£350 for 1 week in July term time- family of 7 - or £1100 in school holidays??

[devonvalley]

Yep that old term time holiday chestnut-
We are a family of 7 we can only afford to go on a Uk term time holiday, or have no holiday at all!(yes I know some do not holiday at all !)
Why is it seemed the, one holiday a year family, like us, have to be penalised , and berated?
It appears to my friends and I, that in our experiences, the people who can afford there £3000-£4000 a year on their peak season holiday, have little regard for families such as ourselves and our friends predicament, because money appears to not be an issue for them.
Travel, new experiences, and valuable family time are great educators , are they not? so when those of you who resent , parents who take our children out for 5 days once a year, spare us a thought, its most probably the only time we can afford to go.(and avoid fines by ......!)
Also when school residential trips seem to cost £270 upwards- £350 for 7 of us to go away, not just one of us seems to be preferable!

Impatient

Was 'the person' you mentioned really you?
You seem very worked up about it.

It really is a bit silly to use one example of one person who feels they are incompetent at something because they have missed 1 week at school years and years an years ago.

If they really wanted to learn long multiplication there are plenty of ways to do it including classes in basic numeracy for adults- plenty of 'human contact' there.

And I wasn't picking you up on spelling- it was more a culture- query -whether you were from the US where they say 'math' not 'maths'

Many of my dcs' extended families and grandparents don't live in the UK. The airline tickets for just mum and two kids will cost £ 5000 during school holidays but £2000 - £2500 even just in the last week of term time. It is something that we do only once ever two or three years. Besides what do children do in school during the week before Xmas and summer breakup? Boring school plays or choir, dvds!

Was 'the person' you mentioned really you?

No, it wasn't me. I am actually quite good with numbers and have much better skills than the average adult. If you search through threads about term time holidays I'm sure you could establish that it wasn't me. I managed to teach my son long multiplication at a young age and I would fill any gaps that he has in his learning but I still realise that not all patents can / will do this and I therefore don't support holidays during term time. If I wanted to holiday whenever I choose I wouldn't have enrolled my children into schools.

Surely the data is regards families whose kids are regularly off school for all sorts of things.

Children with otherwise good attendance taking a week off won't be such children and as has already been pointed out will probably have less time off than many other kids doing all sorts of extra curricular things and the kids flagged up as having a low attendance rate.

Data can be twisted and spouted to suit any argument.

as can "well I had term time holidays and look I'm fine"

And "my children have weekly music lessons,termly courses,seasonal fixtures.....

and they're fine"

www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/29/parents-children-holiday-school-terms

Not sure what the point of your link is.

It conveniently skirted over the hoards of kids who regularly miss lesson time for weekly music lessons, music and dance exams,courses,sporting fixtures,rehearsals,monitor duties,drama events etc,etc.

The journo lost all credibility in my book when he/she wrote "Parents could except that their child's classroom education is more important than a week in a Europe however many museums they visit".

I can't really see the relevance of the Guardian link. It's a compilation of facts about legislation and some comments tying some of the facts together in a very unscientific way by a Guardian journalist.
I can't see any data to support taking a week out of school very occasionally being harmful.

whoops- x posted retro

Just got a link to the new ParentsWantaSay website and campaign for those interested.

parentswantasay.co.uk

The Guardian article is a summary of the issue and isn't meant to provide data sorry for not making that clear I assumed you would be able to work it out for yourself

Retropear perhaps you should suggest to Mr Gove that he bans music lessons and dance exams in lesson time ... I'm sure he will be interested.

I doubt it.It's clearly not the naice wealthy m/c kids who can afford music lessons and exams he has a problem with.

Secondary ski-ing holidays during the school term for the same wealthy kids ok- a week with mum and dad in Paris for the poorer kids who otherwise wouldn't have a holiday not ok.

As someone who runs the school ski trip ours has never been in term time. We go during the Easter Holiday.

Curriculum trips usually within term time, "fun " trips in the holidays.

I always organised residential trips in the Easter break Philoslothy because for our not m/c or wealthy kids it meant we got half price and free transport bagains (and they didn't miss any school Retropear )

But not all schools follow that policy. Friend of a friend's son in year 10 was taken skiing by school during the penultimate week of the Christmas term. Had that been a parent doing it imagine the outcry.

Is there a law saying all have too?

Then let's discuss "enrichment week" where kids can choose to do all sorts of things from surfing for the poorer kids to the West End in London for the rich kids.

Would love to know the educational value of these weeks considering museums and trips to Europe en famille during term time clearly have zero value.

And I love the fairness of expensive "educational" residential school trips where the kids who can't afford it are left with supply.

It's the utter hypocrisy,arrogance and unfairness which gets me.

Fine if kids have to be glued to their seats then do that but do it for all.

My kids have their piano lessons after school,ban in school music lessons,kids drifting in and out are clearly disrupting my child.

Ban school time sporting fixtures and events,do them after school.

Ban huge productions only a few have a part in which cause hours of rehearsals.

Ban extra curricular courses.

Ban kids having time off for drama events.

Ban all DVDs.

Ban fecking golden time...........the list is endless.

If you want to quote the rules then play by them.

It seems I'm already playing by your rules Retropear

Retro pear have you noticed who is heading the campaign? Our own John Hemming MP.

So I see,bit re the send a donation thing but it has interesting bits of info on there.

Well many aren't and until Gove stops being a hypocrite and tightens up everywhere else I resent being lectured to and threatened with fines for choosing to do what I think is best for my children.