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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Booked holiday, moved primary school, SATS problem

144 replies

kangaroopelicanartic · 09/05/2023 14:30

I'll try to keep this short.

-booked a holiday this time last year. We are due to go on the 22nd
-was given notice that we had to move house
-moved and had to change the kids' primary school. Notified them of the holiday and was told as it was pre booked it wouldn't be a problem. It was booked for the first school's half term.
-just been notified by the school that my oldest kiddo (he's 7) has sats the same week we're booked to go in holiday
-holiday company will let me move the dates but it's so expensive I simply can't do it. It would double the cost and it's just not possible

I have no idea what else to do. Money is very tight and part of the reason i booked so early was to pay in installments so we can afford to go! Not to mention the house moving costs have totally wiped out my savings.

Any ideas please? It's been such a totally shit few years I was really looking forward to a break!

OP posts:
maranella · 09/05/2023 17:12

Year 2 SATS don't mean anything OP. Go on your holiday and enjoy it. If it was Year 6 then my advice would be to try and move the holiday to next year instead, but for Year 2 don't worry about it. You did what you did in good faith.

SpaghettiSquash · 09/05/2023 17:14

BeforeLight · 09/05/2023 15:29

May half term is the only one in the year which all local authorities have the same date. This is due to GCSEs, SATs etc.

so not sure how this can be right. Any other half term yes but not this one

@BeforeLight No, that's not true. Some schools have two weeks and some only one.

OP - go on your holiday and enjoy it. Don't worry at all about the SATS. I wouldn't even be concerned if they were year 6 SATS.

footiemum3 · 09/05/2023 17:14

As it’s Year 2 SAT’s it really doesn’t matter. If the school really wants him to do them he can do them on another date. You informed the school of the pre booked holiday so they shouldn’t have any problem with it. The SAT’s will be internally marked and only used to support teacher assessment.

justteanbiscuits · 09/05/2023 17:14

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 14:40

You “think” two different authorities?

OP neighbouring primary state schools in the same authority or adjacent will have the same half term.

Show quote history

We live on the edge of an authority. School 500m to the right has different half terms to the one 1mile to the left.

Onlinemum22 · 09/05/2023 17:16

Teachers just had 6 days of strikes at my son's school. I don't think they have a leg to stand on if they asked me to cancel a holiday.
Don't worry about it. What's done is done. They can change the SATs week if they're that bothered.

autastic · 09/05/2023 17:25

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 14:54

Summer half term
Monday may 29th to June 2nd

my authority and all adjacent

whats yours op out of interest?

You must live in a small world my local authority does not hold the same dates, schools can choose around dates.
My sons go to two different secondary schools and they have different half terms, one has two weeks off and the other one a week off, they rarely have the same weeks as the other has two weeks at October and they both break up on the 13 July which is about 10 days before a lot of the other school.
My friend once had the nightmare of three children and 3 weeks of half term to cover between them as 2 had 2 weeks but the differing weeks.

strawberry2017 · 09/05/2023 17:25

Go and have a lovely holiday.
SATS mean nothing.

Summerishere123 · 09/05/2023 17:27

My eldest didn't do Y2 SATS due to COVID. My youngest won't be doing them as she is well behind and I have withdrawn her from them.

They do not matter a dot! Plus, your kids won't be missing any actual work that week so not the worse week to miss!

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 17:35

autastic · 09/05/2023 17:25

You must live in a small world my local authority does not hold the same dates, schools can choose around dates.
My sons go to two different secondary schools and they have different half terms, one has two weeks off and the other one a week off, they rarely have the same weeks as the other has two weeks at October and they both break up on the 13 July which is about 10 days before a lot of the other school.
My friend once had the nightmare of three children and 3 weeks of half term to cover between them as 2 had 2 weeks but the differing weeks.

Show quote history

Just curious! What are your summer half term dates?

perfectimperfect · 09/05/2023 17:52

All I'd say is check you got the dates right for the previous school, as May half term is usually the week of the bank holiday so the week after you've booked.

UggyPow · 09/05/2023 17:55

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 14:40

You “think” two different authorities?

OP neighbouring primary state schools in the same authority or adjacent will have the same half term.

Show quote history

Not necessarily - for example Stockport primaries have 2 weeks half term at Whit (May). Neither Manchester nor Cheshire do.
The primary parents around here love it as they get a really cheap holiday in comparison to the school holidays the rest of the year
OP go enjoy, so many struggling at the moment - Yr 2 SATS only matter to the school.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 09/05/2023 18:01

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 14:40

You “think” two different authorities?

