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.)

There are many reasons we need to go in term time, not purely the cost. The nature of our child’s disability means we have very particular accommodation requirements too, we can’t just pick a cheap apartment somewhere.
I don’t really feel the need to justify it to anyone though, not even the school. As I said upthread, we tell them we’re going and they say ‘have a lovely time’. The Headmistress, who knows how much our child’s disability affects the whole family, including my other children, told us she completely understood and that family time is extremely important.
What happens after that is irrelevant to me really. Authorised, unauthorised, whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️

As a teacher it’s incredibly disruptive. I have to take time out of teaching my class to get children up to speed . The brighter ones can catch up, but for some they just get left behind. It can affect their confidence and make them anxious. I teach Maths senior school. I am in an independent school so I do have more scope to support kids as the classes are smaller/behaviour is better. It really does annoy me when parents selfishly take weaker ones out of school at critical times.

I just wish parents didn't get their children to lie. It is so hard for little ones who have supposedly been off 'ill' to come back and not be able to tell anyone about it. It's obviously they have been abroad (tan) and many of the younger ones end up cracking and bursting into tears about it (I had to tell you I was ill but I really want to tell you about the swimming pool with slides). I don't know how it works and if a fine still applies but if we get information like this then it is recorded on the school system despite a parent having previously claimed illness.

You’ve never been on a beach with people in swimsuits ranging from modest to topless then or discussed why people dress the way they do with your children then? Perhaps you need to travel a bit more.

Honestly I think it’s good for them to see the world and our fixed points are work related not school related though we prioritise school in exam years. We don’t all need to conform to a single idea of the ideal childhood. It’s not like we’re trying to have the same people emerge at 18 like uniform little sausages.

I think you're misunderstanding that you are not the norm. The vast VAST majority of people taking their kids out at term time won't have a disabled child they need to work around.

But, the vast VAST majority won't have a specific term time need to HAVE to have a holiday. My son is in GCSE year and there are parents taking their kids out for holiday before the exams. As I said before, a high school teacher friend is fed up of having to work even longer in the day to provide work / catch up the kids going on these holidays. Because they're not all going at the same time. It's one or two a week spread over months. Why should she get to spend less time with her children in order for someone else's children to have a holiday?

Also school trips since covid - expensive and thats if your school still do some.
My y4 has been on 1 trip - in y2 so far. Compared to eldest who went somewhere every year.
So really no chance of anything like museums or art galleries for youngest. Even the y4 trip is fun activities...
Whereas we went to nyc one year the kids
Went to Moma
Statue of liberty and ellis island
Solar eclipse
Subway (theyve never been on a underground before)
Obviously transatlantic flight
Central park
Bronx zoo
Large waterpark and slides
A musical
Natural history museum.
911 memorial
Empire state

I dont agree it is completely supply and demand as the gov are legally enforcing the demand that pushesthe prices for english parents much higher by having only 5 weeks...
Some could say perhaps
These gov people have shares in holiday companies
And
Are often privately educated (with privately ed kids and friends) so they are not adhering to these rules.

Also re child benefit which is say £1k for the eldest. Well 1 week in balearics in oct half term was £3k. So pretty much all gone on 1 holiday season holiday. (Not AI) and ryanair flights. Let alone spending £540 a year on school lunches. Probably £200 on average on uniform.plus other food. People are not raising kids for CB. (Tax credits maybe )
Even 1 week holiday in devon caravan park would probably be 1k.

My question though-
is it all the cost difference (if so then even larger fines would put some off).
Or how much less busy places are?

In high season its not enjoyable.

I think theme parks etc could do qith a different model i would pay more entry fee to have queues of less than 20 mins. Yes you can often pay extra and that is hugely expensive. But as it is you could pay £150 to go in to go on 7 rides each so £5+ per ride but waste a whole day queuing.

Overall because a significant amount of parents have loads of money (see people talking about 12k holiday etc ..

The difference in price can be very significant so the ways the childs life could be different with say £200 extra a month. (Having said that a lot probably are wasring it on designer clothes, piles of xmas presents etc.

