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.)

A child sickness is unexpected and part of life.

missing school because it is cheaper is planned and can be avoided. Not at all the same thing

This is an unworkable idea and is not going to happen.

The current fine system has chugged along because it's set at minor irritant level. People have good reason to pay it for an easy life. Try and remove that, and the incentive for people to challenge it becomes much greater. This takes resources to deal with. It also means that for those whose fines stand, they're less likely to pay. Which means either letting them away with it, in which case what's the point, or trying to pursue them through an already creaking, backlogged court system that doesn't have the capacity to take on the burden.

Or they will learn that they can go away in the 13 weeks they are given and it doesn't need to cost a penny more!

I mean, they won't though.

They will if there are consequences. There aren't any at the moment.

I don't hear this from any teachers directly. To be fair I haven't spoken with high school teachers about it but have spoken with a lot of primary school teachers who say they don't mind children having term time holidays and it's easy for them to catch up.

I’m a teacher and it doesn’t bother me if kids take a week off - I’m pleased that they’ve been able to have that opportunity which they otherwise might not.
If they’re regularly off on lots of holidays then that’s going to affect their education but I think 1 week a year should be allowed.

Edited to add: the fines aren’t working as it’s still cheaper to pay the fines and parents are still booking holidays and taking children out. I don’t know why the government don’t try to make a compromise - you can’t deny everyone a proper education during lockdown and that’s fine but the odd week is detrimental!

These 'consequences' you speak of aren't going to exist, because they'd be unworkable.

We are not going to have massive fines for term time holidays, because we lack multiple things that would be required for such a system. Widespread support for and adherence to it from the people who it's aimed at, resources to administer it, and a court system with capacity to back it up. None of these things are secrets, either. People would swing the lead because they'd fancy their chances, and because we live in a society where the higher holiday prices and the value placed on travel aren't going anywhere.

Holidays are supposed to be a time for making family memories and having fun. Not a time go do desensitisation therapy, which rarely works with Autistic children anyway.
You've never been with an autistic child having a meltdown have you?

"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"

Sure, it sucks, but it's the law of supply and demand. It's the other way around actually - holiday companies reduce their prices in low season to entice at least some people to book with them then.

Sadly disabilities don’t disappear or become more manageable just because they are inconvenient.

My son is autistic and did fine on a plane too, he also loves travelling in the car. The motion from travelling is very comforting for him. So there are two children who can manage. Also none of us jumping to say that if our autistic child can manage it any autistic child can and that those boys didn't need to stop during a car journey.

Wow some people here are complete extremists, you want parents in jail and with massive fines for taking a holiday 🤦🏻‍♀️ .
I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with folk like that up here in Scotland as we have no fines .
My parents took me off school often , growing up , 2 weeks at a time several times a year and I still went on to graduate uni and have a great job .Chill out people ! Your kid has a whole life on being controled at work and restricted on what they can do . Remember that , they are just kids ! There is more to life than school .

Oh my son is severe autistic as is my daughter ( although very different spectrums ) he has traveled half of the world by plane and most of Europe by car . He loves the actual traveling , no issues . It’s constant crowding and a ton of people in places like the beach he struggles with so we often have private villas and travel term time to avoid crowds

And now misogyny to boot! What a peach you are!

Now you're mixing me up with someone else as I haven't said that at all! ha ha!

I'm calm you are the one fabricating the emotions - as usual!

YABU for judging the types of holidays I take!! Even in lanzarotte, even at a 5 star all inclusive, I’ll be eating tapas in local tavernas, I’ll be going up the volcano, I’ll be educating on sea life, coastal erosion and different customs. I’ll even be trying to educate against shit football shirt wearing fuckwits round the pool. Every single piece of travel ANYWHERE is more of a learning experience than school.

stop judging me!

Using 'hysteria' - female insanity - stigmatising those abused and raped as being hysterical and abnormal for reacting to rape and abuse.

Don't give a toss but have literally said 'such' an issue all night! 😂

Maybe you need to stop using fabrications about people especially pretending someone is mental when you are backed into a corner and need a deflection from your own behaviour.

It is the go to tactic used by those panicking to attempt to silence those who speak out about a person.

Hysteria doesn't exist just to let you know.

We’ve done this twice when DH didn’t bother to check term dates before booking non-refundable flights. I was honest with the school. They weren’t happy, said it would be unauthorised. I said that’s fine. Same thing happened second time although then they were more expressive in their unhappiness. When a senior member of staff attempted to harangue me over it I politely suggested she phone my husband given it was his mistake. Ofc no one said anything to him .

I work in a school (on maternity leave atm). I understand why it’s less than ideal for the school when parents do this but when the change of dates means you save nearly £700+ in flight costs it’s no contest for most families.

Autism is extremely diverse in its effects and sensory integration therapy is a thing, so saying it rarely works is wrong.

The system did change recently. If you have three holidays on your record in a three year period you now get a court summons - it’s quite serious.

If taken to court: “You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months. The court could also give you a Parenting Order.”

https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/legal-action-to-enforce-school-attendance

I have never taken a term time holiday but looking at the prices for skiing we may do it next year. The small fine for a 1 time offence does make it seem quite transactional. We have 4 kids and the difference between the Feb half term week and any other week is quite literally 6-8 thousand pounds and the slopes are a lot busier in half term too.

An £80 fine per parent for the 3 school age kids is a no brainer… my kids are not in exam years next year.

Yeah, it changed quite recently. As you say, it's not the large fines the poster was advocating for. There's a reason for that.

I'm also very sceptical that these penalties are actually going to happen. The court summons is 'may' not 'will' and that's always telling. The prison bit is quite funny. Like, where?

There's a famous economics example in which a nursery charging fees for late pickup actually caused more parents to be late. The parents felt they were paying for the lateness, so as a consequence, there was less social shame in being late.

And it's not like there's social shame in taking the kids out in the first place. But yeah absolutely, there's always the risk that people start thinking of it as an entitlement they're paying for, start recommending to friends as worthwhile use of funds.