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's a certain, snivelling sort of creepy arselicker who just hates it when other people break stupid rules and get away with it unscathed.

They are absolutely obsessed with trying to insert themselves into situations that are none of their business and will make up any number of lies and slippery slope fairy stories to try to justify being interfering and weird.

I love seeing creepy arselickers spew and moan because they are powerless.

Lie to any bully or enforcer or lapdog for a bully that you like about taking your kids on holiday. Do it with a clear conscience, enjoy your time away, it is normal behaviour entirely, unlike being a creepy, nosy interfering arselicker.

In ten years time you will have made some fun memories with your kids, they will have missed out on nothing and the creepy arselickers will have moved on to whining about somebody else doing things they disapprove of.

They’ve certainly made themselves known on here. 😂 they’re so vitriolic. I am writing this from my half-price ski holiday. Not even sorry.

Brilliant. Have a fantastic time.

Good to know you have so much respect for the people you trust to look after your child 5 days a week 38 weeks a year!

If you genuinely see your child's teachers as bullies, why on earth do you send your children to 'the (lap) dogs' as you call them. If I genuinely thought my children's teachers were bullies, I would find a way to homeschool.

But in this context, it's convenient to call them bullies, it suits the agenda, as a poor attempt to justify lying 'yeah, lie to the nasty bullies, that will show them, yeah, stick it to the man'.

Do you think it's actually the government (the bullies) who suffer when children miss school?

So you're both rude and a liar.

More snivelling, creepy arselicking from a powerless bully wannabe.

Lying to bullies and their enforcers and lapdogs like you is a pure pleasure. So glad so many people are doing it and you are utterly powerless to do anything about it.

Right, must be off, I have better things to do :)

Keep on screeching on. You are powerless. Parents everywhere will keep lying to the bullies and their snivelling creepy arselicking lapdogs.

Enjoy those holidays parents, and have a fantastic time with your kids.

Oh my goodness, the drama.

This isn't a person trying to escape an abuser. Calling it 'escaping a bully' is pretty over the top way to describe being fined £80 for taking 1 termtime holiday. Will have saved more than that taking it termtime anyway, so they are better off, not exactly a victim!

No one gets prosecuted for doing it once, for the 'once in a lifetime experience' that keeps being mentioned.

More name calling. You always know when an argument has been lost on here when the name calling starts.

I was under the impression that lying was to avoid fines, but it's for the thrill of 'pure pleasure' they get from lying to their teacher. No wonder they need a holiday if that's how they get their kicks!

Maybe YOUR holidays aren’t educational but many other families’ holidays are.

Bloody hell I feel sorry for your children if this is the attitude you're passing on.

If you hate teachers so much, educate your children yourself.

I DD a few times in primary to go to Florida. School didn’t care, they had far worse issues just getting some parents to bring their children into school when they couldn’t be bothered.
i now wish I had taken her out more, each holiday did loads for her development and confidence. DH works long hours and spending all that time did her good.
we didn’t go in the summer because of the heat.

school totally lost interest in us during Covid and we had almost nothing from them. No wonder people think that education has no value.

I'm an educator. I'm not sure which country you are talking about but I have experience of some overseas education systems - the US and one country in Europe, and I believe you're right in what you say. The rigidity you mention also tends not to be about the things that really do matter. And there's a constant, entrenched misconception here - at least since the introduction of the National Curriculum which has done so much to destroy all the fun and spontaneity of learning in some subjects - that quantity of time in the classroom directly correlates with quality of education.

From the state UK education is currently in, it should be patently obvious to anyone that it simply doesn't work like that.

A bit of unclenching is the least of what's necessary, IMO.

No, it isn't - the poorer families don't go on holiday at all.

The ones who have enough money to spend on holidays aren't the poorest by any stretch.

Okay, sure. Whatever you say.

I think you must be an incredibly uninspiring teacher if you can’t find any educational value in going on holiday.

You're just determined to attack me aren't you and completely miss the points I'm actually making. I've not once said no holidays have any educational value. I've said I don't believe every parent who claims their child needs to be taken out of school for an "educational" holiday is telling the truth. It's been proven on this thread by numerous parents admitting that they lie and saying that they'll continue to do so. Proving my point. But carry on intentionally missing my point and attacking me if it's making you feel good. 👍

I think it depends on the holiday. In my last year of primary school a boy was away in India for 6 weeks. The teacher read an email from him each week telling us about all the things he had learned about.

I would argue Spain could be an educational/ cultural experience. It’s about how you do it. An all inclusive where you don’t leave the resort probably isn’t that. But if you are visiting sites, exposing them to different foods and language then it is beneficial.

I remember my mum took us on a long weekend (so we missed Friday and Monday) to London and I learned so much and that wasn’t even leaving the country.

My DD isn’t school aged yet, and i would obviously try and minimise time off school. But if it did happen I would be putting in extra effort before and after to make sure she could catch up to be less of a burden on the teacher.

All holidays are educational. Children are constantly learning.

Well by that logic we could say that anything at all is educational. Yes children are always learning, but that's not the same as formal education. We could argue for example that taking our kids out of school to do the weekly supermarket shop is fine because it's educational. They're learning about money, communication, etc etc. If that's your genuinely held belief, you're best homeschooling your kids.

Haven’t RTFT but
How is it a lie to say it’s an “educational experience”?
Any kind of holiday is valuable for children.
It sounds very snobbish to assume that a week in Lanzarote wouldn’t be. Why not?

For most kids even a week in the canaries would mean speaking the language, using new currency, eating different food, meeting different people and cultures, seeing different parts of the country (volcanoes, oceans, landmarks etc) going to new places, swimming in the sea and seeing different wildlife.

Any holiday is educational to children they are learning all the time. Just because it’s not a safari or a scuba or the Great Wall of China doesn’t mean it’s not educational!

IMO schools need to give a few days holiday allowance (out of exam time) to all families so they can have an affordable holiday.

If you did in fact read the whole thread, you'd find my responses to those questions.

Why can't something just be fun? Holidays are good for children whether they are educational or not... family time, relaxation, fresh air...

No, had I made that comment I would have meant the teachers who are trying to teach British kids GCSE maths in broken English because they're Turkish, the teachers who can't cope with a class so scream and shout their way through a lesson and the teachers who refuse kids entry to lessons because they're late due to needing the loo and having a bowel condition and associated toilet pass.

I'm an ex teacher and have seen this from both sides. Once we start having a bit of give and take between schools and parents, and a curriculum that is actually fit for purpose, I'll stop ringing in sick on the rare occasion I take the kids out of school!

When I first started teaching, so about 25 years ago now, Heads used to be able to grant 5 days holidays at their discretion. So it used to happen!