to have booked this year's summer holiday before school published holiday dates

[alana39]

Feeling I might have been, but we were only given term dates for 09/10 so I knew summer term will end 23 July and just assumed it would be a 6 week break.

Therefore I have already booked what would have been weeks 5 and 6 of the holidays - only to overhear the secretary telling someone else who has booked their holidays that we'll be going back on the 2nd or 3rd Sept so actually the holidays will only be 5 1/2 weeks.

I've already paid a big deposit and DH can only get those 2 weeks off work so really don't think we can change - I'm a bit miffed at school because surely this is the time of year when people start to think about booking holidays. Last year I didn't do it until mid-Jan and of 25 places I called only 1 had a vacancy at the right time (just renting small gite in France).

I got the impression the school secretary was quite apologetic and understood, but now have to go and talk to the head and I'm really embarrassed because I am very against people taking their kids on holiday in school term.

AIBU to be pissed off and can I say that to the head or should I just be mumbly and apologetic?

People like you are runing this fine country with your lackadasical johnny-come-lately attitudes.

and ruining

YABVU - if your dh can only get those 2 weeks off work then obviously you are going to go on holiday then.

Whether or not the school is open is irrelevant, you've already said dh can only get those dates off.

Unless you'd like the school to change their term dates around to your dcs don't miss anything

yabu - you took a chance and it may well backfire. Presumably you could have checked in the same way before booking ?

Well, if you really cared or had some choice, you would have asked the school before booking. However, if your dh can only get those two weeks off, no amount of checking was going to make any difference was it? So your question is somewhat irrelevant.

Bah, it's only a couple of days.

Seriously. Are you going to get 40 lashes for having an extra 2.5 days (is it 2.5 days??)???

famishedass I'd only have booked a week if I'd known. Was just very surprised when holidays have always been 6 weeks (and were 7 wks this year) but that's me told

It is only a couple of days but school quite strict about this (rightly IMO).

sorry famished that should have been answer to annh

Are the first two days not likely to be Teacher Training days??

(our school always has the first two days of Term as TTD)

check your local authority website as they should have the school term and holiday dates on there

I wouldn't worry, they might be INSET days anyway?

Perhaps not unreasonable but naive. Most LAs publish their term dates online at least a year in advance. The schools my husband and I teach at give us our dates two years in advance although INSET days won't have been confirmed by that stage.

Talk to the Headteacher and explain your mistake, promise not to do it again and accept that your children will probably have to start the year with a couple of days of unauthorised absence.

Am very surprised if the school/LEA has not published their starting dates for September. I have the dates for 4 adjoining counties up to 2011 ( I run an activity that runs to school terms)

use this to find out your school holiday dates

YANBU - it's only a couple of days, you made a sensible assumption - just ignore any flack from our nanny state over this.

Didn't think of LEA, but school hadn't published and booked over Christmas so couldn't ask.

Seona thanks will keep that link for next time. There is still uncertainty over INSET and that could solve the problem, but still feeling really bad because I do care about DCs missing any school.

What are they going to miss? Algebra? On the first couple of days they'll be faffing about doing bugger all, your kids' education will survive it.

Going anywhere nice?

YANBU, I think that is ridiculously late to be publishing the school holidays. Our LEA seems to produce them 2-3 years in advance. But I agree that the school are quite likely to take the end of the 6th week as INSET days, if they are sensible that is. Its pretty unheard of for an English state school to have less than 6 weeks in the summer after all.

Yes, this is the time of year when people book holidays. So that is why you should have checked before the end of term, if you were even contemplating booking over the Christmas break.

Ours do often go back on a Thursday , but I guess they might be Inset days.

If any of your children are moving up a Key Stage, I would seriously consider trying to change the booking. They are years of big changes and I think even a couple of days at the beginning of term would make them feel quite unsettled.

Agree with others that the LEA website is the most up to date source - you'll know that next time eh?

If you are driving then could you come back a few days earlier if needs be?