To think about taking kids on summer holiday in term time?

[Summer2024]

Kids are 8 and 6. They haven’t been on a ‘beach holiday’ outside the U.K. except once when DC1 was a toddler.

We would love to take them on one of those all-inclusive Holiday Village or similar resorts with slides, kid’s entertainment, close to beach etc. we’ve been looking to book in summer 24 but unfortunately we just cannot justify the (Minimum) £5k this would cost in the summer holidays. It’s about half price in term time, so thinking next June.

my parents would also love to join us (and provide some free-babysitting when we are there!) but are unable/unwilling to pay the August prices. They do go on a European holiday every year and are used to term time prices.

the LA (if they enforce a fine) would charge us £240 (£60 per child per parent for the entire absence). Which is a drop in the ocean compared to some of the cost savings.

their attendance is pretty good, they don’t get sick often. So haven’t missed much school when it’s been open. WIBU to take them out for a holiday?

It’s fine just factor in a possible fine

be aware though, outside school hols there might not be as many activities on for the kids. So do your research.

That all said, we’ve never been on an “all inclusive beach holiday” and I don’t think the kids are hard done by in that respect. Done fun stuff abroad though.

Wow really? So it’s a £120 fine for a week?

The savings on a holiday will run into thousands!

I would

The only real downside I can see is - will it make your DC dissatisfied with the kind of holiday they have at the moment? Will they understand that you can’t do this every year?

It's definitely something to be aware of, especially as LAs are facing more pressure from central government re attendance. I know Hampshire are notorious for it but it wouldn't surprise me if others go down the same route. I hear rumblings re Surrey and Kent getting harsher.

I imagine this will become far more common holiday prices have jumped hugely in the last year.

@CaptainJackSparrow85 - yup and that's exactly why people do it, DS2 is nursery age so no fine so we will pay £120 to take ds1 out for the week (we're actually away for 10 days but there's a PD day and a bank holiday in the time so he only misses one full week, if we were to go the week before (May half term) it would be over £1500 more expensive.

As a secondary teacher I do not at all blame parents taking their children out for a holiday (as I’m in the same boat with the expensive holidays).

I think as long as the child’s attendance for that year has already been good (no less than 95 percent) it’s ok. Children’s absence starts to become particularly noticeable to us when it gets below that. A week off is fine, I wouldn’t do any longer than that.

Some parents do try and hide it to avoid the fine, but it’s not worth it as the attendance officers do have ways of finding out. It will also raise a safeguarding concern if parents aren’t contactable after 2 days of absence. Other than that, have fun!

School secretary here. Do it but as people have said, be honest. We'll find out and it is more insulting than anything that parents think we're that stupid that we don't know. So be upfront and we won't care.

And our LA only fines at 5 days so get a later flight and get them in for morning reg that day and a fine wouldn't be issued.

We took ours July term time the week before
They broke up from
School, we received a letter off the school
To say that the holiday request has been denied and if we take them they will have to contact the government and we will receive a fine, we still haven't received a fine for my two children and tbh as you say I'd rather pay the fine than the extra for the holiday, I'd say take them in term time x

I think you can do it, I wouldn’t do it. I’d feel too guilty!! And I’m one of those that sticks to the rules!! I’m sure the teachers would not be bothered. I know a few do the odd day so let’s say two days before May half term is common. Or coming back a day late starting Tues.

Do it. We go away in June and September and we're not going to change the June holiday when our son starts school (though the September holiday will move to October). I'd happily take a fine over spending a fortune to go on holiday when it's too hot, too expensive and too crowded.

Yes my understanding is that parents commit an offence if they fail to ensure their child attends school ‘regularly’. So if a child’s attendance at school is still over 95% despite having taken a holiday I really struggle to see how parents have actually committed the attendance offence. Clearly the child has attended regularly!

Pre Covid I was an uptight pearl clutcher about school attendance.

now, I say go. You’ll be so glad that you did.

We do this every year (no fine in Scotland) and reformer families from
England and wales who have factored in the cost of the fine to their holiday prices.

To add the Holiday villages are fantastic. We've been to the ones in Turkey and and Cyprus.

I'm a teacher. Do it.
I agree that June is much better than September. I've had children of a similar age miss two weeks at the beginning of term and arrive to a new class when everyone is settled and knows the new routines. They've really struggled.

As an aside as this becomes more common I really feel it will be another reason schools can't recruit staff.

I've taken mine out in term time. Not for cost saving but that was a bonus but because DH is a shift worker with allocated annual leave and we are restricted to dates for holidays (they often fall in June). The proviso (for me) was that my DC are doing well at school and have good attendance.

Do it! I’d try to time it for the end of June when more intensive lessons are winding down for end of term shows etc. and they’re getting too tired to take much in anyway. But before July when the private schools break up.

The fines are so small they're pointless.

If the government really think they can justify them they should produce a rationale for them they should be high enough to be meaningful and should be consistent nationwide. Fining is nothing to do with teachers or schools.

If parents want to remove their children for holidays the summer term is less disruptive than September. Just take them out if you want to but don't lie, don't claim it's educational and don't expect any extra input from teachers in terms of catching up.

Why do you need to go in August?

Assuming you are in England and Wales, there are half terms in May and October when the prices are generally significantly lower. Especially if you just take a couple of days and add them onto the half term week.

I definitely would.
But I would try as hard as possible to have good attendance for the rest of the year.

Prices would also drop in August if people who don't have school-age children (and aren't married to teachers :) ) didn't go away then.

I am always surprised by my colleagues who go away in August and I know they don't have school aged kids. Not for weddings etc either. Bizarre - why inflict the prices and other peoples' kids on yourself if you don't need to.

I have taken ds out of school for one day and tacked it onto May half term a couple of times.

Me and DH both work full time on minimum wage (or just above) in high street retail/seasonal retail. Not through choice but through necessity to work any job available to be able to provide for our family.
We don't get summer holidays off (not allowed to book any annual leave between june - September) and we typically have to work over Christmas (we might be lucky and get a day or two off at some point over the Xmas period)
So we are on the breadline financially (couldn't afford an foreign holiday even off peak) and we can't get annual leave during school holidays, damn right we will be taking out primary age child out for a week for a holiday during term time and I refuse to be made to feel guilty about it.
Ideally would we have different jobs (higher paying, better annual leave conditions etc) yes of course but someone has to work those jobs, and it's better than us not working at all and relying on welfare help.
My DH works weekends (not by choice!) so already doesn't get much time with our primary age DC.
My point is, it's all very well being moralistic about missing school but each family has different circumstances and the fines/rules are set by middle class people who have no insight into the reality of what some working families have to work around. It's a huge stretch for us financially to even take DC to a UK holiday park offseason and it's the only annual leave we have so otherwise our DC would never get to see the seaside.
Sorry for the incoherent ramble 😂 as you can tell it's a point of contention for me! Lol

I think it's preferable to miss a few days of school (so come back late after May half term or go early in July) as you're less likely to be fined then. Savings can still be made this way.

I've always been honest with the school and said this is what we're doing, appreciate you can't authorise, sorry etc.