Taking DS out of school family holiday WWYD?

[Sleepregressionqueen]

Just about to book our family holiday unfortunately we have to go in September as otherwise it’s just to expensive. He has the same teacher and same people in his class so not much settling in really. He will be going into year1.

we either go at the start September 13th or the 27th. I said 27th to give him a bit of time
but OH says it’s probably best we go at the start as they probably won’t be learning many new things then.

WWYD?

[Sirzy]

@thingsarelookingup

I will be taking my two primary aged kids out of school for 10 weeks next year. I will do a bit of maths, reading and writing with them while we are gone and they will gain so much perspective you can't get from a classroom.

Just be aware though 10 weeks unauthorised absence you risk coming back to no school place.

[thingsarelookingup]

I will be taking my two primary aged kids out of school for 10 weeks next year. I will do a bit of maths, reading and writing with them while we are gone and they will gain so much perspective you can't get from a classroom.

[Sleepdeprived42long]

Do it! I’d do end of Sept as gives DS time to settle in. I value education but I know from my own experience that spending quality time with family is just as important so if this is the only way you can afford it, do it and don’t feel bad about it.

[BaileysAndNachosDontMix]

Just go
it will create wonderful memories for you all

5 days off school isn’t going to mess up his education for the rest of his life especially as he’s only in year one and so young

when mine where that age the schools used to allow 10 days term time holiday without the threat of fines and the guilt

they grew up absolutely fine they caught up again in no time & have good jobs now
so didn’t ruin their education as much as everyone here says it will

its your family& your life you only have it once

[Hoppinggreen]

I have taken my dc out of school a few days early on occasion but I wouldn’t do it in September and certainly not at the beginning of a new school year.

[YouCanHaveAParty]

I would go for the earlier date, but go midweek so that he's effectively spending some time in school, albeit a day or so, over a 2 week period iyswim?

I don't know why though, it just makes sense to me to be in school part of each week rather that out the whole of 1 week. Just my random logic.

[Abraxan]

@dottiedodah

You also run the risk of being fined surely?

Here is it £60 per child per holiday, per parent. A very small amount compared to the holiday cost savings. Our LEA fines from day 5 so you can take 4 days with no fine.


I always give it interesting that those who work in schools often post it's no issue. It's usually parents who aren't school workers that say how bad it is, how it devalues the value of education and how it will disrupt the school, teacher and class. Yet the teachers, etc don't have the same issue regarding it in the whole. In real life I don't know any teachers or TAs (or interestingly a headteacher) who would be concerned with a primary age child missing school time for a holiday 🤷🏻‍♀️

[prepared101]

@PoundPill

I took my DS out of school for 2 weeks in Yr 1 in June and we all had a fantastic time - it was full of DC his age - go somewhere with a kids club so you all have fun and rest too

Take your kid out of school so you can take them on holiday and leave them in a probably unregulated kids club. Excellent.

I'm all for taking kids out of school for them to experience immersion in different cultures but not for a week in an all inclusive with a kids club 🙄

[Obi73]

Whatever dates you choose he’ll miss either beginning to settle into the KS1 curriculum and a more formal style of learning or consolidating the new routine and expectations but kids can be resilient.
The fine is hardly going to break the bank - it’s your choice.

[Abraxan]

There is a reason that people get fined for this.

Yes. Designed partially to prevent lengthy or numerous absences in a year, such as those who take lengthy breaks of a few weeks or those who have lots of short breaks all the time and partially to meet fisted and government targets.

But there is little to no detriment ti your average child missing a week of school for a family break.

[Abraxan]

@Yesmate

The transition from reception to Y1 is huge. You go from learning through play and carpet time to sitting at desks and having a far more structured timetable. The expectations are very different and they need time to adjust. I would to consider taking my child out anyway but certainly not in that first term.

In any half decent school it definitely shouldn't be a hue jump. It should be a gradual change. Any school making it a big transition going from all CP to all formal learning is not a great school tbh.

[Abraxan]

I teach infant age and he'll be fine to miss a week or two in September, especially as he already knows the teacher and class mates.

He will be learning new things but anything particularly important will be visited again and again; with things like English, phonics and maths it's rare for something to be covered only once. The start of year 1 should be a transient ion period too, so still a fair bit of independent choosing/continuous provision so he won't be missing full days of board learning ime.

MN will always tell you not to take a family holiday in term time but tbh it still happens a lot in the real world and, although it Isn't authorised usually the reality is that it isn't disruptive to the school, class or teacher and the vast majority of children will be perfectly fine to miss 1-2 weeks of school for a family holiday.

