To holiday in Year 6 Term Time?

[ellieboolou]

Eldest going into y6 this September and we've not had a holiday for 4 years, I was thinking of booking 2 weeks in late June to go abroad (after SATS). Also have another child who will be in Y2. Risk the fine by being honest?

My eldest has asd so finds peak holidays times a struggle due to crowds and really busy environments, also it's about £800-£1000 cheaper!

AIBU to book a TT holiday and ask head for authorised leave?

Transition days in our school are usually in July as is the summer leavers concert.

Which means rehearsals will be in June. At my DC's school that means your DC would be getting a small part in the concert so they could be slotted in last minute. Of course your school may run it differently or your DC might be fine with that (Still remember the DC in tears in DS's year because they'd wanted a big part and the school had refused on the basis they were missing most of the rehearsals as their parents were doing the same as you).

We have a weeks holiday to Spain booked for June, Ds will be in year 6. We literally couldn’t care less about him missing a week of school or paying the fine. It will be worth it for the experience of having a holiday abroad - something we haven’t done as a family before, and we couldn’t afford to go in school holiday time. People get so ridiculously uptight about children having time off school but a week or two isn’t going to make any real difference whatsoever and there is much more to life than school- holidays and experiences as a family are super important too.

Other people going on holiday doesn't really have anything to do with you though, does it?

My eldest has asd so finds peak holidays times a struggle due to crowds and really busy environments, also it's about £800-£1000 cheaper!

There's definitely a big cost difference @ellieboolou
But with regard to it being quieter just be aware that Scottish, Irish, Spanish, Italian, French and loads of other European kids break up at the end of June. I don't know what dates you're looking at but resorts in Europe are pretty busy by end of June.

If you need it quieter then you might be better looking at extending May half term

I'd actually do it in year 7 rather than year 6. Year 6 they might miss out on special end of junior stuff - year 7 are like the babies of secondary, I think that would matter less!!

We usually take our kids out during TT. In fact just got back but DS also starts Yr6 this Sept. I don't want him to miss anything of his last year at primary so I've booked to go literally the day after they break up.
The prices are actually reasonable at the moment for then.

@MrsDeaconClaybourne very useful to know thank you! Yes think May would be better as like another said some schools in UK break up in June.

@redskyatnight my dd is very much a back seat kind of girl, she was selected for lead roles in the choir and some plays but refused them as likes to blend in the background

Y7 transition
Leavers assembly practice
Writing moderation (which could impact on your child's Y7 English set if there's not enough writing evidence to say they're WTS, EXS or GDS).
Sports days
summer trips
SATs celebrations
finishing off y6 curriculum

No I wouldn't take them out. They probably miss less before SATs to be honest.

Y2 SATs are in May

Here are next year's testing dates:

www.gov.uk/guidance/primary-assessments-future-dates#academic-year-1

Attendance is a huge Ofsted priority now (need guidance) so it won't be approved but I'd definitely do it if I was not a teacher and could get the time off during term time! 2 weeks isn't going to ruin their education in the grand scheme of things.

*new guidance, not need!

I wouldn't. My son has just left year 6. No way would I have wanted him to miss all the leavers activities after SATS.

@Clarabellasingsthisbit thanks that is useful, however I'm not too worried about y2

@Outoutoutshout all the things my asd dd hates, the tears and anxiety this year over attending sports day was horrendous 😖

Many schools do their Y6 residentials quite soon after SATS

Can't you just book somewhere less busy in the holidays. Dd is autistic do I chose places not as popular with families for holidays. Education is important so they didn't miss school unless the dates were unavoidable eg close friend wedding once, a few musical events (as participants, they are musicians and choristers)

I would take them out for a week without a second thought, but probably not two.

We tacked on 4 days after May half term. First offence, school didn't even comment let alone fine us.

Later in the term, my dd did enjoy the rehearsals for the school play and some of the extra science. But behaviour plummeted amongst the boys - violent fighting (someone's leg got broken, someone got expelled), constant disruption in Class. Fun things were cancelled as the whole class was constantly being held back to complete curriculum work and not getting through it due to poor behaviour, It was worse than it had been before SATS as majority of the kids went loopy, knowing they had nearly finished school.

The only thing of benefit in summer term was the day spent doing Y7 transition. Usually that happens on a regular day each year - so just ask the secondary school you think your DD is going to, when it will be and avoid that date being within your holiday.

Have a lovely time x

Not at my school/LEA it isn't.

It's per child, per holiday (and per parent I think but not 100% sure.) it used to be per week but that seems to have been dropped based in recent fines I've seen.

The fine doesn't kick in until day 5 here, so you can take 4 days and not be fined generally. After that it's £60 per holiday per child per parent usually here.

Headteachers do have some discretion but won't usually authorise a holiday without a very specific reason.

I'd have no issue with you taking your child out for 1-2 weeks, but I'd avoid summer half term 2 due to secondary school transition events, unless you know the dates in advance. And avoid SATs times if you want to avoid annoying the school.

Earlier in the year would be better than the end of the summer term.

@WhatsInAMolatovMocktail thank you

@gogohmm any suggestions for places not so busy? It's been so long since we went abroad, was tbh inking of Canary Islands or Lanzarote....

@toomuchlaundry great user name! My dd residential is September this year so she'll not miss that although hot and miss if she'll actually go

I wouldn't worry too much about year 2 SATs though, only year 6. Year 2 have much more leeway with when and how dine, and we often have a child or,two who,misses them. There's ways around that and it'll have little to no bearing in your child.

Writing moderation (which could impact on your child's Y7 English set if there's not enough writing evidence to say they're WTS, EXS or GDS).

Any half decent secondary will be constantly monitoring their English groups. so even if it the type of school that sets based on SATs in most good schools they can move up,and down sets fairly fluidly if there is a discrepancy between their result and what they are working at currently. No school should have static groups/sets.

And isn't moderation really supposed to be based in work already done, rather than new work set? Ours was in year 2.

Year 6 Writing and Science usually get a huge focus once SATS are done, since the teacher assessments for these aren't submitted until around the 28th June.
It's certainly not just downing tools once SATs are over. Writing and Science are both reported to parents alongside the test results.
You certainly won't have the full holiday authorised. Ofsted are making attendance a priority as many school are struggling to return to pre-Covid levels of absence. It's worth remembering that most local authorities would view under 96% attendance as needing to improve.
Two weeks is a long time to be out of school and don't underestimate the emotional journey Year 6 go on as they start the transition process. If your child has asd, they will be putting an enhanced transition programme in place for them e.g. additional visits, meeting the teachers, etc.
Personally I would never recommend holidays in term-time, especially two weeks, as it is so difficult to get back into the flow. That's doubly difficult when a play may have been started, parts allocated, rite of passage bonding trips missed etc.

If you go after sats for two weeks make sure you check when the transition days are for their seconds school.

Personally I don't agree with taking children out of school for holidays. I find it really disruptive to others in the class and the the teachers have to spend time catching them up.

I think the only week that is kind of acceptable is the last week of term as they don't seem to do much learning. Then they miss saying goodbye to friends and teachers though.

If it was to visit an elderly relative, I'd support you 100%. Not just for a standard holiday

What's the difference? Both can be done in school holidays instead. Why does it have to based on how virtuous the experience is?

I would go OP

100% do it!! My boys are 17 and 20 and I used to take them out of primary school early every summer so we could go on holiday. Never had any negative impact on them at all.

family time is incredibly important and holidays are awesome experiences and create such amazing memories for the whole family,

do it, don’t feel guilty. Enjoy!!