Do you think people will be more likely to take term time holidays next year?

[SunnyUpNorth]

I’m wondering if people will be more relaxed about taking term time holidays next year partly because kids have missed so much school and will more than likely catch up over time, so a missed few days/a week is unlikely to do much damage. Or because people will have suffered financially this year and may not be able to afford term time holidays next year?

I was just looking at some flights for next year which would cost around £1k for 4 of us, but the week before would be around £250!

Nothing is not the only alternative. Dd's (state) primary is using two online learning sites for activities, plus Google classroom to set other teacher created tasks and give feedback. A couple of twinkle sheets so far, linked to topic, which I expect they would have used in class anyway.

Shouldn't have generalised, when I said twinkle and bite size In my head I was generalizing and mentally included senarios such as this and teacher set work on online portals etc. My own fault as I've seen so many people state anything other then live video sessions are not enough that I automatically encompassed it all in my head, that most worksheets etc would be somewhat involve for the majority some form of teacher direction too. (Although I know for a minority this isnt the case).
My own fault for not being clear!

Twerk
Aren't you bored yet with the endless teacher bashing?
Were you not given a part in the Nativity at nursery or something?
No teacher has ever said that what is happening now is 'an acceptable level of education', just that we are doing what we can in the face of a global pandemic for which the whole wprld was unprepared.
And before you start I'm not interested in your thoughts on Zoom lessons or what Eton are doing thanks.

Genie
Oh dear.
Like the last word don't you?
Empty barrels make the most noise.

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito - agree with your post, some schools have provided a lot more than others. My DC were emailed a weekly worksheet - it’s taken them about an hour to do. They’ve not had any other interaction- it’s been really disappointing. Sounds like your school have been fab.

But this is why missing school when teaching is face 2 face is such a daft idea. And to clarify as I wasnt clear

Those saying well they can just use worksheets etc as that's good enough now.. but that is worksheets alongside teacher supplemented materials, teacher contact to explain things that arent understood via email or portals, additional support if needed (in a majority of cases). If your child misses f2f then although they can access the worksheets, they wont have the additional supplementary support they are accessing now. And it's also worksheets because schools for the past few months haven't been able to open. It's not worksheets instead of teaching it's because they haven't been able to continue classroom teaching.

I really can't believe that people think that because they are missing school due to their being a pandemic it supports that they can miss school the rest of the time. If anything due to missing f2f teaching now, it makes it more crucial that children dont miss any unnecessary contact time once schools are able to reopen.... it all seems point scoring and the only people who will suffer are the children. Schools for the most part are doing the best they can within gov guidelines. Obviously there are the few that are doing less then they could but that's not limited to just schools and occurs in many professions and often to much greater detriment.

They've missed enough school, thank you!

I would have thought the opposite. Children have already missed out on a lot so I would imagine most parents want them to be in school as much as they can next year.

@Myothercarisalsoshit

Genie Oh dear. Like the last word don't you? Empty barrels make the most noise.

I like the last word? Or maybe I'm just pointing out your motive. You don't want to back to school.

I'm an empty barrel for daring to disagree with you? Ok then.

@LittleFoxKit not all schools have provided that level of support. We’d have absolutely loved more interaction/ feedback/ marking anything really.

I am am concerned about my children missing more school but it’s been a massive struggle for us working FT, my DS mood has been very low, as there is no guarantee when schools will be back or what type of education can be provided, we will be booking a holiday.

@LittleFoxKit

But this is why missing school when teaching is face 2 face is such a daft idea. And to clarify as I wasnt clear

Those saying well they can just use worksheets etc as that's good enough now.. but that is worksheets alongside teacher supplemented materials, teacher contact to explain things that arent understood via email or portals, additional support if needed (in a majority of cases). If your child misses f2f then although they can access the worksheets, they wont have the additional supplementary support they are accessing now. And it's also worksheets because schools for the past few months haven't been able to open. It's not worksheets instead of teaching it's because they haven't been able to continue classroom teaching.

I really can't believe that people think that because they are missing school due to their being a pandemic it supports that they can miss school the rest of the time. If anything due to missing f2f teaching now, it makes it more crucial that children dont miss any unnecessary contact time once schools are able to reopen.... it all seems point scoring and the only people who will suffer are the children. Schools for the most part are doing the best they can within gov guidelines. Obviously there are the few that are doing less then they could but that's not limited to just schools and occurs in many professions and often to much greater detriment.

For a lot of children it's just worksheets not supplemented by anything! For some children it's literally nothing.

Remember we're talking about taking a week's holiday here. That's not people saying it's ok to be off the rest of the time. That's people saying well if 6 months is ok then a week is surely fine. Which it is and always used to be.

