Taking kids out of school early to have Christmas with Grandparents

[Backyard72]

Last day of school is December 18th, but we're thinking of taking our son out a week earlier so we can keep ourselves to ourselves for a bit and then feel safe having Christmas with my parents who are in their 70s.

I presume there're quite a lot of other people in this situation?

Hoping some threads along these lines might prompt the Govt to make an announcement either way sooner rather than later so everyone can plan ahead

Pretty sure the government don’t made their policies based on MN threads but in case they are reading... please don’t close schools early for Christmas! Mine have missed enough education as it is .
Mine would be gutted to miss the last week but they’re younger. Definitely give your child the choice.

They have 2 weeks off so why not just do the Christmas bits with his grandparents a bit later? Because the grandparents will then have Christmas on their own.

Oh just do it.

Will it matter in 5 years? 2 years? No of course it won’t (and it really won’t at any age, no matter how many people jump on you about missing 5 days of school).

I remember the Christmas week when I was at school. It's shaped my entire life.
Hang onno, actually I vaguely remember some stale cheese straws on a paper plate.

Anyway, most of the usual school Christmas stuff won't be on like special assemblies or whatever. Give them a lovely Christmas, they've had a hard enough year

I’d do it. Missing education didn’t seem too much of a concern for the country this year, so a bit much to try and guilt you with that.

However, I suspect there will be an official position on this, in line with what you’re thinking.

Imagine if some child tested positive in the last week before Christmas? The whole class will have to isolate for two weeks.

And that just made my decision easier, I will be taking my dd out for the last week because no way on earth am I missing spending this Christmas with my parents

I vaguely remember some stale cheese straws on a paper plate.

I wouldn't be surprised school close for home learning a couple of weeks early so BoJo can give us 'Christmas'. Especially as he planning for University students home from the beginning of December.

Because the grandparents will then have Christmas on their own.

Well, the OP mentions parents, so presumably they will be with each other.

I don't get the obsession with Christmas Day being so much more important than any other day. I know if I told my parents I could see them on Christmas Day, but it would mean the children missed the last week of term, they would say they would much rather the children stayed in school and they saw us a week later.

Much depends on the govt guidelines in England (or Wales etc) / regionally at that time, eg gatherings indoors, travel to other cities. Our families are in region that’s had regional restrictions and advice against any visitors to the home, we’re assuming that’ll still be the case at xmas

But if allowed to visit will do so after xmas, DC have missed lots school already, can’t ‘home ed’ due to work.

I don't get the obsession with Christmas Day being so much more important than any other day.

You don't need to get it, just understand that others have a different view.

I don't get the obsession with Christmas Day being so much more important than any other day. Other people do feel it is more important. Just because you feel one way about it doesn't mean yours is the right way and other people have to fall in with it.

There's a trend evidenced on MN for Christmas to be about "just our little family" but for a lot of people it's still about seeing the wider family, whether that be grandparents/grandchildren, or whether it spreads wider to siblings, aunts, uncles, etc.So the question isn't necessarily about "which is more important to the children, school in the last week of term or seeing their grandparents on Christmas Day" it's also about what's important to other family members.

It completely depends on your child. DS is a young year 3 and dropped back so much in lockdown. He has come on a long way since school started. I think he needs his peers to motivate him to learn.

DD is a year 5 with Dyslexia and Discalculia. She (surprisingly) came on leaps and bounds in lockdown. They were tested when they went back to school and her reading and writing age had gone up by 2 years.

I’m considering it, haven’t decided yet. Partly depends on if he has to isolate between now and then. Partly depends on my work as if I have to teach FtF at a University that week there’s not much point. Partly depends if I can get us all a private test.

Luckily mine break up on the 11th so we will just be at 14 days off before Xmas. However we want to go and stay with my parents for a bit before Xmas so it will be about 10 days of isolation before we see them. We will all be taking a Covid test before we go (we’ll lie and get a free one). My sister and her family will be doing the same. And we will be a gathering of 10 no matter what rules are in place.

If the children were in school until the bitter end I’d definitely be taking them out for the last week. And I’d also be lying about them having a cough the last week.

If this pandemic has taught me anything it’s look after yourself and don’t give a shit about anything or anyone else. We have been completely fucked over and no one has given a shit about us. Now we just do what’s best for us.

I hope schools remain open until the planned end of term.

DD's emotional health took a dip during the spring lockdown,

She is an only child, both me and DH work, so she'd be back to spending time on her own again. 2 weeks over the miserable winter is plenty.

We will be spending Christmas with her elderly grandma, so a very small and quiet bubble. Little excitement here. That's not to say we won't have a nice time, but we won't be doing much with other people so that we can protect MIL. It'll be crafts, board games, tv etc. And spending time on her own while we work.

So I hope she can enjoy those slightly relaxed and giddy end of term days with her mates at school.

Of course everyone is going to believe you are doing it to facilitate seeing grandparents and not to go on holiday......🤔

I'd do it OP. Some of the attitudes on this thread explain a lot about why we have been so poor in thinking about the mental health impact of the virus and restrictions in this country.

@LaVitaPuoEsserePiuBella you say it's not ok to dip in and out when you like, but schools do close for holidays. So clearly it's ok to not be in education sometimes (otherwise there'd be no school holidays). Who mandates that kids should have 13 weeks off per year and not 14 (or whatever it is)? And many private schools have longer holidays than state schools and it doesn't seem to have any negative effects on those (admittedly privileged) children?

The OP has said she is a qualified TA and would be willing and able to teach her child during the extra week off anyway.

What I'm trying to say is that it's all quite arbitrary and overall one week of school will not make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

OP, think about how you might feel if you didn't go ahead with your plan, missed Xmas with your parents, and then one of them passed away in 2021 meaning you'd missed their last Christmas with them. How would you feel if that were to happen? Not trying to guilt trip you honestly but if you would massively regret it and Christmas is an important celebration in your family then I would definitely go ahead and pull DC out of school for the last week.

I’m doing exactly that to give a 10 day grace period for them.

I have a lot of sympathy with any family considering this. My mum is ecv and hasn't hugged me or her grandchildren since March. I've thought many times about taking dc out of school a week early but we probably won't. Dcs primary school are planning some lovely Christmas activities in the last week of term and dd2 is in reception so it will be her first time to enjoy it all (including a virtual nativity for the little ones). I think we will probably isolate after the end of term and have a belated Christmas with my mum. I would be very happy for schools to close early this year but I understand that this could make life very difficult for a lot of families and could be divisive for secondary school pupils (who need every bit of education they can get).

I think the point about the risk of cases in the week before Christmas and thus potentially causing lots of others in the class to have to self isolate is really crucial actually. Would be surprised if anyone in our government has thought of it, but you never know, maybe they’ll make a decision to close early because of this?

no, actually I vaguely remember some stale cheese straws on a paper plate

We used to get taken to the village pub for a slap up lunch 😎