OP neighbouring primary state schools in the same authority or adjacent will have the same half term.

Show quote history

Well given that not all have the same holidays and every local authority is adjacent to another one there must be some which are neighbouring and have different holidays

Skyblue92 · 09/05/2023 18:01

SATs are completely pointless tests that the government demand schools do. Go on holiday. Even if it was year 6 I’d say the same as we do our own baseline/cat testing on year 7 anyway. Year 2 SATs are even more pointless

RBKB · 09/05/2023 18:28

Skip the SATS if you can. They are useful to nobody but the govt. Secondary will assess your child in Y7, then put them in sets from results, ignoring the SATS, because secondaries know that primaries (SOME not all) coach their kids so much that the results are meaningless. (Teacher here, from an outstanding secondary with excellent GCSE results)

Skyblue92 · 09/05/2023 18:29

RBKB · 09/05/2023 18:28

Skip the SATS if you can. They are useful to nobody but the govt. Secondary will assess your child in Y7, then put them in sets from results, ignoring the SATS, because secondaries know that primaries (SOME not all) coach their kids so much that the results are meaningless. (Teacher here, from an outstanding secondary with excellent GCSE results)

This.

and as harsh as it may sound you can sometimes tell the ones that have been coached and the ones that haven’t.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 09/05/2023 18:36

KS1 Sats are so unimportant. Just go and enjoy it.

autumnboys · 09/05/2023 18:38

Caterina99 · 09/05/2023 14:39

For a 7 year old doing SATS I wouldn’t cancel my pre booked holiday!

Absolutely this.

tweener · 09/05/2023 18:41

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 16:34

I’d be curious if anyone listed their school summer holidays here!

29-2nd

Mine break up the 13th of July and go back on the 24th of August.

DanceMonster · 09/05/2023 18:43

TuesandThursNero · 09/05/2023 14:40

You “think” two different authorities?

OP neighbouring primary state schools in the same authority or adjacent will have the same half term.

Show quote history

I live on the border of three counties. Our holidays are entirely different the holidays of my friend’s children. They live less than 2 miles away.

ichundich · 09/05/2023 18:43

kangaroopelicanartic · 09/05/2023 14:30

I'll try to keep this short.

-booked a holiday this time last year. We are due to go on the 22nd
-was given notice that we had to move house
-moved and had to change the kids' primary school. Notified them of the holiday and was told as it was pre booked it wouldn't be a problem. It was booked for the first school's half term.
-just been notified by the school that my oldest kiddo (he's 7) has sats the same week we're booked to go in holiday
-holiday company will let me move the dates but it's so expensive I simply can't do it. It would double the cost and it's just not possible

I have no idea what else to do. Money is very tight and part of the reason i booked so early was to pay in installments so we can afford to go! Not to mention the house moving costs have totally wiped out my savings.

Any ideas please? It's been such a totally shit few years I was really looking forward to a break!

Why does your child need to sit the SAT's? As I understand it, they are mostly for the benefit of the school, not the children. Mine missed their SAT's because of Covid.

CoozudBoyuPuak · 09/05/2023 19:45

@TuesandThursNero only non-academy schools that are still under LEA control are obliged to take holidays on LEA prescribed dates. Although most academies follow the official LEA dates they aren't obliged to and can choose different dates if they want.

AllGone · 09/05/2023 19:47

Go on your holiday and enjoy yourselves. SATs mean nothing for your child. 

ExtraOnions · 09/05/2023 19:48

SATS are a waste of time … they aren’t there for parents, they are there to measure the school. Your local high school will probably give them a cursory glance, if that. There are many many many more important things to do with an 11 year old, then give them a load of stress over .. basically nothing.

CatticusFinch · 09/05/2023 19:52

Some schools in a neighbouring area to me have 2 weeks at May half term. The standard week for everyone and then the other week is a week of INSET days so teachers are in but children not.

itsgettingweird · 09/05/2023 19:55

Crunchymum · 09/05/2023 14:51

Taking term time holiday is not allowed in my L.A - SATs or no SATs.

I get its cheaper but missing a week of school isn't ideal. It sets a precedent so I appreciate the blanket rule on it.

I realise @kangaroopelicanartic didn't book to miss school though. and apologised for not reading that pertinent info. Make sure you lament this point to your new school.

Thing is the original holiday was booked for old half term. So really unlikely it would have been cheaper!

OP just take the holiday. Give evidence it was booked last year and evidence it was half term with old school.

Show evidence you cannot change it.

Go on holiday and enjoy it!

You may get a fine but it'll still be cheaper than changing the booking.