Page 5 | To think 10 days off seems a lot in term time?

Emmz1510 · 21/02/2025 08:49

I actually wish that holiday companies weren’t allowed to charge more in the school holidays, or at least not quite so much. It’s a no brainer for many families. But since nothing is going to change anytime soon, I can’t agree with fines at all.
In any case, attendance/school refusal is such a huge issue right now that slapping a fine on a family for taking a couple weeks holiday is NOT going to do anything to improve attendance. They need to tackle the root issues. What those are is a whole different thread but it includes lack of understanding of neurodiversity and deteriorating mental health of children .

Mamabear487 · 21/02/2025 08:50

I think fines and the whole system is messed up. I don’t see how the government have control over our children. Granted they should be in school but it’s not the end of the world if they miss a week here and there never did us any harm. And for them to say it’s abuse to not send your child to school yet they’re willing to potentially send a parent to prison over it is aload of shit. My best memories are being in Spain when I was younger and my mum was a single parent so couldn’t afford half term time. I’ve never actually taken my kids out of school but I did request to take my eldest out for 6 days for my abroad wedding and they actually approved it so it really does depend on the head teacher

Rugbyrover · 21/02/2025 08:52

flower858 · 21/02/2025 08:46

Amen to this. We are the same. Take reading books etc with us ask the teacher if anything we can do. We have yet to be fined by taking him out of school. I just think this has shit everyone up but where we live I don't know anyone that's been fined even at other local schools..our school thankfully are very pro everything else and it's a lovely school. It has not stopped or prohibited my childs learning in the slightest. He loves the experience, learning snippets of new culture, geography etc. I personally agree, hate the current system and one of the reasons we are looking to move countries. There is much more to life than a blanket education which involves a basic level of education and they all pretty come much come out as sheep at the end of it. Nothing against teachers etc they do their best with what they have, just saying there's more to life. His attendance, attitude and behaviour is great,

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I'm sure your child's teacher thank you for giving them more work.

Flipflop223 · 21/02/2025 09:07

winterwonder1 · 19/02/2025 12:19

Call for school term-time holiday fines to be cancelled | Weston Mercury

I don't agree with fines and I think it should be down to more discretion (from both parents and teachers), but I think the campaign might get more support if they'd said 5 days instead?

Come on. No one is entitled to a family holiday for 2 weeks during term time. That’s ridiculous. You do know that our parents generation got a day trip or a weekend if they were lucky to a seaside town. The level of expectation in this country now is ridiculous.

Flipflop223 · 21/02/2025 09:09

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 19/02/2025 17:29

I disagree. Children should be in school. Parents should book holidays in term time. That's not robbing anyone to pay anyone.

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Precisely. I’ve never seen anything so ridiculous on this thread.

Flipflop223 · 21/02/2025 09:11

Printedword · 20/02/2025 02:00

I think the only real answer is for all of us to stop thinking that it's acceptable to have a holiday in term time. Funerals, weddings, other exceptional things, but not holidays.

Thank you. Someone sensible!

Walkden · 21/02/2025 09:20

"And the last week before Christmas and summer is usually a joke with no learning going on"

This is rubbish, at least in secondary. Normal lessons except perhaps the very last day of term. Woe betide anyone staff member playing videos/films etc

Casperroonie · 21/02/2025 10:16

eatsleeptutor · 19/02/2025 12:45

Teachers don't give out fines or decide who gets them.

Local authorities do.

5 school days is fine. It won't damage a child's education. The problem is when children then have a lot of sickness or other absence.

As a teacher, I don't really care about parents taking children out of school. But ..... don't expect me to spend my lunchtime catching them up and don't pretend it's an 'educational experience'.

I'd love it if teachers were also allowed to take 5 days holiday in term time too. I've never had a really nice holiday and my children never benefitted from the wonderful term time holidays some of their friends did. That'll never happen though.

Edited

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Yes! Or giving them extra work to catch up (which teachers have to spend extra time to prepare). The blooming cheek, if they take them out the parents can pay for their private tutor too.

WaitingForMojo · 21/02/2025 10:31

Walkden · 21/02/2025 09:20

"And the last week before Christmas and summer is usually a joke with no learning going on"

This is rubbish, at least in secondary. Normal lessons except perhaps the very last day of term. Woe betide anyone staff member playing videos/films etc

Definitely not true here

Flipflop223 · 21/02/2025 13:01

Zanatdy · 20/02/2025 05:20

I think they should scrap the fines. I guess its easy for me though as I knew my kids could catch up, and we only ever took a couple of days before end of term. I know the whole attendance is linked to good outcomes, but DD has under 70% attendance in year 9, and left year 11 with 12 grade 9’s. But assume that’s not the norm, and generally attendance and attainment are closely linked. I think 5 days a year should be permitted.

One more year for me and I can go in term time. Due to large gap between DS1 and DS2 I have been in the expensive holiday era for 27yrs and counting. So 28 by the time DD leaves. Though she will then be at uni for 3yrs but if I wanted to take her away i’d take her in June or September. Cannot wait, no more August holidays. Whoop.

It's not just about the kids catching up. Imagine you are a teacher with 35 kids in your class. One is off one set of dates, the other is off another set of dates. Times that by one half of the class - 17 kids - all off at different times. It's impossible and means that an already overworked teacher has to reteach the materials in many different ways. So stop and think - it's not just about your individual, specific situation. It's about being considerate to your community and how you are generating extra work for them by being selfish. I find it staggering how many people are just me, me, me.

