To think the penalties for term time absence is ridiculous..

[JKbowling]

I got this in my email inbox today, sent to all parents and guardians.

"Failure to safeguard a child's education" appearing on your DBS, really?

As for term time holidays. If a family can't afford to pay for their one measly UK break per year to be had during the 6 weeks holidays (because the prices are hiked right up and become unaffordable) how does school suppose said family is going to pay the fine?

They are free to come back and clarify if that's not what they meant by that.

She's been known to!

Using quotation marks for things you've pulled out of your arse is a bad habit.

I quoted the poster in italics. If you are confused by the difference between which bit is what they said and which bit is my response to what they said, look at the way that the letters are leaning.

Could you tell us where the phrase you included in single quotation marks came from, and why you felt moved to state it in response to the italicised post of mine?

My DD had a mon and Tues of her end if term finishing at 12pm on the Tues. In secondary yr 7did nothing but watch a movie and colouring, chatting etc total and utter waste of time.

Same as my DS who went in for one Monday before end of term. Sick of reading the teaching argument it just does not happen l.

Incidentally we took my DD out out of school for 5 days. She had 98% attendance after the hol sat exams the week after return, went up on her sets and highest achieving in one class. Received a fine. Absolute nonsense there is enough money going into the system to apply common sense and discretion from the LA, but it's a money making initiative nothing more. You can guarantee that the income generated won't be ploughed backed into education.

So are you saying kids "spend the day on a sun lounger" during educational trips?

Or kids "spend the day on a sun lounger" during a holiday?

Maybe they'd just like to speak for themselves and not have it interpreted by a total stranger?

I agree. Was thinking about it and it's not like people can't afford to go on holiday, they just want to pay less. If they couldn't actually afford it they would choose somewhere local surely? Or go abroad every other year. Not take their kids out of vital educational time..... what's that saying, cutting your cloth to suit your pocket.
There's folks on here that couldn't ever possibly afford to go abroad for a holiday even during term time.

Do you understand what Mumsnet is?

No one gave a toss when my children lost education due to covid, school strikes - very little has been put in place by the government or the school to ‘catch them up’ not that I am bitter about paying for a tutor at all

Why should I care if they lose a weeks education for a holiday 🤷‍♀️

I did end up having a shitty letter from the educational officer as one child’s attendance dropped below 97% yeps that what happens when a broken nose and concussion happen on a school trip and a bout of noro sweeps through the school nearly closing it…somehow these incidents are my fault absolute wankers

I’ll just play the system and have a holiday from Friday evening to Wednesday back at school Thursday

Why should I care if they lose a weeks education for a holiday

It's clear that some parents don't give a toss. The government, however, have decided that they give a toss.

So a theme park with school is educational?

A museum visit with parents isn't ?

I haven’t taken my children out during term time, but reading the threatening school letters informing parents what will happen if they do only gets my back up and makes me feel like I’ll decide what’s best for my children thanks.

I'm like that with speeding.

And of course, tackling this is much more complex than continuing a cruddy Tory era policy that was achieving nothing anyway. Involves far too many difficult conversations and there's no way for a politician to pretend it's a quick fix.

@noblegiraffe

If I didn’t give a toss I wouldn’t be paying £££ each month for a tutor to catch them up…the school certainly haven’t done anything - most of the children in the class that my second child is in will be going into secondary school at least 18 months to 2 years behind the age expected range, not my child I’ve paid to make sure they are not behind like their peers - I give a toss thanks and I’ve put in place measures so their education doesn’t suffer as previously stated the government nor the school have bothered to do! However having a week off isn’t going to detrimentally affect their education

the government aren’t interested in my child or their education what it boils down to is money and how much they can extort from parents.

When my other child ended up in hospital due to their lack of care, where was the help and support oh yes a letter telling me attendance was low…

You've moved the goalposts entirely with that question.

Of course it doesn't make it right, but the accusation was that it apparently means people are poorly educated.

Which is a very outdated and very silly assumption.

@EvilNextDoor the government aren’t interested in my child or their education what it boils down to is money and how much they can extort from parents.

As a point of note, the money doesn't go to the government, it goes to the council. This isn't like the VAT thing.

I'm sorry your child ended up in hospital, that sounds tough. Attendance letters are often automatically generated. They really should be looked over by a human before being sent out to avoid that sort of cock-up.

That's loads!

I worry about that as its a safeguarding risk too surely?

There's no way my child is missing school for a holiday not unless something awful and lifechanging has happened.

Agree. I cannot understand why people are so desperate for their rights as parents to be eroded.

That's the downside of living in a country with education and law and order. Not easy.

My child was absent for 2 days due to sickness. His absence will be included in the figure that you're quoting, so it's not accurate data for just children out on holiday.

No, the figure is for unauthorised absence only.

Sick of people whinging about this. Education is a privilege, not a right....so many children around the world denied an education, some still learn in appalling conditions (I counted 120 to a class in a Nairobi school) and yet folks in the UK think it's more important they take a holiday in term time than for them to be in school. Yes, my children have 100% attendance and yes, they know they have to be at death's door to miss a day of school....