Holidays in term time

[dollybird]

What does everyone think of the stuff on the news about'cracking down' on parents taking their children on holiday in term time etc.. Makes my blood boil..

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Setting work for kids who go on holiday in term time or helping them "catch up" when they get back makes my blood boil.

Haven't seen anything on the news, but if it is this , then the "crackdown" is on serial truants (and I didn't think that they are counting the term-time holiday-takers).

In terms of tackling the issues of people being tempted to take holidays in term-time, then I think the idea of trying to reduce the cost to families of taking holidays in school holiday time is a good idea. Obviously there were still be some familes (eg in the forces) where the only option for a family holiday may be in term time, but for many families going on holiday in termtime is driven by cost.

I don't think it is something the government/leas, etc will win to be honest.

As a child we had to have holidays in term time as my dad's holidays were pre-determined shut down weeks, and these were not in school holiday times.

As an ex-teacher I do think that children missing exams is definitely not on, and in GCSE/A level years (so Y10 up) it is really difficult on the child as a lot of work is missed, esp in coursework based subjects. So in those years it should definitely be avoided and not encouraged.

PAAAAARPAROONIE!

Hulababy, don't feel you have to answer but where did you grow up that shutdown weeks did not coincide with school hols?

It's my experience in Notts and Loughborough that school hols are different in each area and coincide with summer factory fortnight. I still get deep feeliing of hrror when I rmemeber the queue for pesetas at my foreign till on 30 June - half year balance day coinciding with beginning of factory fortnight.

Leicester used to have what was known as the "July fortnight" when all the factories closed down at the same time - this would have coincided with the school holidays too.

I have never taken holidays during term time although I'm not against it. Wouldn't take holidays ever though during exam times or SATs times.

Doncaster (70s). And they didn't. IIRR they were end of June/beg of July, and then he had Race Week off - beg of Sept, first week back at school (we NEVER missed this though). And then some time at Christmas I think it was.

The same factory is still there - different owners, but different shut down weeks (coincide with school holidays now) plus less shut down weeks and more "optional" holidays IYSWIM.

Scunthorpe and Sheffield used to have Steelworks forrtnight - all the prices in the local markets were raised as that was the time the men got piad hefty bonuses! Don't know if it was same as school holidays though.
Years ago there was 'Pit Week', when the miners had a week off and took their families to Cleethorpes, Bridlington or Scarborough paid for by miners welfare.

Hang on, is that the Hovis tune I hear playing?

The Dagenham car works still had a fortnight shutdown in the summer 10 or so years ago.

DS2 has a friend who has seriously wealthy grandparents and they have just taken him out of school for a week in Rome.

WTF? They couldn't afford to take him in school holidays?

(Round here "town holidays" always coincided with school - even in Burnley which, being Burnley, has different weeks from everybody else. They go back to school in August and then have 2 more weeks off in September )

Some firms in Notts/Derbys still have two week summer shutdown and one week Xmas shutdown - my BIL is affected. And builders/plumbers etc are off for min one week over Xmas/NY.

It's mainly manufacturing that this affects though and manufacturing industry is in decline in the UK.

The schools in Stoke used to have Potters fortnight off in June, they abolished it in schools in 1991 and it caused problems for many families who had to have those weeks off.

Things are a bit more flexible now but many firms still have Potters shutdown.

Haven't been on since I posted originally, so interested to see the responses. I would agree that taking your children out for two weeks at a time may be a bit too much, but we would do a week at most and probably only a Fri/Mon combo as dh is self employed and can't take weeks off. also, school hols don't fit around his quiet times for work. I suppose the main reason I'm annoyed is because it's so much more expensive in school holidays and there are thirteen of them to cover off plus another five in-service days per year. If every lesson counts why do children have so many holidays in the first place? Why can't the in-service days be during school holidays? What about when children are off sick? Sorry, bit of rant there.

insservice training days have come out of the school holidays, the kids get the holiday, the teachers do not.

Yes, but what about the parents who are working and can barely cover the school holidays as it is..

If they can barely cover the school holidays, then they definitely shoudln't be taking holidays in term time.

We could still have holidays on the days I don't work - I'm not talking two weeks off to go to Spain - more like a weekend in Devon!

So what about those teachers with children? How would you feel if your children's teachers took random time off during the school term because it was cheaper to take their children on holiday then?

I have taken my kids out of school for holidays and would do again, although I do try to avoid it.

The reason I do it is because we can't afford holidays out of term time and both children are doing great in school. If either child wasn't doing so well then I may not do it.

I never expect the teacher to give my child extra work or anything, and always make sure the kids do something educational whilst away. Last time both Dd's kept a diary and made a scrapbook.

When we can afford to holiday in school holidays then I will.

twins in dd1s class have just had three days off to go to Eurodisney

then on monday they bought their toys in and talked to the whole class about it

that made my blood boil

I teach and dh is in the armed forces. If he can't get leave in the school holidays then we can't go.

He has also been away on long detatchments and gets leave on his return, unless these co-incide with my holidays I can't spend the time with him.

many teachers are married to non teachers and we suffer the same probelms as everyone else at trying to get holidays during the breaks, and this being peak price time.....and teaching isn't that well paid for the qualifications that you need

dh works in manufacturing

his factory shuts for two weeks in August and a week over xmas - therefore thats when he takes his holidays

is learning about heart transplant considered educational?

i am taking dd1 out of school for 2 days to see her dad, no doubt we will also do something fun whlst we are there (tho no idea on what there is to do with 3 kdis there). i have informed the school why we are going, (peter is getting worse) but havent felt it nesscery to tell some of the parents. no doubt next week some of them will be muttering about holidays in term-time when we get back.

Enid 'factory fortnight' we called it when I were a lass!

My dad was the same. No flexability at all