To despair at holiday prices! Do your take your DCs out of school??

[Yesiminsane]

Have you done it if so how long and did you pay a fine?

DC is in reception and one of oldest in the year so wondering about taking him out for a week in summer...

Our primary is easy going- they're happy to authorise 5 days as ling as attendance is otherwise very good

Before I was a teacher I took mine out. I got a fine but I argued it! My child was in year seven and received headteachers award so it obviously had not affected his education. They let the fine go!

We generally don't, apart from the odd day here or there, I just see it as part of the extra costs of raising kids

I haven’t yet (dd only in Reception) and I thought I would only do it for a big holiday in October (e.g. Florida) as I teach in a private school and we get 2 weeks. Next year we are going to France in May half term and it’s really reasonable but I’ve been looking for summer 2024 and the package holiday prices are so high! My school finishes the first week in July and it would be up to £1k cheaper to take her out of school. I won’t book anything for a while yet but it’s very tempting!

I'd never take a child out of school, really disrespectful to the teacher - a holiday to me is a luxury and if you can't afford it when you're meant to take it then you just don't go.

We're looking at £1300 for a week in a proxy caravan in the UK - that's taking the p*ss really so I get it but wouldn't do it myself.

The chances of you getting fined are slim.
as long as you’re not doing it multiple times a year.

also make sure your children’s attendance is good before you decide to go away.

enjoy!!

I have. I had to pay the fine, but it still worked out cheaper to pay a fine than pay full prices

Yes. They only fine on our area if it is 10 days or more, so we just take them out for a week

Despite great attendance - one of mine always throughout school 100% attendance, we never took time out of school. While it's a shame holidays are discounted so much in term time, there are other holiday options available cheaply, such as camping , house swap, etc. I'm not one for sitting in a tin can in the air for hours, so any holiday has to be accessible by boat, train or car, or on horseback, mind you DD is suggesting hiring a horse +caravan and driving round Ireland.....

No, never taken mine out. My sister has in the past when hers were in reception & Y1 but not now they’re in juniors.

I don’t take my kids out of school. We only holiday abroad once every 2/3 years rather than yearly because that’s what we can afford. I don’t like them to be missing chunks of school.

I used to take mine out. We are in Scotland though so no fines, I never asked permission either, just told school the kids would be off for a holiday. It wasn't financially driven - DH had allocated holidays so we took a UK caravan holiday when we could.

I think it's fine if done occasionally, we are starting our holiday in July on the last day of term, made a significant difference to the price

My DD isn't in school yet but we had a holiday abroad a few weeks before Christmas and there were dozens of British children there of all ages where as when we went the year before there was hardly any.

So far only taken her out in reception but she was only 4 so no issues. I would do it again just not been on holiday since due to covid/finances.

I don't because I don't have enough annual leave. I don't want to send my kids to holiday club so we can have a break somewhere else.

Dh teaches so we have never had the option to take the kids out of school anyway though it was awkward when his terms did not match theirs.

We tended to go on camping/caravanning holidays (self catering cottage style ones were too expensive) or just have day trips.

My sister and I absolutely took ( and will take again) our kids out of school for holidays. I refuse to feel guilty about it. Last year I paid a £120 fine reduced to £60 for prompt payment. But flights in June were £80 return each ( Manchester to Rome ) and human travel caravan self catering accommodation was £35 each for a week. Transfers £20 each. So £135 for a week away plus food costs and day trips etc . My sister and our kids shared a caravan.

Worked out £360 each in total for everything for me and DD. It was AMAZING. My 13yo DD enjoyed it and so did my 9yo DN. They went to the Vatican and the colosseum and saw the Sistine chapel and the trevi fountain. Very very educational. The other 5 days were spent in the pool at the brilliant camp site we chose.

Next year we are going to Beziers in France. Even cheaper. Flights £67 return. Caravan £40 each. Transfers £16 each. For a week in June! The site looks simply brilliant and I am really excited to go as my grand kids and daughter are also coming along and staying in a caravan. Lovely big family holiday ❤️

Wet use to do this when we had 4 kids at home. We would always try to go over the mayday period as our kids school was also shut for voting in that same week so two "approved" days off school meant they were below the threshold for fines. Turkey , Tunisia and southern Greece is fine in early May and can save £££ if you factor in approved days off into your weeks holiday.

You can also look at only taking them out for a few days rather than the full week. If you tag this on to a school holiday, you should get a cheaper holiday.
For example, we've just priced up a holiday to a 4 star hotel in lanzerote for the feb half term. For a family of 4, it's coming back at £2100, which is half the price we pay for a holiday abroad in the summer. If we go on the Tuesday of the half term, and don't return until the Tuesday after half term ends (meaning the kids miss two days of school), the holiday reduces to £1400.

You will find that most teachers go with it and agree. I am a teacher and completely understand why parents do it.

@LibbyL92 not sure why you say chances of being fined are slim.

Our local schools forward on all cases of 10sessions plus (ie if you miss a whole week) for automatic LA fine. Lots of friends have done this and chosen to do the fine (ie for disney in America).

I actually thought schools were compelled to by the gov these days...

(We don't normally do school time holidays as can see how a week's chunky of learning can bite you later (ie missing a weeks maths might mean you moss a topic) but we did last year. We made sure it was 4 days to avoid the fine...

I've always taken DS out in term time but made it so it's only 3/4 days of school he's missed. He's in Y6 now and we're going away for a week in May but I just made sure it was after his SATS. I can't afford the extortionate prices to go in the school holidays and he otherwise has great attendance. He also has SEN so taking him away at less busy times means he can actually enjoy himself.

We don't. We book our week away at Easter a year in advance and pay it off over 10 months. Most can do this if they are organised enough. School is important. Surely the lockdowns illustrated this.

I’m taking my children out of school.
not sure if I’ll be fined. I’m hoping not because I’m staying below the number of days that our local authority fine for (according to their policy). But I’ll pay if it happens