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.)

We had our dd best friend round recently. She lost to her mum last year to cancer. We were chatting about her mum together and she told us all about their camping holidays and memories. What a bloody shame that some people will no longer be able to make these simple memories with their family members.

Also think it's interesting the focus in this thread on abroad holidays.

Whenever we have gone on a midweek toddler caravan break there are school age children. And no wonder - it's £69 for a week instead of £429 two weeks later!

Some families would be priced out out holidays entirely. Despite some posters protests I think there is a lot to be said for a family holiday even if it's in wet and windy Wales. They went swimming, spent time with younger siblings, saw the heritage railway, saw the entertainment, and just enjoyed time as a family in a setting they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

A £69 holiday is all some families can afford.

I do think the first 5 days of unauthorized absence being 'written off' is pragmatic.

Ofsted and SATs and assessments are a pain.

Absolutely agree. No question.

I’m ok with taking DS aged 10 out for the last two days of the school year in 2018 - a Monday and Tuesday - because we had planned a 3 week trip to the USA when his brother was 18 and we had to get back before A level results and flights were slightly cheaper if we got back a few days before results. We weren’t fined but we did get the standard unauthorised absence letter - to which the Head added ‘ have a great time!’. There wouldn’t have been any new material taught then. Years before we took DS 1 when 6 skiing at new year and missed the first two days back in January - a Thursday and Friday. Again, no proper teaching. Otherwise no, we’ve never taken ours out for a week - too much disruption and we value education. We had cheaper caravan holidays in late August - usually cheaper the last week before school.

an all-inclusive to Lanzarote or similar is a rich cultural and educational experience

There’s undertones of class snobbery here. Because going round a French chateau, your parents making you buy baguettes at a boulangerie and order in a French cafe definitely is an educational experience.All of which can be done for under £500 outside of term time if you stay at Eurocamp.

It's privilege. That's why the example is always something expensive but not middle class coded. As you say, some people are on a UK term time midweek cheapo because that's all they can afford. Shockingly enough, those people aren't persuaded by the idea that they should be excluded from the enjoyment of a holiday with their children.

It's not a human right and I don't think anyone is saying it is. It's nice though. Families are busy these days, a week off together to relax and have fun is a lovely thing. Probably not educational, but that doesn't mean there aren't other benefits to the children. Yay holidays.

Fines do nothing to tackle absence that's actually problematic.

I feel sorry for the grandparents living in these places with beaches, bars and pools who seem to become life threateningly ill eleven days before the end of each term.

Usually, out of 1500 kids, one or two in a year group might lose a grandparent during termtime and another couple might stay with another relative for a few days due to the parent having to travel - but come the days just before the private schools finish/just before the last week of term starts in most state, they start dropping like flies - all the more difficult when the family return two weeks into term only for the grandparent to actually die 11 days before the end of that new term instead.

They're dangerous fortnights for grandparents.

You're right, and it's always the way. Something perceived as expensive and chav coded.

The problem isn't really the parents, its the airlines/ hoilday companies that make everything expensive in the school hoildays. Parents work hard to take their children on hoilday and we shouldn't have to pay more due to the time of year.

My children’s grandparents live abroad in the sun. We’ve never killed them off though, we just say to the school ‘the children won’t be in for the last week of term as we’re going to visit their grandparents in Spain’.

We did a Eurocamp holiday in term time would have been at least triple the cost in school holidays, there were lots of children there who’d also been taken out of school. There is such a strong undertone of snobbery on here. People claiming they’re superior because they value education so much but then proving themselves to be really narrow-minded, classist, judgemental and snobby.

Holidays are enriching for children and yes in some ways they are educational. Education isn't only academic.

A holiday abroad will teach children about another culture: their religion, food & dress. They might pick up basic elements of another language. Through excursions they can learn about the history of the country. When using the pools/ocean they are strengthening their swimming skills and sea safety, possibly coming into contact with sea animals.

