Surprised at how many school aged kids on holiday

[AleaEim]

We just returned with our toddler from Bella Italia eurocamp with our toddler and couldn’t believe how many school aged children were there this time of year. I’m talking hundreds of children well into mid- late primary school age. The majority of families were Irish at the camp( this surprised me also as i thought it would have people from all over) I’m Irish but have lived in the UK over 15 years, are Irish schools/ parents more relaxed than other cultures and are able to take children off during term time?

I’m not judging as I can see why parents do it and I may even do it myself in future if needed to get a cheaper holiday. I’m just curious really and wondered if these parents are honest with teachers about it. My parents did take me off once for a holiday in term time of secondary and when I told the teacher she called me out in front of a whole classroom about it as if it was my choice. I wouldn’t do that to my dd at that age.

I am so, so jealous of families not being fined in Ireland or Scotland for taking a holiday in term time!
What about Wales, is it the same there?
Is it only shitting England who punishes parents for wanting to take their DC on holiday at a time when it is not literally DOUBLE the cost???.
I am so pissed off with living in England. But that's because I'm in the SE and it's fucking exorbitant to live here and we are reaching a point where we can no longer afford the things we used to be able to afford and then when we want to take our DC on holiday outside of school holidays so that it's affordable we can't because we get fined. Not just 1 fine, but quadruple fined because it's a fine for EACH PARENT of EACH CHILD. So another year has gone by with no family holiday, because we simply can't afford to pay double the cost in school holidays.
Sorry I have derailed with my rant but this is so unfair when other UK countries allow it.

It’s absolutely bonkers in my opinion, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that it helps school attendance generally.

The increase in school absence is about students mental health, poverty, other socio economic issues and a students additional needs. We know this because of the research on it. So we know it has nothing to do with holidays. And how would fining parents help any of this? It’s a problem with the system.

That’s the situation that I’m judgy of, that and those who expect teachers to “catch my children up” or expect them to set work for whilst they’re away.

And yet Scotland and Ireland and most of the rest of the world seem to manage. Maybe it’s not the travesty MN likes to make it.

And perhaps they all have parents who stay home or work term time only so no need for extra annual leave. You have no idea of other’s circumstances.

Tbh i can see the logic in the fines.

Teachers don't have an easy job and it must be a nightmare if they are constantly going over the same stuff or plug gaps in knowledge because parents have taken kids out.

But I do think if you are going to holidays in term time do it in June when they are winding down

On holiday at moment. With DC age 12 and 9.

Did ask school. Impossible not to as primary and secondary communicate.

Didnt ask permission as such but I did tell them!

So much cheaper.

I take my son out. independent school. We don’t have attendance targets to meet, no fines etc.

all holidays have been allowed by the school.

I don’t think the fines are enough to put people off. We have a dc with autism who cannot cope with holidays at peak times due to crowds and sensory issues so we’ve always taken him out of school for a week in June to do something. Thankfully his specialist school is understanding of this and this is usually authorised but even if it wasn’t it wouldn’t stop us going - the saving we’d make in terms of a week long holiday during term time somewhere abroad would make the fine worth it.

We do but schools are in full swing since first week of Sepember. We just dont have fines here

And they also apply the same fining system to parents of kids who are having mental health issues around attending school, when those parents would like nothing more than for their kids to just go to school.

It really is crazy.

In the S.E too. I have noticed that our previous 2 weeks foreign holidays are now only 4-5 nights each time due to the cost (which seems to have quadrupled since pre pandemic). But, if planned well those 4-5 nights with the kids are brilliant and ticks the ‘we’ve had a holiday box!’.

They dont have the same fines as us. The school has to report absences totaling more than 20 days in an academic year. Once that happens an education welfare officer will get involved to support the family to resolve barriers to attending education rather than prosecution. The fines and stuff come if the family refuse to engage with the education support services. Personally, i think this makes much more sense. Support those who need support rather than fine people whose kids have perfectly good attendance.

We had a week term time holiday ( cough,cough) but my kids finished the year with 95 % attendance . I didnt get a fine because I lied. I hate lying. Id much prefer to be honest. We cant afford a holiday in the holidays the price also triples.

I’m in Scotland so we don’t have fines and people take their children on holiday when they want to.

what shocks me most from reading posts on Mumsnet is not the fact that the English system fines parents (fines them ffs!!) it’s that the majority of people seem to be in favour of it for some weird reason. Whenever there’s a post about an English person on AIBU asking if they should take their child out of school for a holiday, the responses are completely insane. Everyone froths at the mouth to tell the OP how terrible they are for even thinking such a thing.

I suspect the bigger deterrent is people needing to conserve their annual leave for school holidays, so not wanting to add an extra week to cover. The fines clearly don't do much.

I am annoyed now that I’m raising dd in England, I quite like holidaying when it’s quiet and less hot. Maybe we should move back to Ireland 🤔 🤣

We’re on our way to the ferry after two weeks in France! I feel a bit guilty about the missing school part but most families here take a week or two during term time and catch up after. It was so much cheaper and the weather was much more pleasant than the summer.

We spent a few days in Disneyland Paris and there were plenty of school aged children but we noticed the British families were mostly younger kids. We were talking to a few while waiting for rides and fines came up every time!

Do you think it’s more common in the UK to take kids out of school term time in private compared to state? And if you told the school in a uk state school about a term time holiday would you be fined/ reported/ looked down on?

That is probably true for a lot of families but I also think a lot of people get round this by having family that help (disclaimer - we have no family at all, I’m just suggesting lots do) and there are lots of families where there is still at least one parent at home full time (despite what many think). I think the only deterrent for many families would be if the cost of holidays didn’t suddenly leap up in the school holidays, but obviously that’s never going to happen.

Would you really get fined if you took them out term time? Would they need to know about it?

Are you in England?

Well, I went through Heathrow last Thursday and there were also a surprising number of school-aged kids there too - more likely to be English than Irish/Welsh/Scottish.

I’m clearly saying that it’s in those circumstances I’ve outlined that I’m judging.

If someone isn’t in those circumstances then my comment doesn’t apply to them.

You quoting me and basically trying to disagreement with something I’m not saying is really odd!

Were you not afraid that your kids would mention it at school? I’d be worried here that my colleagues would judge me, I work with children non educational in the nhs and nobody seems to take kids out term time.

My friends who ‘homeschool’ spend about 2 months every year on cruises. Literally last year, they were on a 6 week cruise during term time. Plus a few others.

I’m in Scotland. The lack of fines for the occasional (a week off once every few years) I can understand but there is a real problem here with habitual absence. Like parents just not bothering to take their children to school and put them infront of the tv instead. Or getting them to school an hour late every day. We need to start fining parents for this sort of behaviour before we fine for the occasional holiday.

It is just the British Goverment being controlling together with OFSTED putting pressure on schools to get 100% attendance