Would you take 5 year old out of school?

[Savador]

family are saying I am being unreasonable because I will not take DD out of school for a family holiday, I don’t want a fine and education is important to me. Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels this way?

She’s so little. I’d go for it. Nearly all parents think education is important. Many also think quality family time and seeing other places are important.

I always find these threads fascinating. I wouldn’t think twice about it, especially at the age of 5. I always try and get some perspective.. at 5, she isn’t going to miss anything that will effect her forever. She’s not going to fail a GCSE because she missed some really important learning when she was 5 that was never covered again.
I always think it’s nonsense that it’s stressful for teachers. None of the primary school teachers I know would care about a weeks holiday.
Personally I took mine out in primary and up until year 8.
Its not as someone mentioned saving a few quid, it’s hundreds, even thousands of pounds dearer in the holidays. If I had that money, I’d go in the holidays but I don’t.

Teacher here and it is so disruptive and annoying when children are taken out of school. Yes I get why parents are forced to to afford a holiday etc etc but for me it a nightmare. We teach on a yearly plan and when I child is off and they haven’t covered a topic it then has a knock on affect to the nexts weeks topic. I haven’t the time to go over it again. So an emergency odd day is understood but a week is not good.

Absolutely would take a 5yr old out of school. Kids aren't going to become life failures because they missed a few days of arsing around in reception.

Tbh I'd take them out at any time provided it wasn't exam season (yr 10&11). The only time I wouldn't take them out was if it was exam season or if they were struggling to keep up with the class at any age.

I wouldn't.

I do think at 5 she's too young to be in school ahd I don't think she'll miss anything major but since unfortunately she has to go to school I wouldn't let her miss it. I just think it sets a bad precedent and how will you justify it later when she wants to miss school for her own reasons?

Mine are 7 and 4 and I am taking them out for a day in the autumn term to go away for a long weekend. I'm happy to take them out for the odd day but I wouldn't take them out for a week

Is your chukd going to be 5 in reception or 5 in Y1. Legally, if reception, they can't fine.

I'd take them out. Success in life is not based on kids being in school everyday. If she was ill for a week you wouldn't think twice about her being off. It's completely your choice as her mum but I wouldn't worry.

Effect = noun
Affect = verb

Yes. Have and will again.

Eldest is in Y5.

Has been taken out for numerous theatre/holidays/gatherings since the start of primary.

Not been fined yet.

Exceeding in all subjects on last week's school report.

I'm always honest on the absence form and when handing it in let the office know I realise they can't authorise it but I always like to be honest.

Teachers always wish DC a nice time when they're off somewhere.

Once exams etc are involved then we'll need to stop.

Go in the school holidays. They get something like 13 weeks off school per year. Theres no justification for going in term time.

Lots of people saying that it won't have any effect on their child's education so that's fine, but it must be disruptive for the class, presumably the teacher has to stay across who's missed what and try and plug the gaps when they could be doing other things. And if everyone did it that would be x 30. Just go somewhere cheaper in the holidays.

I remember when I was young, (I'm 32 now), different classmates used to be off school to go on holiday all the time, and then they'd come back from holiday and would bring in sweets for the rest of the class from wherever they'd been, and would also talk about their holiday in 'show and tell'. It never did any harm back then, and I'm no expert but I doubt school results are much different from now to then based on a few missed weeks for holidays.

Personally I would take my kids out a week for a holiday up to year 4, not year 5 or 6 working towards the 11+, and I would be ok taking my kids out in years 7 and 8 too as they don't begin working towards GCSE's until after that.
If it was me and we were planning a 2 week holiday to Florida or somewhere, I'd probably take one week off school and one week in the holidays overlapping the holidays but not fully in it.

Also re secondary school, i bunked a hell of a lot of classes as do a lot of kids, so if that kind of thing is going on, they may as well be on a family holiday!

Yes OP I was saying I would do it - if you - I mean, as a teacher I can’t. A week at 5 is no biggie. Am less impressed with hols just before, or in the middle of, GCSEs.

You might get a fine (quite likely if it's 5 whole days) but that may/ may not be worth it. Are your family up for dividing the fine out between them all?

I'd do it if it were something special eg. Special birthday, all family get together which is very rare, opportunity to go away that wouldn't normally have etc etc. If it's just a holiday they do every year and how she's school age it's an issue, v then that issue is not going to go away next year or forevermore so I wouldn't.

always. school is important but so is seeing different places learning different skill sets and experiencing different situations. no matter how long.

I don't like taking them out during school term. Obviously a week here and there won't make any difference to their education but it's about the principle and valuing their time in school.

It also seems slightly entitled. If everyone took their kids out of school whenever they wanted, it really would be chaotic for teachers. So what makes your case more special than everyone else's?

Having said that, I don't actively judge people who are doing it, like previous posters. Just stating my perspective.

Fines are not guaranteed. Dm friend took her kids out of school because her father was very sick and she could only afford to either miss last few days off school or first few days back. Anyway she only got fined for one child out off three.

Her father did end up dieing, the week after returning back home. The school fine appeared more than six months later, and the most horrible thing about it was the woman ex reaction. If your child gets fined, then a fine will go to both parents. Ps, the ex did know and consented to the dc visiting their overseas grandparents, during term time. He was not happy with the fine arriving so late (he had recently ment and was taking out debt to impress a woman).

So be prepared for a possible very late fine.

I think most people only take them out of school because the cost of everything increases so much in the holidays. Which is completely unfair on parents with school children and it is the real problem here.

Nobody would feel the need to take children during school time if the cost wasn't so ridiculous.

As a teacher If they’ve got good attendance generally eg less than 5 sick days/year and they know you don’t take the piss they wouldn’t fine you usually. It’s a massive faff. Only time I’ve seen them properly threaten to do so was a family constantly off eg whole days for “dentist” optician etc, constant brazen lying. It’s now escalated to safeguarding. There was 1 week he had covid then chickenpox then the flu. We knew mum was taking the piss bc when we said to the oldest child (Y6) that amount of absences would threaten his place on the football team he came into school more. Y6 child is working 2 years behind, Y2 child came into Y2 working at Christmas reception level alongside another child. That kid had 97% attendance and now is end of Y1 level. The child from this family had 80% T3 (less than 50% before Christmas) and is working Easter Reception level. Can do as many interventions as you like but it won’t benefit child if you don’t come to school. Also SENDCO can’t do anything regarding potential EHCP because LA will just point to low attendance.

PS this was in a school with absence issues and looming OFSTED. Had to argue with head to send home clearly sick kids multiple times.

If your child is progressing well and you can do some reading together while you're away I wouldn't hesitate.

Just for a little perspective, children in other parts of the English speaking world have been on holiday since the beginning of June. The majority of them will do just fine despite being so deprived of days in school.

Its entirely your choice...I don't think there's a right or a wrong....I did it loads when mine were small..8ncluding 2 long haul 6 weeks to Australia over Christmas.....I got a fine once ( for just 1 of my 3 children) ....50 quid ...and seeing as I had spent thousands on the holiday it was a drop in the ocean...my kids didn't appear to suffer educationally....fast forward to my GDs ...eldest is 6....she's been taken out both in re reception and year1...and plans are to take her out next Christmas for a 6 week l9ng haul trip.... we do it, A to save money.... and B because it works better with parents annual leave.

When I was young my parents never let me miss a day of school, even if I was ill, and it's fostered an unhealthy mindset in my adult life whereby I feel like I can't miss a day of work even for legitimate reasons. I still hate calling in, even when I'm really struggling.

With my own family, as others have said, I don't see a problem in taking them out a couple of days either side of term to make it cheaper etc. Hopefully my DC will learn there's more to life than 100% attendance.

Have you booked something?

Or are you talking about next year?