Even non-abroad trips. Holidays to Center parcs are often very active, they can be learning new skills like archery, orienteering, climbing; or handling birds etc.

In an ideal world these trips would be reserved for half terms or the school holidays but it simply isn't possible for some families to afford that.

I'm 30 and when I was in secondary school our school would give permission (upon receipt of a holiday request form) for a week or two of holiday. It never impacted my education and there were no teachers bending over backwards to help me "catch up". I just got on with it!

Whats the difference between a parent taking their child out of school for a week to sit on a beach or swim in a pool at the lower class all inclusive in Lanzarote than having to keep their kids off a week because the schools obsession with perfect attendance has them constantly ill?

As someone who grew up in a popular holiday destination, the prices aren't raised for the summer, they're lowered for the quiet periods.

The people in the service industry have this pesky need to eat all year round, you see.

Various initiatives encouraging them to hoard nuts like squirrels failed, so the summer prices have to cover their wages in the lean winter months.

My daughter spent a month in Thailand and she learned loads and her confidence since that trip is unbelievable- she’s like a different child! I think that’s valuable. They can always catch up at school - especially when they are only in primary school.

what a load of rubbish

Funnily enough, we had Ofsted in last year when we were on a term time holiday. Their last day inspecting was the day my children went back to school. They still sent my daughter to talk to the inspectors on that day, as they always do when they have visitors in, as she can be relied on to be articulate, honest and generally a good ambassador for the school. It’s always her workbooks that are kept as an example of ‘excellent’ work too. So I don’t think her term time visit to her grandparents abroad was a major disadvantage to the school.

With Ofsted and SATs and all the other assessments

That's an institutional issue though, mot an educational one.

To the parents who do take term time holidays: my kids won’t see yours for dust as they’ll have had maximum possible school attendance and will have achieved so much more of their potential (whatever that may be)

Im sure my daughter, on her full academic scholarship, will be saying ‘I wish we hadn’t had those holidays mum, just think about how much better I could be doing’.

I think any type of trip can be an educational experience especially when busy families have a routine at home that is pretty set in stone most weeks. Holidays anywhere offer opportunities to learn: socialize with family, interact with others (ordering food etc), social skills development, navigate new environments, experience new things / even the smallest of things count (being at the airport, different languages, food etc). Children are always taking in information regardless of where they are. I think it's really good for them to get away on holiday , learn and have fun.

We’re taking my stepson out for a few days in May, and taking him to a caravan holiday in Wales.

It’s £189, and all the kid cares about are parks, being outside, beaches and swimming. Lanzarote not required.

He’s severely autistic, wouldn’t get near an airplane even if we wanted to take him abroad, and is better suited to being on holiday when the rest of the kids are at school.

He also deserves a holiday like everyone else.

We’re not bothering lying to the school, but taking him somewhere behind his own postcode is more important than those 3 days at school.

That's ridiculous. We're adults choosing to work in a job with those restrictions and being paid to be in the classroom in term time.

Not children of other adults who might have the opposite restriction (ie no holiday time leave allowed).

Many families do their holidays based on the schedules of the adults who work to pay for them. Not the schedules of the children they take with them.

Yeah since Covid I really don’t give a fig about taking my kids out now, mainly because I had to/am having to pay for tutoring to ensure that they both passed their SATS, and now to ensure they can both pass their exams. Also I remember the chaos of all the strikes - no one seemed to care that they lost education on those days, yet taking a couple of days off to take advantage of a cheaper flight is apparently wrong!

Relying on a state school system sucks. Both myself and my husband in the past 2 years have been diagnosed with cancer, so we have learnt what matters and what doesn’t and 100% attendance does not matter, so yeah…a family holiday with my kids is something that will give them some amazing memories.

I am taking mine away in October, they will miss out on 2 days of school, all of which will be covered by their tutoring, the flights were around £800 cheaper flying on a Wednesday than a Friday 🤷‍♀️

I will make sure that my grandchildren can be privately educated, I just wish I had the funds to do mine now.