Equally council's are now stopping schools opening when they legally can. They are stopping education so they cannot believe that we will listen to them when they say a week is a huge detriment.

@LittleFoxKit all ours get are worksheets. No explanation. Take about 10 minutes a day to complete. We have moved them to private school now because we were appalled and their mental health was suffering (they are all very bright and love learning and we have to work) but given they were all at different schools in think it is fair to say that is standard quite a lot of children are getting right now.

Gene
That's people comparing apples and oranges.
In the normal run of things most children will cope well with a week off for a holiday. Most teachers accept this.
In terms of the pandemic children have missed 8 weeks of learning time so far. I don't know where you get 'people saying 6 months is OK' from. Nobody is saying this. Councils are stopping schools from opening (some councils - and not very many) because of concern for health. But you'll never get this will you?

Councils are stopping schools from opening (some councils - and not very many) because of concern for health

You're very naive if you believe that.

It's not comparing apples and oranges in that being off school this long is absolutely totally fine but a week's holiday isn't. They're both time off. One just considerably longer and much more detrimental than the other.

As parents we are apparently totally capable teachers so a week off won't hurt will it?

It's been since late March. I can't see how the situation will be any different in October? That's a minimum of 6 months. Realistically probably we will be into 2021 before the "risk" is any different

Every day counts; the educational value of a week in Rome is nothing compared to being in school. Your child will MISS OUT ON VITAL LEARNING! They cannot catch up!

BUT

We won't open schools even though the scientific advice is that it is safe to do so, so carry on with whatever you're doing or not doing at home, and we'll sort it all out once it's safe.

Sorry, you get one or the other, not both.

@thenightsky

I'm actually hoping it is cancelled. I don't see how Disneyland can possibly be 'safe' by mid July. But until they cancel it, we can't afford the increase in cost to rearrange/loss of money if we cancel it. So we are sitting tight and seeing what happens.

Surely though if you're all so concerned about your children missing 8 weeks of learning time, you don't then automatically think 'OK then I'll book a term time holiday'? I'm clearly missing something here.
The scientific advice does not say that returning to school is without risk and scientists (including those in SAGE) are currently unclear about what that risk is.

@SirSamuel you forgot : and not only is it not an issue that they are at home but we (or rather some schools) don't need to innovate and find a way to actually teach remotely because they have "only " missed 8 weeks of education so far

@Myothercarisalsoshit I wouldn't book a weeks holiday in term time, no. But I would find it stupendously hypocritical if fines would still apply after this . Because for some families it is the only way they can afford to go away

Surely though if you're all so concerned about your children missing 8 weeks of learning time

I'm not. My child is 4 so I can teach him to an extent. I'm worried about the socialisation aspect. Doesn't apply to a week's holiday.

I'm annoyed at the hypocrisy of the council.

Ps nothing is ever without risk.

Twerk Fines will be applied.
We took term time holidays when I worked in industry. As a teacher I always try and work around it if one of the children is off for a couple of weeks and it's usually fine. I wouldn't fine parents and I don't support the policy but nobody working in schools has a choice about it.
So who is being hypocritical? The people on the front line or the people who introduced the system?
Gene - so it's socialisation you're so bothered about? In that case ALL children will be in the same boat (except the children of key workers and the most vulnerable) ...

Trust, I didn't say taking children out term time is unreasonable. I said just because others are unreasonable or arrogant or whatever, you don't need to be that too.
Also, it used to be HT's discretion to approve term time holidays, but not anymore. It changed few years ago. Now HT has no say.

@Myothercarisalsoshit I didn't say the teachers or individual schools were being hypocritical but at a governmental level of course it would be hypocritical after this.

Well Twerk it was a badly thought out, knee jerk one size fits all policy to begin with! And of course its hypocritical of ministers to fine the parents of state school children whilst choosing to privately educate their own. You see, we agree.

Exactly. My anger isn't with teachers, it's with the failure at a governmental level to prioritise education for children right now. I get that there are good teachers and bad teachers, good schools and bad schools. But the stark fact remains that many children aren't being educated, or it is causing huge pressure within families as their parents try to.
It is a product of a Tory government that doesn't care about the impact on state educated children because they are safe in the knowledge their own children are being educated. It suits the wealthy if the gap widens. I have taken great pride in helping to train up people in my profession who are the first of their generation to have a professional job, and I am so aware of all the obstacles in their way. This places another huge boulder for them to climb over.

I have sorted it for my children, although it will be financially painful. But I know so many more who are actually really getting down about the lack of lessons. Ours were all showing signs of depression that has lifted since we sorted them with paid for education. It might be that they are the sort of children who prefer academic education to other sorts, but there will be many others like them