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?

No you can’t…..because thats the job you chose and with that job comes fixed holidays…..so no

This is the teacher equivalent of when people start whining about teachers getting good pensions, the ability to take more unpaid time off over the school holidays than them etc. It just sounds like the person hasn't understood that jobs have different terms and conditions. I don't have access to the sort of sick pay that public sector workers do, or the John Lewis staff discount like my cousin. But hey ho, choices have consequences.

Also, if you're particularly concerned about being priced out of school holiday breaks, there'd be less demand if more people went away during term...

Exactly this!

As a teacher, I think this would be the sensible option. A 10 day limit maybe, so 2 weeks.

And you chose to have kids who deserve an education!!

I don't whinge about it! I just don't go on holidays. And in 26yrs I've taken 3 days off sick in any one period so sick pay is irrelevant to me. I teach because I love teaching! But when people moan about fines it drives me crazy. You want to take your kids out go for it but suck it up!!

90% attendance is 4 weeks absence! Not a few days at the end of summer term to go away 🙄

I’m unsure why you think holidays are only “a few days at the end of term”?

I’d detailed the holiday requests I came back to earlier in the thread - one is three weeks. 2 are 2 weeks 🤷🏻‍♀️ In September and October.

"he's not soft."

I think you mean he is lucky enough not to suffer with illness.
My child isn't soft either but is unfortunate with health. I would think my child is stronger all the medical intervention they had to endure.

But well done you for having healthy kids.

You still have much better sick pay than the bulk of the workforce, and the mere fact that it exists and you had that option still puts you in a better position than other people who don't have that peace of mind. After all, any one of us could be in an awful accident tomorrow.

And no, people are more than entitled to moan about the fining system, because it's a mess. I've never been fined, and am unlikely to be due to the way in which I take my DC out. That doesn't mean I'm not entirely within my rights to complain about bad government policy.

Why is it bad policy?? You choose to take your child out and disrupt their education. If that's what you choose that's fine but just accept the fine and be done with it. Still saving yourself money, hope it's worth it.

I'm glad you asked me that.

Reason number one is that it's not working. We have a persistent absence problem that it's demonstrably not addressing.

Number two is that schools get blamed for it. A chair of governors explained earlier in the thread what this looks like in practice. They really have enough to worry about already, and naturally schools weren't given extra resources to implement this when the Tories changed the law a decade ago.

Reason three is that it alienates parents and interferes with the relationship of trust between schools and parents. However persuaded you might be by the idea that people should just accept it, back in real life this doesn't happen. It isn't a problem that can be waved away by people thinking those parents are in the wrong.

Reason number four is that the real issues behind low attendance go much deeper than term time holidays. Any resources wasted on this campaign are resources that aren't available to use elsewhere.

Completely agree attendance isn't all to do with holidays but that's the part that should be easily solved. The rest is an absolute minefield.

It's not going to be easily solved.

We've interfered with the social contract regarding regular school attendance. Turns out that making school a nice to have that could be opted out of if the reason was good enough has stuck. And lots of people think holidays is good enough.

The claims about every day mattering don't wash with a lot of parents, and other people disagreeing makes no difference to that. Nor does a fining system that's not really a deterrent and that some people inevitably see as essentially a payment for a service.

I would never take my kids out in term time personally. But I have to say, the government peddling how important it is to stay in school while holding elections seemingly every six months over the last few years and closing the primary schools to do so was a hard one to swallow.

24 k for a week in Dubai April half term is absolutely ridiculous I’m taking my boys out and I’ll pay the fine happily however I do not agree with the bs child neglect court stuff I am not neglecting my child by taking them on holiday school is important but so is family time and making memories mine definitely won’t remember the 2 weeks in school compared to the 2 weeks in Dubai they’ll definitely remember that

Prices are discounted outside of school holidays, rather than hiked during them
This is what so few people understand. The holiday companies make their money in the school holidays, not during term time.

You didn't say that in your OP! You're drip feeding.

When I was at school, the last week of the school year was spent just playing games, watching videos and quizzes. No lessons

Missed about 4 final weeks of the school year.

"When I was at school, the last week of the school year was spent just playing games, watching videos and quizzes. No lessons"

Not the case anymore. Most schools insist on following th curriculum plan up to the last day of term. Last day of Christmas term is the only time anything else is allowed.

Why? Precisely because learning is the focus and people are fined for taking kids out those days...

But it’s irresponsible and unfair of them to give the OP no choice but take her kids out of school.

in my child's last week of school, learning was conspicuously absent

I did say "Most schools"......

That’s my whole bloody point! Not all term time holidays are created equal. If you’re taking your kid out of school for 3 weeks mid term it’s totally different to someone opting for the last few days of summer term. People on here getting slated for the latter when it’s totally different! God I hate Mumsnet.

No, but 400 miles is a long way for a weekend. Not sure if you've ever travelled the length of the UK, it's gruelling, especially with kids.