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 truly think this policy will be recanted - but as to when I really don’t know. I suspect it will affect me until my kids go to secondary school, by which time I’ll be much more on board with the idea that missing a week might make an impact.

Blanket fines like this are hugely discriminatory and unethical. I’m usually a rule-follow to the extreme but I have absolutely no respect for this school-absence approach and take much delight in taking a term time holiday most years!

Oh yeah definitely. Some people have no need to consider holiday childcare.

We get some help from family but not all day every day, so we'll nick a few days on the side of a school holiday rather than have the full trip then. It's not a rule that deserves my respect.

I don't know, I've never sent DC to a state school so don't know about their fines.

When we take DC out of private school, we just inform the office (prep school).

Haven't taken them out for holidays in secondary but have taken them out for college interviews, open days at uni and a week for uni open days in the US.

Of course it’s not odd. It’s a discussion forum. Calm down - people can quote you however they like.

You have no idea about what other people’s circumstances are so what you’re saying is that you’re not judging anyone? That’s great, and very mature of you. Wish more people were the same.

Wait what? Scotland and Ireland don’t fine parents? And here is me being threatened with fines constantly because my autistic child has ebsa and struggles to go to school and I’m constantly threatened with fines and have to have constant meetings, yet parents in Scotland and Ireland can take their kids out for holidays and no fines 🤯

So basically, there is no chance of escaping other peoples' kids? Nightmare.

You know adult only hotels exist right?

Hundreds ? Are you sure do you not mean a lot or some ?

Blows my mind too but maybe some are SAHP so don’t need to worry but also don’t earn enough to afford holidays outside of term time.

I can’t imagine doing this, I wouldn’t feel that holiday vibe knowing that the whole country is at school and my DC are having a week out on the beach, disrupting their routine and then having to play catch up once back. Not for me. I like the routine of term time intensity then relaxing for half term and holidays. It works for all of us, I take leave during school holidays as much as possible.

This . It's just not an issue.

we have much higher literacy and numeracy scores and higher tertiary education rates than the UK without fines and with longer holidays 🤷

Yep

The brilliant thing about Ireland (I can't comment about other countries just the one I live in) is that they allow parents to actually parent and decide if and when to take a holiday. Personally over the years I, single working parent with no family around to fall back on fyi, have decided when it is cheaper to go on holiday and have been to places we would not normally have been able to afford by going term time. Kids always caught up and done well in school and just a message on the school app to say they are on holiday. No fines, no threats of social services just 'have a nice holiday' and off you go.

Yes we get lengthy summer holidays here, now 'we' are in secondary I think it was something like 13 weeks here this year but we had an incredible summer so we enjoyed Ireland for what it was and stayed home but if I fancied going somewhere for wintersun or whatever I would have no issue taking them out for a week or so. No repercussions because parents are the ones in control not a school system policing it all.

If a parent cannot bring their child to school on time in the morning and they are chronically absent because they cannot get them to school then that family has an issue that a fine won’t solve.

@Woodeny that is just bad parenting which is not the same as taking a child out of school for a holiday. In Ireland you get a warning if a child has gone 10 days absent during the year and at 20 years our version of social services are contacted. Lates I am not sure to be fair.

I'm Irish and yes it's very relaxed about holidays in my kids school. As long as they catch up, no one cares. If absenteeism was an issue then I presume (hope) it's addressed case by case. I've taken mine out for a ski holiday a couple of times. I've always been honest with the school and teacher and never had an issue. They do come home to extra home work but that's ok, we make sure it's dealt with. A few years ago my kids teacher was job sharing week on week off and had 2 of her own kids in the school and took them on holiday during her week off so it's obviously not an issue at all. Personally I think its no harm, a holiday that may have been unaffordable becomes affordable.

I follow a Facebook page for a family hotel I've been to abroad and there are loads of posts saying they are bringing their school age children in a week or two weeks, all in school time. I am suprised as well as sometimes the school has only been back a week or two. Don't get me wrong I have taken my two out for 1 day tagged on to the end of a school holiday but not an entire week in the middle of school time. I have had a look and it doesn't seem to save a massive amount of money either compared to going away in school holidays.

Not every where fines (Scotland doesn't) and I'm not sure the Irish schools are back yet (dont know dates but seems to remember being in holiday in Ireland before years ago in Sept and the schools didn't seem to be in).

Yes Irish schools are more relaxed. We don’t have fines. When I’ve taken dc out we get a ‘have a great holiday’ from head and teacher.

For there to be such a large number of school age kids at that resort, maybe there were groups on a school trip or something?

Anyway, the Irish system sounds great. The parents decide and teachers oblige! No fines. It looks to me that teachers are highly respected there, and the educational standards are very good notwithstanding the laxity about term time absence and extra long Summer holidays!

@DreamyAmberKoalaIrish schools both north and south have been back for at least a month.

And? So the kids can learn just as easily on a ship as at home

DC are at the private school. The first one didn’t really care about term time holidays as long as you were doing well academically. Current school is a lot more strict and can use it as an excuse to get rid of you. We also get longer holidays and can travel when it’s slightly cheaper- think flying 5 July rather than 25th.

My objection is more logistical than theoretical- I plan to use my annual leave when there’s no holiday clubs running and if I used a week to go away in June I’d find it logistically difficult. Personally I can’t see a week off in June for an otherwise engaged and getting on ok kid being a huge issue in their long term development.

I’ve ended up home educating my child as he has an underlying condition that would mean a higher than average absence rate. School would not support with this, said we would be fined for too much absence, and in their words “expect him in unless he’s actively vomiting, for his own good”.

I am so pleased to know other countries take a more relaxed and sensible view to school absence!

We go away whenever now and don’t limit our education to term time school hours. Holidays are wonderful and if term time holidays are the only way a family gets one, I hope they make lots of fabulous memories (not many people would remember which lesson content they missed on that October week 20 years ago that they were in Spain, would they?!).

How do you manage to do it without getting in trouble or at least looked down on?

Exactly, we thought we’d avoid swarms of families with school aged kids but nope 🤣