PacificAtlantic · 21/02/2025 14:53

They already are inconsistently applied. 1000’s of kids go to Glasto festival and the application of fines is totally inconsistent, some schools fine for it, some don’t, some ask for a homework project on the festival, etc.

aspidernamedfluffy · 21/02/2025 15:45

madaboutpurple · 20/02/2025 03:24

The issue that drives me mad is that schools arrange holidays and call them educational opportunities. Well each holiday the child goes on is actually educational. If abroad they learn about different cultures ,currencies language and if in Britain they are finding out about another place. I think it is terrible that schools impose fines. Out of all the years of education surely one week away is not so bad.

I agree. I very much doubt a school skiing trip the week before half term is more "educational" than a family skiing trip during the same week.

Nigglenaggle · 21/02/2025 15:49

Op there are protests organised against school fines on the 8th March xx You're absolutely right.

kurotora · 21/02/2025 17:49

Such short memories so many posters here have. When almost all of us were young, this was acceptable and permitted. Chaos did not reign, fire did not fall from the sky, children were not unable to catch up, teachers did not weep with the extra work of catching them up.

It is just not the big issue you make it sound like. Kids and parents should be allowed holidays and not exploited by these school holiday price increases.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 21/02/2025 18:28

kurotora · 21/02/2025 17:49

Such short memories so many posters here have. When almost all of us were young, this was acceptable and permitted. Chaos did not reign, fire did not fall from the sky, children were not unable to catch up, teachers did not weep with the extra work of catching them up.

It is just not the big issue you make it sound like. Kids and parents should be allowed holidays and not exploited by these school holiday price increases.

I don't give a monkey's if parents take their children out of my classes to go on holiday as long as a) I'm not expected to catch them up and b) I'm not held responsible for their lack of knowledge of work they've missed or their test results on it.

I'm in my early 50s and I don't think it was at all common for kids to go on holiday in term time when I was at school. Less so than it is now, in spite of the fines.

thedogatethecattreats · 21/02/2025 18:46

kurotora · 21/02/2025 17:49

Such short memories so many posters here have. When almost all of us were young, this was acceptable and permitted. Chaos did not reign, fire did not fall from the sky, children were not unable to catch up, teachers did not weep with the extra work of catching them up.

It is just not the big issue you make it sound like. Kids and parents should be allowed holidays and not exploited by these school holiday price increases.

I don't remember anyone going on holiday during school time though

People missed a day here or there for funerals, very very rarely for a wedding - that didn't seem to be a thing to have them on a week day

but around me people didn't go on holiday out of the normal school breaks.

Rugbyrover · 21/02/2025 18:50

kurotora · 21/02/2025 17:49

Such short memories so many posters here have. When almost all of us were young, this was acceptable and permitted. Chaos did not reign, fire did not fall from the sky, children were not unable to catch up, teachers did not weep with the extra work of catching them up.

It is just not the big issue you make it sound like. Kids and parents should be allowed holidays and not exploited by these school holiday price increases.

Are you happy for teaching staff not to be exploited by the high prices too?

thedogatethecattreats · 21/02/2025 19:26

Rugbyrover · 21/02/2025 18:50

Are you happy for teaching staff not to be exploited by the high prices too?

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You know it's supply and demand, and prices go LOWER off peak? Not the other way round...🙄

Fancy businesses trying to make money

I have all sympathy for teachers, but that's an unfortunate aspect of the jobs, maybe more holidays, but at the worst time.

stomachamelon · 21/02/2025 19:28

I went to school in the 80's/ 90's and it was really unusual to go on holiday in term time.

Like it or not we have an attendance issue in this country. Lots of families see school as optional and education standards are suffering.

Sirzy · 21/02/2025 19:30

Nobody is exploited by school holiday prices. They get bargain at quieter time as with any industry.

holiday businesses need the extra is peak season to allow them to function at a loss/break even during low season.

businesses won’t suddenly decrease holiday prices if prices are forced to level out. They will lose massive amounts at off peak times (who wants to pay full blast for Majorca in November!)

Rugbyrover · 21/02/2025 20:22

thedogatethecattreats · 21/02/2025 19:26

You know it's supply and demand, and prices go LOWER off peak? Not the other way round...🙄

Fancy businesses trying to make money

I have all sympathy for teachers, but that's an unfortunate aspect of the jobs, maybe more holidays, but at the worst time.

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Why are you quoting me, and not the person I'm replying to who raised the idea?

Notanamanda · 22/02/2025 00:09

I’m sure people wouldn’t mind paying the fines as much if they actually went to the school and not the council. If anything they should go towards staff/resources to catch the kids up on what they’ve missed.

RainbowColouredRainbows · 22/02/2025 04:17

Notanamanda · 22/02/2025 00:09

I’m sure people wouldn’t mind paying the fines as much if they actually went to the school and not the council. If anything they should go towards staff/resources to catch the kids up on what they’ve missed.

If you get caught speeding, you pay the and then pay on top to do an awareness course, the fine doesn't cover the cost of catching you up with the highway code.
Cost of tuition in my area is about £30-45 per hour. Your fine does not cover the cost of catch up. Unless you supported increasing the cost of the fine to cover this? Probably not, so when you go away you accept that either it's your job to catch them up or they don't know it but your child's teachers won't have the time and throwing more money at them won't provide them with more time either.

RhubarbThumb · 22/02/2025 07:48

Notanamanda · 22/02/2025 00:09

I’m sure people wouldn’t mind paying the fines as much if they actually went to the school and not the council. If anything they should go towards staff/resources to catch the kids up on what they’ve missed.

No way should it go towards catching the kids up!!

Original poster

winterwonder1 · 22/02/2025 16:32

I don't think the fines system works.

OP posts: