To take DC out of school for two weeks for a holiday?

[CroccyWoccy]

Thinking about taking the family on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday next year, but having looked into it, we would have to take the DC out of school for a fortnight to make it work.

They have good attendance record - I have never taken them out for any reason before and they are rarely sick.

I was hoping we could do the holiday only taking them out for 5 days, but it isn’t feasible, to make it work they would need to miss two weeks (though one day is an inset day, so 9 days in total).

Is this too long? Either in terms of lost education or the amount of trouble we’d be in? DC will be Y6 and Y3, holiday would be tacked onto October half term.

I would do this at that age, were I not a teacher myself.

My parents took us out for two weeks every year for a holiday, up until GCSE years. Did me no harm. I got the best GCSE results and the best a level results in the school and then a first class degree.

The benefits of the amazing holiday will far outweigh anything they missing school.

Don’t you find this attitude totally disrespectful to you and the school?

OP said it closes mid-October for the winter, so assumed nothing south of the equator.

@Mademetoxic I remember going to Disney Paris when I was 7 as it was our first holiday abroad.

It appears from the replies on here that it's OK as long as your dc are bright and you're going to somewhere exotic.

If your dc are average and you're going to Benidorm, forget it.

But 'once in a lifetime' why can't they just wait till the children are older and can appreciate it more than a 7 year old?

Sure you're a teacher....

Why do kids have to remember things to make them worth while doing? If things are only worth while if it is able to be remembered then why bother doing anything with babies. The fact is the experience impacts on a family, regardless of if there is a factual memory of an event. Also sounds like it’s a trip of a lifetime for the whole family and maybe parents don’t want to be 10-15 years older when they do it:

It’s a trip of a lifetime for OP. She believes she’s entitled to it.

Cuz maybe there might not be a future ? Will you be here in 10 years? Maybe. Will you be able to afford the hols ? Maybe. Will you have the health to that trip ? Maybe.

don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today

If people say don’t do it on mn is it really going to persuade you?

What's wrong with 6 weeks summer holidays?

Will you be here tomorrow? To even go on the holiday?

I would do June. Heading into end of year anyway, it would be quite unsettling for them to go back to school for 4 weeks in sept then be pulled out for 3. Lots of friendship groups are re established in that first term and new teachers assessing individual learning levels.

@CroccyWoccy are you going to Canada or Japan or South america ?

Personally I never did it- and I admit I'm always questioning why so many school aged kids at the airport in non school holidays going to places like Mallorca? I think it would be better for schools to say to just say up to 8 days off school for holiday allowance. Unless it's for a very particular family reason I personally think 2 weeks isa but long - but it's a personal choice

I would take them out for a two week holiday yes. I missed two weeks of school for a long haul holiday pretty much every school year from year 2-year 10 (always around Jan-Apr time) and it never did me any harm.

I'd just save for another year, personally.

What's the holiday, OP?

Hopefully unfortunately I’ve to go to work tomorrow so no hols :)

For me only in flights it’s 1.5k more expensive for the hols I’m doing in May 2024

for the op the weather is no good for the place they want to go to

I am shocked at the shift in attitude post covid that school is "optional" - best endeavours unless something else comes up.

It's compulsory!

OP - two weeks is a bloody long time. OIAL holidays can be taken literally any time

Holiday in a lifetime go for it. 2 weeks is a massive catch up though! It is literally 2 parts of a topic which leads to the next point. I’d ensure I could catch my kids up. Says don’t mean anything but it’s always nice for kids to feel confident.

Did I miss the memo saying it was a “personal choice” which weeks you sent your children to school? It will be a strange couple of weeks after half term one year when the whole class fails to turn up as their parents just must have that special extra holiday, and those two weeks don’t matter anyway. The teacher's hard work doesn’t matter - she can just do extra work to catch them all up. So rude.

OP knows it is bad for her children’s education - that is why she is on here asking which weeks will do least damage.

We did this when they were y6 and y2. But end of y6 after SATs. 12 days total. Rightly or wrongly, covid definitely influenced our decision. Not sure we would have done it pre covid, but after... well I felt like the contract was broken I guess.

A great time is when kids start university! Nice long holidays and less stress. I love holidays with my young adult kids! No fines ;-)