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?

Covid was a completely different kettle of fish, in no way should it be used as an excuse, and that’s exactly what it is, to state, very high and mightily, that it’s broken the social contract on school attendance! Any teacher will tell you of the damage to children that has been done by that time out of school, and also the long term impact of a child missing the first few days of a new school year. Especially at a new school or when very young. Parents might think it’s nothing, but to a child walking into a classroom where friendships have already been formed , and they’re the odd one out, is a very big deal.

Oh, so now you’re talking about parents that take their children out of school on a regular basis. Well if you want to do that, home school them or pay the fine!

I do know what mumsnet is and I don't think it's meant for interpretation or misinterpretation of other posters.

I suspect thats part of the reason why i couldnt get a face to face appointment during August to discuss the results of my blood tests to ascetain why im crapping all the time and it was telephone appointment only .............which yep i missed because i was sat on the toilet. Come September when kids all back at school and suddenly face to face available and i have one in ten days time.

If you can't afford to go in the holidays then don't go! Plenty of families survive without a holiday away.

But we don't say 'well, the amount of time spent processing speeding tickets is so big that we should just let people drive the speed they wish and not fine them'

The issue isnt the policy, it's those who break it, know they are breaking it, know the consequences and then moan about the consequences which are the issue. If no one broke the rules, then it wouldn't take any SLT time up would it.

Schools can authorise medical appts with proof. I suspect that the real reason why gp appointments are harder to get in the summer is that gps may have school age children and are taking their leave to care for them/taking them on holiday. In my nhs team 70% of us have school age children, we ensure there us always emergency cover, but our overall staffing levels are much lower than in termtime.

"don’t have kids if holidays are that important."

I wondered how long it would take before some pratt posted this! Like everything in life is a planned choice, and we have the pick of any month for a family break!

People can afford to go on holidays….but they don’t want to be ripped off with prices…..so they choose to go in term time ……we can all survive without a holdiay….but we choose to have a holiday

I have more memories of going on holiday for a week as a kid than I do of what I learnt in school for a week…

I think the fining system is ridiculous.

holidays are unbelievably expensive during summer holidays, if they sorted that problem out there would be less holidays taken in term time. It’s all about making money.

Honestly I’d rather my family taken me on holiday in term time than never took me.

This nails it on the head.

If you were an adult looking back on childhood, which option would you choose? Nobody would say "I wish my family kept me in school and never went on holiday. The benefit to my education was more important ".

I'm not disagreeing with you on that matter. I'm a parent too. I feel the shift.

However, it's the children who suffer. The children who struggle to return to classes where learning has massively moved on. The children who suffer when they find their friends now play with others.

I once had a child who was working at age related expectations. She had two weeks off after the Easter holidays for Disney world and then was poorly with sickness for over a week. She therefore was off school for nearly 6 weeks. The impact was massive.

It's become convenient for children to miss school and socially accepted but let's not pretend there's no impact.

My children are in school as many days as possible. I can't take term time holidays. It doesn't affect me personally if children are off in my class other than witnessing and trying to help them when they return. I see the distress and don't think it's worth it.

100% This!
I am in what seems to be a constant battle with not just County officials but also our HT over SEN support and associated absences.
This also relates to thr insanity of the VAT on private schools (I’ve posted before) which will flood the state system with more SEN pupils and make it even harder for us in schools trying to support the existing pupils and the ones who are pushed out of the system already. It is soul destroying listening to politicians make grand statements with huge consequences for SEN children but not having a workable plan, nor asking those of us at the coal face whether their ideas will work.

You seem to think that because you don't like something it can't be true, speaking of high and mighty.

We already know this is happening. There is actual research about the impact that school closures has had on attitudes to attendance, as well as examples of people telling you about how school closure changed their attitudes in this very thread. It's going to take more than people harrumphing with their fingers in their ears to change it.

Our view was always school comes first. Unless sick - and appropriate to be off (contagious, ill enough). It’s education - the most important thing you can give your child (with a loving home life etc). A holiday just isn’t relevant.

Poor comparison. For one thing, we know that speed limits are necessary and save lives. This is not the case with our attendance fining system. England isn't providing a better education or doing better for children in general than other countries in Europe that do.

The issue is entirely the policy, and how unfit for purpose it is. Even in your attempt to defend it, you admit that it doesn't actually work. It's no good saying the policy is perfect, it's human behaviour that's the problem. You can't order a new public.

I agree, if my child is not having continuous periods of unauthorised absence and is doing well in school why should I be penalised?

When I was young my parents would take myself and my sister out of school twice. A week in March & a week in November as we could have 2 holidays for the price of 1 over the busy summer months. As we got older homework was taken with us and my parents made sure we didn’t fall behind. I’m now a solicitor and my sister a banker…. What we did gain is memories and experiences that have made us the close family we are today.

There is a bigger picture that many people just aren’t considering. As a parent the duty is on you to ensure you provide your child an education, whether this is in a classroom or not and it should be those parents who show disregard to an education in general who are penalised and not those wanting to provide their family a good work/school family life balance.

It's not essential to have a holiday every year. No child will suffer because of it. If you can't afford it in the holidays, don't go.

I don't know anybody who would prioritise a holiday above exams.

Yet that is exactly what happens where I work.

They fail their GCSE maths exam even of they do well in the first two papers, but they're not there for the last one because a holiday has been booked on the second week of June.

Some parents are spectacularly thick, aren't they.

Everyone knows when the GCSEs take place, so why do they do it?

In Ireland there’s no issue with taking kids on holiday during term time. Even the teachers do it. If a child exceeds 20 days absence in a school year then child is reported to Tusla, which is our child protection services. I think that’s fair!

My DS’ secondary school suspends timetable for 3-4 days usually in the week that precedes two of the upcoming school holidays. Normally July and October so that parents are deterred from taking their children out of school during more important periods like exam time. They’re also conscious of the fact that it helps parents with the cost. They usually offer a trip abroad and a trip to a theme park for students and fun activity days arranged at a low cost for the remaining students who don’t go on any trips.

It is obviously fantastic for us but I don’t know if they could implement similar in schools nationwide

If this happened nationwide though, surely peak season would just extend to include those days?

I suppose it would have to be staggered so that different schools did different weeks but I would have thought that would be the case.