Fwiw we had 1-2 weeks off every year growing up (was when we had factory shutdowns and no other summer holiday options so then it not at all) and all three siblings were successful with schooling, exams and future careers. It didn't mean we didn't value education m. It simply meant we also valued family holiday time together without the constraints of housework, work, chores and normal home life.

[1AngelicFruitCake]

Threads like this always have an OP who has a child who

a. has 100% attendance
b. is way ahead of their peers academically

🤔😄

[jumperoozles]

Teacher here. Totally get why you would go in term time and I generally don’t mind children going in June/July time as I would do exactly the same if I could with the crazy prices! But September has to be one of the worst times to go! It will be full on learning in Year 1 and that’s when we’ll be doing the basic skills for the year e.g place value in maths, new phonics sounds etc could you at least put it back to the last week of the term before half term? I’m always a bit disappointed when a child misses a week at the beginning because they will have so much to catch up on. Disagree with others that say they won’t miss much in a week. They absolutely will! And guarantee you’ll do it right in the middle of a big write or something and your child will turn up the following Monday when everyone else is onto the next stage like inventing their own version of a story and your child won’t have a clue 😫 teaching, especially English, is done in sequences of lessons that last longer than a week.

[SimonaRazowska]

Makes no difference

as long as you don’t ask the teacher to help DS catch up on work he’s missed

or special homework

or special help after

thst’s what is too much for teachers, and all parents seem to want to assuage their guilt by doing the above. Making more work for teacher.

people who take their kids on term time holidays clearly see school as child care rather than education. So don’t make a fuss if your child has to catch up a bit after.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

@Sleepregressionqueen

ideally I wouldn’t take him either, but we haven’t been on holiday since 2019! We’re all desperate for one.

so we are going I’m just not sure what date would be best for DS.

Holidays aren’t going to get any cheaper during school holidays. Are you going to take him out of school every September?

[MsMarvellous]

Our school despairs at the number of people who take their kids out. Not only does it disrupt your child, it disrupts the rest of the class. When they return the teacher has an additional burden of bringing your child back up to speed. Your child will also miss all the start of year stuff.

It would have to be something more than just a summer holiday for me to view it as worth it, or timed in the last week before Xmas or summer break when the kids do little actual learning.

[Teder]

@Sleepregressionqueen

We’re going for a week, so he will miss 5 days.
i will speak to DS see what he thinks as he will know best.

I think it’s absolutely fine to take your child out of school for a week at that age and really do see the value in a family holiday but it’s not fair to ask your 5 year old their opinion! That’s inappropriate and should be an adult indecision. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have him miss the first week as there is a transition so I’d chose the latter date once he’s settled in his new school year. Enjoy your break.

[drawacircleroundit]

I wouldn’t go on holiday.
I think that saying that there won’t be much settling in necessary is a pretence that you’re trying to comfort yourself with.
That fizzing nervousness when your DC has to reintegrate, seeing that all the other students know the routine, what they’ve been working on etc … I couldn’t do that to mine just for the sake of a holiday. School nerves are real enough as it is with the start of a new year.

[BigChesterDraws]

Escaped not advocated!

[BigChesterDraws]

@Sleepregressionqueen

We’re going for a week, so he will miss 5 days.
i will speak to DS see what he thinks as he will know best.

You’re going to ask a 5-year-old tonnage the decision?

It may have advocated your attention but most people haven’t been on an overseas holiday since 2019 or before. You’re hardly in the minority there.

[HopeIsNotAStrategy]

Firstly, if you are considering 27th September, I'd push it back to October and save some serious money on your energy bills while you are away.

Secondly, the suggestion to overlap October half term is a good one. I used to take mine Tuesday to Tuesday as the flights were much cheaper, but they only missed a couple of days school. The temperatures will still be nice then - Spain in particular has been unbearably hot this summer.

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

Sorry - when I say I wouldn’t take him, I mean I wouldn’t go. I don’t mean go without him!

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

I think the worst possible time to go is the very first week of term. Followed by the rest of September. The settling in time is really important, and they definitely will be learning new things.

Do you have an older, adult DS who you’re saying will know best? An5 yo definitely won’t know best - I can’t believe that you think this, unless it’s a typo.

Personally I wouldn’t take him. I would have a holiday I could afford in the school hols. If I did take a child out of school I’d avoid Sept, and most of all the first week back.

[Sunshineona]

27th so he gets the new induction stuff like where everything is in his new classroom