attendance is important but let's not pretend that skipping a few lessons where they'll just be playing Uno or having a kickabout are going to irreparably damage their education.

This is another reason why my DC dislikes the last week. They're autistic and the change in routine and expectations knocks them for a loop. I don't offer the option of not going in but if they ask then I don't say no.

Same here in Scotland - one week to go and dd says not much is going on at school plus many have Covid it seems.

My kids secondary school seem to spend the last week of the summer term watching films. Y13 & Y11 have left, about a quarter of the others are off on school trips. Another load are off school for cheaper holidays. Those that are left are really not doing anything educational.

My neurodivergent gang LOATHE the end of term. Nothing is as they expect, routine goes out of the window, rules aren’t followed and that’s incredibly jarring for them. If they can’t face it I don’t fight with them about it, we just arrange a little virus.

Cheap holiday before everyone breaks up. We do the same, especially while DS is in primary as they seem to be doing literally bugger already anyway.

We once took ds out of secondary school 3 days before the end of term. Dh had been taken seriously ill a month prior and had been waiting for a hospital appointment where they were going to do an MRI scan and other tests for potential life threatening/life limiting conditions. The appointment came through in the middle of our booked holiday. The campsite agreed to move our booking so that we could be back home in time for the appointment/cut short our holiday by a couple of days.

School were in total agreement that a family holiday was more important.

(Tests were negative and illness turned out to be chronic but not life threatening)

I'm in England so we've still got a few weeks to go.

Noth my kids seem pretty exhausted and I can definitely see the temptation to just knock the last few days on the head.

However, I agree with PPs it's about setting a good example and work ethic. It really matters and that's why we'll carry on until the end of term.

Cheaper holidays would be very tempting though especially with the chance NI has to go well before the mad summer rush.

9 weeks is more than enough though there is no lessons going on in secondary.

Ours finished the end of May. 😒

I made DD go she doesn't go anywhere else anyway she wasn't sitting at home.

It's cheaper before term ends. Simple. They are also doing very little as the walls and work goes home at the end of school.

Same here. Today’s our last day and I can hear next doors kid out playing football.

DD was hyped for her last day but she’s still only young. It’s a 1pm finish though so while I have wrap around care maybe some don’t snd just decide to take the full day off instead of making the effort for just 4 hours

The last week of term at primary is glorified free childcare given the little educational activities on offer. Kids are mentally drained by that point so its fair enough they chuck on a film, arts n crafts, games etc. I was a single mum who worked FT so DD was sent in anyway but parents should not feel guilty if they keep their kids at home.

DD's secondary generally they worked until the last day, however in the last week it was mostly fun activities that were relevant to their subjects (making waffles in German, history film, silly science experiments etc) so it incentivised children to turn up.

The work on the walls is taken off. I think it does create a lot of anxiety for kids.

I never did it because I had to work, but in primary school my children spent most of the last weeks watching (non-educational) videos.

I suspect secondary school wasn’t much better. In my childhood, this time was when school trips to the country or beach happened, and we wouldn’t have missed it.