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.

No I am not kidding, it was a very large euro camp in a a very busy town and each time we passed a family with older kids they had Irish accents, me and dh had a great time placing bets on how many Irish people we’d see each time we left our accomadation (very sad and boring we are). We only came across a few English and Dutch and they all had preschool kids. I’ve never holidayed anywhere like this before so it was quite a shocker and stood out to us, pre toddler we would be up in the mountains in an air bnb or somewhere more local.

No it really wasn’t, I know what a school tour looks like vs random, individual families.

Not UK, England. Scotland doesn’t fine or look down on parents who take their kids on holiday - any time I’ve done it I’ve had a cheery “have fun” from the school both primary and secondary.

I make sure I only take 4.5 days within a 10-school-week period. Technically, if they’re in school for morning registration you can take them out again at 9:30/10 and that counts as half a day they are present. Similarly you can pick them up after afternoon registration and they will be counted for a whole day.

In reality I don’t time it that specifically, I usually only take one near-week each year and sometimes I’ll take a day here and there. - but if I know we’re going on a holiday at the end of the year I make sure I haven’t taken any days at all for at least 3 or 4 months before that.

Technically, they are within their rights to fine you for ANY absence, if the school recommend it so you have to judge your school a bit. Ours have always been fine with it, and I’ve made it clear it’s not really a request, just a courtesy. I don’t disrespect the school, just the policy. Our kids are present 100% otherwise and are doing well. We still learn that week’s spellings and timetables and reading etc while we’re away.

How about a week's discretionary leave without fines. Any more and they kick in.

That would cover a holiday, a wedding, funeral, day out whatever. All I seem to read about is rules, catchments, uniforms, awful school meals, discipline, exclusion and so on. It's like Cell Block H.

I'm not in Uk, but it sounds quite disciplinarian in England. No wonder a lot of kids rebel eventually.

I think it’s less common in Ireland for parents to save all their annual leave for the school holidays. In-school wraparound care isn’t really a thing here, and the school day is shorter, so working parents have to have another childcare arrangement, usually either grandparents or a childminder or a crèche. And those arrangements just continue on through the summer holidays (which, as people have said, are much longer in Ireland - nine weeks for primary schools, and 14 for secondary).

Also, for those questioning the OP’s numbers, Bella Italia is absolutely huge! There are thousands of people there at any one time, so I’ve no problem believing there were hundreds of Irish children

We're in Scotland and have taken DC out of school for holidays. The first time we did it, we were sent a letter. Can't remember the wording exactly but it basically said it would be classed as unauthorised absence.

Haven't had the letter again, we just get a 'thanks for letting us know, enjoy your holiday' reply, when I email them the dates. Some people just don't bother to send their DC to school where I am, especially on Fridays where its a half day.

Until 20 ish years ago the town I then lived in still had wakes holidays. So a week off school in early July and a week off school in late September. Historically the September one was for the harvest. And a shorter summer holiday. September is a nice time to go away so I don’t blame people if they aren’t fined.

Are you suggesting only English children rebel? Surely you can’t be!

As someone who generally avoids school holidays over the years I can say it has become less and less obvious that it is one. There seems little difference between at school and not at school.
Often school trips are latched onto the end of a school holiday so it seems extended.
I am beginning to wonder if going in school holiday time might be better.

Of course not, but they might have every right to do so, as English schools are the only part of the UK that imposes fines. So few if any term time hols for them!

The Irish System seems to be more family friendly than the UK. I think here thar if a child misses more than ten days then it has to be reported to Education Welfare who will contact the parent to see what is happening and offer support. They are alert for school refuses etc ao kids equally do not fall between the cracks.

They have been prosecutions though for persistent non attendance.
For the poster who asked about work leave etc. Many Irish parents send their children to multiple summer camps over the summer for childcare. I work with a lady who's income all summer is spent on summer camps as childcare as summer is her peak busy time and she cannot get leave.

I'm in a similar boat and reckon the safest times to go away are the two weeks immediately following schools reopening after school breaks. It's not scientific, but most kids (and parents) want their kids to start back with everyone else. It kind of works, but is not foolproof as I have to factor in different school holiday times!

Obviously I have no schoolgoing kids, so I enjoy the freedom from the restriction of only being able to travel in school hols. You and I cannot be the only ones!

Eurocamps very popular with Irish families, every Eurocamp I've been to, in and out of school holidays, has loads of Irish.

So what are Scottish, Irish and European kids rebelling against?

Could be a school trip… as a coach driver, myself and a colleague took 2 coaches from a school there last year, and with it being the same time of year I’d imagine it’s happening again. Lots of schools will meet there and play football against each other for the week. The kids love it! It’s either eurocamp or centre parcs they chose between.

Though I do not recommend the food there at all… probably one of the worst places for food I’ve had to stay at, I chose to live off the bread rolls for the week 🫣

Oh you're persistent aren't you. Work it out for yourself, add in the word "English" before "kids" in my post where I so disgracefully neglected to confine the rebels to English kids who are the only group in UK to get fines. Sayonara.

Yes, I speculated the same earlier in the thread. Were the bread rolls nice though? 😊

Persistent in trying to understand why you think English kids are uniquely turned into rebels by the fines system? Yeah I guess so. Unfortunately your latest reply made no sense at all so what you were on about remains a mystery.

Hasn't it been half term in Scotland? Who went back to school in August?

Irish or Scottish accents?

Went back 19th August but our October holidays don’t start until mid Oct. Another full week of school here after this one.

People wouldn’t use leave for the school holidays here in Ireland as much as in England. School days are much shorter. My seven year old finishes at 2.10 and for the previous two years finished at 1.10 so you still need reliable childcare so if you pass any primary school at the end of the day you will see lots of mini buses from local crèches collecting children and those same crèches would then be used during school holidays. So in many cases families would be using the same childcare they have used since their child was a baby.

I agree with being fined. The only reasons kids shouldn’t be in school is if they’re ill.

They weren’t too bad… lots of butter on 😂