I can honestly say I've never had that conversation with my kids! Never had a beach holiday per se, but have spent time on beaches where a variety of different outfits were worn, but my kids didn't bat an eye lid and carried on playing / swimming / ignoring every other human because they're teenagers!

What a load of generalised rubbish. When you say ex-teacher, are you going back 30 years? Schools nowadays have learning up until the last day so to say 'they do absolutely nothing' in the week before they finish is incorrect. I've had children miss the last week of school where they have also missed special school events, which is equally as upsetting for the child.

A friend of mine works in the prison service. She gets zero input into her holiday dates, they are given to her and it’s up to her to beg or borrow days from work mates to try to mate it work for her. But she did get a letter from HMPS to say that these dates were none negotiable and the school approved the week long holiday without batting an eye.

My kids schools don't do any 'proper' learning in the last week before Xmas and summer (three different schools!), the one my mum works in (a different LA) don't, and my friends who are still teachers in two other La's don't either...so it is a fair generalisation.

Typically teenagers are very aware of others clothing and interested in discussing the pressure to look a particular way or why they interpret a particular “look” with a particular belief. Ask them what they think of modest swimwear being banned on public beaches in France or the fact men MUST wear tight swimwear not shorts there. Let them explore what THEY think is right.

ALL my children’s schools do “videos” as part of the last week of term. I found it extremely irritating to have to deliver a dressed and school ready child, pay for transport and lunch for them to watch Disney.

Today a family claimed that they needed to go in term time because it was less busy ... rubbish just go to somewhere less busy! My dc is autistic so we didn't go to ai's we took holidays where you don't get hoards of children, in fact often they would have the pool to themselves because they weren't package holidays (and it's cheaper too!)

No, I completely understand that we’re not the norm. I was just responding to your ‘can’t you just do x, y or z’ questions.
Everyone will have their own reasons.

And I'm not trying to suggest that should be the outcome at all.

"Budgie Smugglers" isn't required on beaches in France. It's public swimming pools you are thinking off. Again, burkinis, rash vests, shorts etc aren't allowed to be worn by women in public swimming pools in France. All are allowed on the beach.

Well excuse me. But I took my autistic children away (not abroad) and it was an educational experience as well as relaxing one. And one that we couldn't have during school holidays when everything is far more crowded.

We went to the zoo (twice), a farm, steam railway, we went to check out the rock pools, we did far more than they would have at school.

But I didn't lie about it, i told the school where we were going and risked the fine (which we didn't get)

I ok take my child out of school for holidays around religious holidays. There is no negative effect of children missing school for holidays- the problem is that the government uses statistics about kids missing school for other reasons.

Yes, @justteanbiscuits my post was inaccurate I should have put more detail in but I couldn’t be arsed. I avoid France as the idea of state enforced undress is gross.Though I’m pretty sure you aren’t allowed a burkinis at the beach. Wasn’t there some poor woman cautioned by the police for not being nude-enough.

I presume you are a high school teacher then so know there is no negative effect for anyone?

We had 3 nights in France a few years back and again, I honestly can't say I noticed what anyone wore or didn't wear on the beach. I know sons and husband were in board short type things but that's it. I can tell you at length about the amazing moules at the restaurant on the beach though 😂

"Said with the superiority of someone where education is free. If one had to pay for education, or if it was one's only way out of poverty, one would have a very differentcattitude.
Watch any programne about developing countries and you'd realise how valued an education is.
Sadly, as with the health service, it's now free, so"

@TheyAreNotAngelsTheyDontCareAtAll emm except parents take kids out of private schools for holidays and are not fined. And many parents in poverty do take kids out for holidays. I'm from a (non Christian) religious community which values education very much. We all take kids out of school for religious holidays and there is no indication at all that it's harmful for them

"I presume you are a high school teacher then so know there is no negative effect for anyone?"

@justteanbiscuits - why do i need to be a "High school teacher" to be able to read studies and statistics?

Because a number of teachers in here have said how difficult it can be catching a student up on what they've missed.

Everywhere is busy in summer holidays.