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.)

Isn’t just the act of being overseas/away from home and the norm educational in itself? We go short haul with our kids (admittedly mostly during school holidays - we had 3 in KS4 up until last year, so the fines would’ve negated the cost saving I think!) but part of going anywhere for us has always been seeing new things, eating new foods, getting the kids to ask for things on the shop/pay for their own stuff with ‘foreign’ money etc we also do day trips out to see things that they might not see here. What I’m saying is, opening your children’s eyes to different customs/foods & sights is surely educational? Whether that’s thousands of miles from home, or in Cornwall?!

i’m so with the OP. If the parents in the article were honest and just said this I’d think no more of it. But when people are wanging on about a package holiday as if it’s some massive cultural or spiritual experience i start to get concerned that they actually believe their own BS.

Well that’s clearly nonsense. Study after study shows a link between attendance and performance. It’s not rocket science:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/the-link-between-absence-and-attainment-at-ks2-and-ks4

And as for going to Lanzarote so your kid can learn to navigate transport and swim 🤷

We don't miss school for holidays really, sometimes a day if we go Friday to Monday, but I won't lie, nor will I ask my kids to. We've never been fined but I would sooner take the hit than model lying your way around the rules.

I also don't think that academic achievement is more important than some lovely family experiences that we all should be having more of. We're all so busy connecting matters more these days than ever.

For all OPs claimed package holiday bona fides, slagging off parents for taking their kids out of school and using a Spanish AI as an example rather than, say, Tuscany, France or a cottage in somewhere expensive is a well worn path on Mumsnet. It's worth thinking about why.

Of course I've heard of learning through play. But most of your examples are of skills that can be built in loads of different ways besides on holiday.

I didn't call all-inclusive holidays tacky btw, and in fact neither did OP. For the record I think holidays are important for kids in so many ways. I just think, like OP, that it's disingenuous when people don't admit they are going on holiday mainly for fun (which is as it should be) and that they're going in term-time because it's more affordable (which again is no biggie in itself) and instead try to dress it up as some sort of worthy educational expedition.

But they only try and dress it up as an educational experience to try and avoid a fine 🤷🏻‍♀️. No one would bother if there wasn’t a possibility of being fined. They’d just say they were going on holiday.

What an unnecessarily goady post.

Why are you so angry about people considering an all inclusive holiday to the canaries educational and cultural?

Do you have to be rich and able to afford a safari in Tanzania ( self catering of course) to be able to say it has been an educational and cultural experience?

Who are you or anyone else for that matter to define what is educational or cultural?

Ex teacher here. I take my child out of school for term time holidays. I personally don't say I'm doing it for the educational or cultural aspect of it. But I certainly wouldn't be angry at those who do. The beach , the food, the airport, the flight, the scenery, the micro climates can all be considered educational and cultural. Leave them to it .

Funny how a 'once in a lifetime experience' seems to happen a couple times a year for several children in my daughters class 😂

That's not to say I haven't done it, I did take my girls out for 2 days to be flower girls for a cousin whose wedding was brought forward into school time due to their mum having terminal cancer.

Well, not really, or people wouldn't be bothering trying to defend their choices on here as well. It's not like Mumsnet's going to fine them.

I do wonder how it saves much money though. If we used our leave to take them out in termtime, we just have to pay lots for playschemes in the holidays.

I do feel for the heads, they don't have control over this but they still get parents stropping at them when they get a fine, when they are not allowed to authorise termtime holidays.

My son is Autistic and has ARFID (AVOIDANCE RESTRICTIVE FOOD INTAKE DISORDER). Those all inclusive holidays are the only time he tries anything new because he feels more relaxed. Plus going in school holidays would be too crowded for him to cope. In fact on our last holiday we left it too late as we only went for last couple days of school, he spend the later half of the week in the room refusing to come out due to crowds.

We have taken and will take our children out of school during term time. For us the cost is a small part, I like going when it's quieter (not for any ND reason, I just don't like people). We like to learn about the country we are going to, go and explore etc. Travel broadens the mind after all. I don't lie about it though.

I also have taken them out once a year to go to a theme park. They still talk about those days even now they are all grown up. I lost my parents when I was very young and the best memories I have had is going away with them.

Are school trips educational then? Skiing in Italy, camping in the Scilly Isles, a few days in Paris etc… Because schools certainly sell them as being so.

Does the “educational” aspect simply disappear if they are accompanied by family members though, rather than school staff? Or, would you say it’s a lie that the school trips are educational at all, which would mean that schools are taking children on holiday for the sake of it? (the ones who can afford to go, anyway)

I'm very far from the only person with thr same experience. See the post right above mine for example.
Perhaps you can reflect on why parents weren't logging in for online lessons (where they were provided)? We were all working, and juggling childcare with trying to educate.
I'm not criticizing individual teachers, so don't take it so personally, but you're kidding yourself if any proper education was provided to the majority of kids during lockdown.

Supply and demand. Economics.

Holidays are a finite resource, you can't stockpile holidays from when flights/hotels are 50% full to when they could be 150% full. So you have to charge less in the quieter times and more in the busy times.

You can ask the same of any limited product or service - anything where higher demand cannot lead to higher supply. It's mainly service industries - transport, hospitality, theatre, gym memberships.

Once again, I'll clarify: my last abroad holiday was an all-inclusive to Ibiza 2 years ago. Last year & this year it's caravan holidays in the UK. Your assumptions about me are incorrect.

Well schools often take children for expensive holidays. Some are too costly for a lot of parents.

Nope, stopped 5 years ago. Key Stage 1. Taught in several schools. They do NOTHING just before Xmas (maybe a nativity, so depends if you as a parent would mind your child missing that).

I mean, if you find it so tedious you're not compelled to read the thread, or comment.

Yes! This is what I was trying to say! I think you said it better.

It's life skills too though isn't it and nice family experiences to share.

My DD is learning how to get through an airport, learning about different places seeing different cultures etc... I want them to see a life outside of England! Even if it is an all inclusive in Lanzerote!

I personally don't lie, but schools should just fuck off and not fine parents if their child's got a great attendance record. The same kids are late constantly and naff all gets done about that at our school, it's too much trouble to escalate to social services because they aren't exactly mistreated at home. Or the parents that keep kids off several times a term because of a sniffle, they miss more school over the year but just because its not a holiday nothings done!

My kids schools never recapped. Neither did any of mine. Miss it and you catch up yourself

Why is because I thought of my last holiday abroad, which was an all-inclusive in Ibiza, and thought about what total bollocks it would have been to try make out it was a deeply educational and culturally enriching experience, when in fact it was just a nice break in the sun. A very expensive one which we can't afford to do every year because we have to go in school holidays.

It's bullshit to you, but that's just your opinion.

In my opinion it's bullshit to teach kids certain parts of the curriculum, but it is what it is.

If schools thought 100% attendance in school is vital, they wouldn't do enrichment weeks or 3 night trips to some wanky campsite in Hampshire.