To want more people to sign the petition?

[Somethingneedstobedone]

Allow students to be taken out of school for two weeks a year without penalty? I know each school is different but resent government’s directive to toughen up on attendance really grating on my nerves. Now, my children have 98% attendance, bar a few days for illness and docs appt I’ve always taken them on holiday during the break. However a lot of families simply cannot afford even a caravan break. A week in Cornwall in a caravan for £2000?!? Really?! A lot of places in the world do not have such strict guidelines and I, for one, has always been an A+ student even though we were travelling a lot. So I find the argument that 100% attendance is the main factor for children to succeed in their education pretty silly. Parental involvement is by far the most important factor. But teaching people how to be involved in their children’s life whilst working the said people to the ground is too tough. Rant over, thank you for reading 😅

I've signed. I would be happy with 1 week!. The highlight of my holiday is the weather, not having to cook and clean for a week as a single parent! My holiday is this month and DS will miss 3 days!

And where will that leave the teachers who are having to help students who are off for those 2 weeks?

Teachers have a difficult enough job as it is, without having to spend their time catching up 30 children who have all missed two weeks of a different part of the curriculum. That’s the bigger picture, which you don’t take into account as an individual only thinking of your own child. Your child may be an A* pupil, but what about those who struggle to achieve Cs and Ds?

Even more stretched?

More stressed

Well that’s why there’s such thing as curriculum. It’s up to the parents to give their children a few things to go over whilst they are on holiday. How did we all manage during the lockdown? Teachers don’t teach individual students they teach a class.

No - i would hate to see the teachers having to make up the lessons with so many students taking time off for a holiday. Sorry.

No kid is going to do homework on holiday! The odd one maybe but not everyone will

And doesn't that then make even more work for teachers in the long run?

How do you guys manage when you away and your work keeps on working? You may have a few later nights to make sure that you go over your inbox, you may want to tie all the things up before you go on holiday. You know, reasonable things. I think there’s no reason why can’t children have the same.

Right. And the chances of that are...?

So you want to take your kids on holiday and make them do school work while they’re there?
Do you actually do that?

and who is doing that extra work for your dc?

No. Families need to prioritise school. It’s sad if they can’t afford a holiday, but more sad if their kids are missing vital learning or being shown that education isn’t important.

@OhHelloMiss they don’t because going away in term time is not a norm. As I’ve mentioned, the UK is not the only country in the world with free education where pupils succeed in their education. Where I come from it’s normal to make sure that you make up for the lessons you missed even if you’re ill. Because education is a joint affair.

Well 'where you come from' sounds grim!

@Shelinaa one of the main attractions of private schools is that those schools do far more trips away… skiing, sailing. Now, you are telling me that those privately educated children have really bad standard of education because of that? Holiday together as a family is a lifetime memory. Core memory. There’s more to life than just work.

I think a petition to lower the cost of holidays during school holidays would be a better way to go.

I've never come across someone taking their child out for a holiday in the UK. It's always a big price abroad one.

@OhHelloMiss it may sound grim to you but my point is that there’s a lot of other perspectives rather than one.

@Crumpleton well, that’s ideal but in a free market that’s never going to happen is it?

Tell me you're joking

Because education is a joint affair

While I agree with you, unfortunately not every parent sees it that way and won't bother, this is a great example of 'it'll be the children that suffer'.

@Somethingneedstobedone Those private school trips happen in the holidays, no one is missing lessons for them.

They don't do them in term time though.

@HugeCwtch well the children or you! Once you know the syllabus you can follow it. How do you know your child actually actively listens during their time at school? What about the times when your child is ill? They do miss out but you can ask their teacher what did they miss and go over it together.

Why?....
I wasn't think of "joking" when I wrote it.

The price increase of taking a holiday during school holiday period is a joke in itself.