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.)

Ok, please explain further. How would the UK government regulate what accommodation providers and resorts outside the country, not subject to our laws can charge?

Because I can see the theoretical argument about controlling prices for the journeys people take to leave the UK. I know there are practical and legal issues, but let's say they can prevent Ryanair, Stena et al from charging me more in August that they would in January. But how would they control what happens one people have taken that journey?

And also, are you quite sure government would have a mandate for this given that more people benefit from the status quo than not?

Regulation is always possible. I don't know why some think this is an unregulatable area. No one ever says this about emigration or food standards.

We've taken our kids out every few years no regrets and never felt guilty. Always filled in a holiday form and never tried to say it was educational. Paid a fine twice no judgement from the school that I noticed. Just paid the fine direct to the council.
Two weeks at Disney world was amazing, kids had an amazing holiday that they will never forget and we went when it wasn't so busy and got bargain flights. Less than half that we would have paid in peak season.

Perhaps if you gave us some idea how it would work instead of ignoring that part, more people would be convinced.

Also, if you were to post suggesting that the UK government could control food standards in other countries where we have no jurisdiction, and who aren't engaged in any commerce we could directly control either, you'd get the same response.

In terms of emigration, wouldn't have said stopping people from freely leaving the UK comes up on here much! I guess it's theoretically possible, in that some countries that are essentially giant prison camps severely limit whether citizens can leave, albeit even then not with total success. I think it's more that most of us don't particularly fancy emulating the likes of Eritrea?

Beginning to wonder if I live in the same country/society/world. What do we have a government for if not to help us avoid exploitation and set standards. I'm not framing that as a question.

We don't have a government to control what we pay for accommodation when both we and the provider are outside of their jurisdiction, that's for sure. I think you might have confused the UK government, which exists, with the world government which doesn't.

Judging by your posts on here, your 'happy, excellent young adult children' are likely thriving in spite of you rather than because of you.

How people can type posts like this and think they have the moral high ground is fascinating.

Not claiming any kind of moral high ground. That was a comment on the nature of the pp's posts on this thread. You might understand my comment better if you gave them a read, although a couple have been deleted, funnily enough.

you quote but miss the point :)

arf. It isn’t here you will find people having a go at parents. Go elsewhere :) It is evidently the latest I say that annoys you…sting a bit? Arf well… go elsewhere! Go elsewhere, go elsewhere 😆🫣

Good luck with yourself 🌺

My only other thing would be... I tutor kids for maths and English. I know when they've been off sick or on holiday in previous years because they can't spell certain words or do a particular type of maths. These things tend to be taught over a single week rather than repeated over a series of weeks. I can literally pinpoint which week based on knowledge gaps. So do bear this in mind if you want to take long holidays in term-time and if your kid is sick, maybe ask for work so they can catch up with you when they feel better/are back from the holiday.

@Ljcrow
~ fwiw I think holiday companies shouldn't be allowed to hike their prices up in school holidays, it's disgraceful How would that work exactly? Even if we could move away from a domestic free market economy - you think the UK Government should insist that UK parents are not charged more for their accommodation in Spain or the rest of the world during the school holidays and they should insist that international airlines do not charge UK residents more during the school holidays? How much power do you think the UK Gov has?

There's never an answer to this! I should know, I've just asked it several times.

Who cares? Out of term holidays are a rip off. Unless the kids are in their final year, they should be allowed 2 weeks off a year.
It's ok when the school says it's ok to have 2 weeks off. Especially at Easter.

So if you are buying a package deal holiday, do you actually think it's the hotel in Spain etc. that's charging you more or the company/travel agent?

'It isn’t here you will find people having a go at parents'... are you new to Mumsnet? 🤔

(Not condoning it btw, just saying)

This is the issue we have. We live in a seaside resort which is popular all year round. My husband works for a small business that is kept afloat by the tourists, so can't have any time off at all during any of the school holidays or bank holidays (and a poster insinuating that I lied about this because she'd never heard of this!). We literally have no choice but to go in term times otherwise we wouldn't be able to go on holiday for another ten years.

The irony that we can't have holidays during school holidays because he is working to serve people who have come on holiday during the holidays to avoid term time holidays is not lost on us 🙄🙄

Luckily, our LA and schools are understanding of this because the whole county is tourist centred, so there are no doubt thousands of other families in the same position.

There appears to be a huge swathe of people on mumsnet, particularly ones who claim to be educated, that lack any sort of critical thinking skills or the ability to realise that not everyone lives in their little bubble - poster that suggested I was lying about not having time off in the holidays talked about my husbands business hiring agency staff like someone in a bnb they'd once visited did - because that's possible in every industry 🙄🙄🙄

You have this completely upside-down. The high season is when “normal” are set in the travel industry for them to make the annual profit they plan for (do we agree with their profit targets? That is a different discussion). There was a tomb when the hospitality industry in the popular destinations - hotel, restaurants in southern Spain in the early decade). Then tour organisers suggested that by lowering prices off-season the industry could attract less rich tourists (retired people essentially). That happened and that is why holidays off-season are now cheaper. If a family can only afford Costa Brava in November, they must go on holiday then (and undermine their children’s education and sense of discipline and “we-can-take-it” spirit). Or they can go wherever they can afford to during school holidays.

Loool

no. Having a go at parents doing weird stuffs or whom know very well that they shouldn’t or should really know better… I mean there are lot of situation where having a go is actually at least helpful.

But I don’t think I have seen a thread not calling out the bs of the op when the person so obviously understand but just want to be judgey. At least say you are a judgey nosey person that think you know better hence you launch a thread to establish you know better 🤣🤣🤣

so on this one, I call bs and will continue coz she doesn’t get it. Other will carry on doing the same on other thread I am sure 👌🏼

I'm not going anywhere, as much as that might sting for you. You're welcome to leave this thread and go elsewhere, go elsewhere! 😆🫣
Good luck to you too 🌺

You wish 👏🏼

Good one. 👍

What is your job in the school to be so annoyed people take their children out of school telling you it is for their education and not that it is cheap anyway?

nothing to do with actual educating children, is it?

Does no one else on this thread worry that some posters seem not only to be happy to lie, but to involve their children in their lies?

1. I'm not "so annoyed" by it. I read an article that morning and it made me think, what a load of bollocks, why can't people just be honest. It's not the first time I've had that thought but it doesn't consume my every waking moment and fill me with an all-consuming rage. I've probably had the thought once or twice before, although in more general terms I do prefer honesty over bullshit. I wondered if anyone else thought the same so started a thread.
2. I'm not telling you my job role. You can guess or assume as much as you like.