Term time holidays

[roundtable]

Apologies if there is already a thread on this.

During August this year, the fining system of parents for taking children out of school for term time holidays is going to be nationalised. The local authorities (not the school or the teachers they don't do the fining) will have the ability to fine £80 per parent per child for the 'first offence'. Second term time holidays £160 per parent per child. Third could result in prosecution and if found guilty failure to safeguard children's education can be added to show up on any dbs applied for.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more outrage to be honest. Most parents don't seem to know about it yet. I think it's a nonsense. Most parents who chose a family holiday in term time are not the persistent absentees. I'm a teacher and I can't speak for all of them but having a term time holiday isn't really something that gets me in a tizzy. There are far more pressing concerns than that. Although, dont ask me to send home the work they've missed!

I can't take term time holidays so I've no real skin in this game but if I could - of course I would! I believe it should be at the head teacher's discretion as it used to be. A head knows whether or not a particular family has an issue with attendance and could authorise it accordingly.

Everything is so expensive for a lot of families at the moment and life can be hard. Taking away the opportunity for a family ro spend some quality time together in an affordable way just seem really sad. Lots of mine and my children's best memories are holiday related. Or am I being unreasonable?

(Unless you play the system and take a term time holidays every other year as it's within a 3 year period.)

I'm fully expecting some replies of - 'well I never went on a family holiday in term time as a child and I'm fine' and words like 'parents are so entitled' to be used but I think it's very such a shame that people's quality of life seems to be getting worse, not better. Surely it should be the other way around?

Actually, I think that's a pretty miserable attitude. Are we supposed to just keep noses to the grindstone, like good little capitalist slaves?

We will take term time holidays as we see fit. I’m not going to be dictated to. If there’s a fine I don’t care. It’s pennies in the grand scheme of things.

They should do more to tackle to underachieving kids with useless families and leave the rest of us alone to parent. But they won’t.

Yep, which is why parent and school discretion is important.

I'm taking mine for a term time holiday this year. There is no special school places in our LA or the neighbouring LA, so.Im having to HE the one.child They've also stopped any SEN transport for over 16s (even though you have to be in education untill 18) so.im also spending hours each day driving a different child to their specialist placement. This means I can't work.
I.know.Ill get fined for my other child but frankly, I can't get behind the idea of a holiday being so detrimental to education when the government and local authorities cannot provide enough specialist school places for those that need them.

@AllyCart you can spend as much time outdoors as you like it still wouldn't equate to the amount the Med countries get. Also look at playtime duration during school days. You can give lessons outdoors all day if you like and it still wouldn't amount to what is missing. Yes I appreciate it's not the local authorities fault that we are located in a small island covered in rain and spend daylight covered in thick clouds but let's not penalise grown adults who work and pay these bastards wages making policies that will affect parents' pockets, children's health and mental health. A week during the whole school year isn't lifeline unless exams of course.

I come from a med country which makes it worse as I crave it more and was fortunate enough to fly back to my home country every summer holiday. My grandparents used to wash my face with seawater in the sea and tell me clear out the dirt and absorb the sun as it will keep me healthy during the winter months ahead when I flew back home knowing I was returning back to months of dark, grey and wet misery.

I know it was a different time but I was at primary school in the late 90s/ early 00s and I used to take months off at a time to go travelling with my family. I’d get set token work like - make a holiday scrap book and my school didn’t blink an eye. I still got top grades and into medical school.

But surely buying the leave would cost your more anyway? If my husband and I both bought leave to go away, it would cost us probably £1500 a week (if have to pay cost before tax) so doesn't save anything vs taking a holiday in the school holidays.

Im so pleased i dont have to deal with schools any more.
The day my last left school for good i became stress free.

1. No individuals won't care. But nationally they might.

2. Homeschooling is NOT fucking up your child's education. I'm more educated and intelligent than most teachers and quite capable of educating my child. My DD thrives on 1:1 which she'd get at home. When teachers can't spell, do basic maths or know basic facts and spend more time worrying about uniform and other mundane things, i'd argue sending them to school is more likely to fuck up their education.

3. I find it highly offensive you claim I don't know what is best for my child. No I do not own my child. She is her own person. But schools also do not own my child and the way they treat parents and children is likely not in anyones best interests.

4. Homeschooling or travel offers greater outside influences. Dear me your view of life is very narrow. I pity your children if you have any.

Yanbu. I feel the price increase is ridiculous but unfortunately its too much hassle to go on case by case absence so I do understand it.

I've taken my child on two term time holidays this year as the price difference is insane, they're only in reception with perfect attendance otherwise and got fined both times and paid happily. I won't do it in future and combine for a school holiday break instead.
There should be more legislation preventing the massive hike increase instead of fining parents more!

I have one child at school and one at nursery. Reality is that we can’t afford holidays in school holidays while we are paying around £1k per month for nursery. Once youngest is at school things will be different for us. We are going in October for 2 weeks and will just pay the fine

My child has the opportunity to go on a weeks skiing trip with the school. A trip we could do as a family. A trip that if we did it as a family during term time we would be fined for. Yet I can pay for them to go away on a similar trip with the school. No maths or English lessons. No history. No PSHE. Baffling.

it’s not always about the cost though, sometimes it’s about timing.

If it is about cost though - I’m abroad at the moment. The place we are staying in plus flights cost us 6500. With ds starting school soon we’ve priced up to take the next one in school hols and the house alone is 8000 to 10000 for a fortnight, I expect flights to be in the region of 2000 for the 4 of us so for some buying an extra week of leave, or paying for holiday clubs in school hols is worth it.

Buying leave saves tax by reducing your gross pay. It doesn’t cost a week of your gross income.