Parents need to stop lying about term time holidays

[Ljcrow]

If parents want to take their kids out of school for a term time holiday because it's cheaper, I wish they wouldn't give the bullshit that it's an "educational experience". There's an article about this on the BBC today, but working in a school I've heard it all before. Can we not pretend that an all-inclusive to Lanzarote or similar is a rich cultural and educational experience?! If you want to take your kids our because it's cheaper that's up to you but don't try claim the moral high ground, no one's falling for it. (Fwiw I think holiday companies shouldn't be allowed to hike their prices up in school holidays, it's disgraceful, and as a parent myself I have no choice but to pay those inflated prices. It sucks.)

Fwiw I think holiday companies shouldn't be allowed to hike their prices up in school holidays, it's disgraceful

I sympathise with most of the sentiments expressed in your post, but I'm not sure how this bit would work.

The entire travel industry works on a demand-led dynamic pricing model, and has done since before the invention of yield management and other algorithms. Your plan would require companies to charge the same £3,000 for a holiday whether they are paying the hotel in Turkey £1,000 or £2,800 for the accommodation component. Perhaps you could try to get every government in the Mediterranean to sign up to impose the same pricing structure on their hospitality industry, but I suspect this might be "complicated", especially since there are 20 other countries whose residents go to those same destinations and who might appreciate the fact that it's cheaper in June (for example, Dutch and Irish schools get most of June off).

And that's before we get to the fact that holiday companies are businesses that exist to make profits; I am a big fan of public services, but I wouldn't want to go on holiday with the State Travel Company to the State Hotel where the People's Holiday Prices are fixed for The Good Of All Workers. We are only able to enjoy the fantastic range of travel opportunities that we have available to us today because companies have been able to innovate.

Having time off work is a basic social right (and I agree with PP that if companies employ mostly people with school-age kids this creates problems in the summer, but ultimately, it's up to those companies to keep their employees happy, one way or another). Having 10 days rather than 7 at an all-inclusive resort because the hotel or flights are a bit cheaper at one time versus another is not.

Yeah, I saw. I agree that term time holidays are not restricted to state school pupils only.

But even an all-inclusive to Lanzarote or similar is a cultural and educational experience. Even if they're not being dragged round every church and museum in a 50-mile radius like I was on holidays abroad, the child will learn how to navigate airports, use different methods of travel, see different countryside, architecture, experience different language(s) and foods.
Much more valuable life education than trigonometry IMO.

Implied contract?
Which means nothing for parents of dc with sen.
The government will happily allow a dc to miss years of education rather than ensure all dc have access to appropriate education.

Schools aren't "judging" - government directs that they cannot authorise such absence, no matter how good a child's attendance and progress is.

As well as the many reasons given as to why parents take their DC's on holiday during term time, there is another that has nothing to do with cost. Some parents work in places where school holidays are the busiest times so A/L is heavily restricted during those times. If you have for example, 50 parents working in a place that only allows 2-3 people time off at any given week during the long summer break that still leaves 30 (give or take), who are unable to take their DC away on holiday. What then? For some it's term-time only or no holiday at all.

Can we also talk about those of us who avoid school holidays because we don't have school aged children any more, but then we get subjected to other people's kids because they've taken them out of school?

Likewise maybe you shouldn't presume everyone sits by the pool in an all inclusive for the week.

I'm just calling out your sanctimonious attitude.

Yes let's advise them to get a life.

I wish the UK education system could cope better when kids go on term time holidays, seeing as they manage perfectly well in other European countries. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thoughts and prayers.

A few weeks of starting year 8, my maths teacher was sacked for doing a kung fu style kick at a student. That was the rumour and that memory was brought back when someone on FB posted a photo of him in a class. Had a supply teacher for 2-3 weeks. We were told at the beginning she would be there to at least the end of the year. She didn't turn up. Then the other 3 maths teachers set the classes with another teacher on a lesson break sitting in. Then one of the 3 took turns into checking on the teacher.

I actually think it would be an awesome thing if you had additional cover staff that would be available either 7:30- lunchtime or lunchtime to 5:30ish and could cover breakfast club, after school sports/music & similar. Within school hours they could allow all main school day staff to have a combination of prep hours in school, a week a year of term time holidays and cover some sickness leave. Obviously it won’t happen as it would cost more and we won’t buy into the idea of more tax and better public services (in large part as we don’t trust government to deliver whatever service improvements they promise). It would be awesome if we considered what sort of benefits/flexibility would make teaching more appealing and attract more applicants and we invested more in schools generally.

We can spare a post to tell those people that adult only spaces exist, yes.

My Dad couldn’t choose his holiday dates. His work told them when their leave was as it was a 24/7 365 essential role. Do if we had a family holiday occasionally it would be term time. My English teacher was really horrible to me about it…I was 15 I didn’t have a bloody choice! I eventually told her to contact my parents as it wasn’t up to me! She was shouting and slamming her hand on the desk!

What about the people who can't get holidays during the school holidays .I was a nurse competing with the 30 other team members to get time of during the summer holidays. Only 3 staff f/t could be off in any 1 week . Add into the mix my dh also in care sector same issue we had so few weeks off when ds was in primary. I did take ds out of school x2 in whole of primary for a family holiday. Was it educational? Well I did try he kept a scrap book learnt some words and phrases and we did visit lots of interesting places and things .He's kept these books and tbh they are really sweet to look back on .
It became a bit of a joke in my family oh the kids are back to school so u must be having a holiday. It actually wasn't funny the guilt is still there weirdly .

You are spot on. I missed a week of school due to illness and I never recovered the areas that I missed and that meant I was weaker in the follow on areas as they built on the earlier ones. So I feel strongly about missing school even for a week.

Parents who take their kids out of school in my view shouldn't be parents. Many parents across the world would love to have the free education we have access to yet some entitled parents think a holiday trumps their kids education and future prospects. Bonkers.

And in fact in most of the UK. Scotland and NI don't fine for absence, and Wales is much less stringent than England. Which furthers your point, because of course those countries all seem to manage.

Oh quite. But SEN provision is another subject entirely.

Have you found out what those parents actually think, or did you just decide to assume their views so you could appropriate them as a tool to moralise with?

I remember back in the day I was allowed (with otherwise good attendance) a week off in the June term with my mum going on a business and leisure trip to Israel- Y9 in 1990.

It was certainly educational, from the religion aspect, to Israel/Palestine conflict, history and modern cultural differences, food, life on a kibbutz and just a different perspective/opening horizons. And food! Having meze for the first time - ate so much delicious houmous and flatbread that I had barely any room for the main course.

Definitely helped with my history GCSE studies that I began later that year - first topic was I/P and Northern Ireland.

Those were the days, when schools could be flexible and relaxed! It was just at the discretion of the head. I think headteachers should still be given the professional courtesy of having this discretion without Ofsted coming down on them like a ton of bricks.

FTR, both my kids had a 98%+ attendance rate, i don't allow them time off unless they're sick, or in my sons case, need a MH day. They're both high IQ but, like me, have AuDHD and struggle academically.

My IQ is 138+ but i only have basic GCSEs, and i applied myself consistently, not every child is able to achieve academically even if they're clever, apply themselves and have a high attendance.. don't fool yourself into thinking you're somehow special because your kids do well and attend often. Not all are the same. Be glad your kids are achieving.

@Bubblesgun your answer nails it!

How does a beach holiday expand minds or provide learning opportunities?

Also navigating an airport, money , landscapes. And family time.