Term time holiday - teacher opinion

[gooddayhey]

Hi, I was just having a convo with one of my colleagues about how when my kids are old enough I might take them out of school during term time for a holiday. Obviously I have no idea if I ever would, it's a play by ear situ, I'll decide what's best at the time. Anyway, my colleague has very strong opinions about this, arguing that it's disrespectful when many people children do not even get the opportunity to attend school etc. And said I was treating school as a joke, amongst other things. One of the points she made is how disruptive it is for teachers and if she were teacher she would hate it. So I'm just looking for a teacher's opinion on this. I already know arguments for and against term time holidays from a parent point of view are mixed. I'm not strongly for or against either way but lean more towards parents being able to make sure the assessment themselves at the time. But do teachers find it annoying and do they notice children struggling when they come back one to week later for example?

I am teacher and I don't care.

Just don't get the child to ask me for work to do on holiday. That is at least 10 minutes of my time photocopying or finding out what we will be doing over the next week or two. And the work will never be done.

Don't get me to help catch up. The child can borrow someone's else's book to copy up and learn it themselves.

Don't complain when the child doesn't do as well as expected.

If a child goes on holiday during term, the parent is making the decision to disrupt their education. Like I say I don't mind, just don't inconvenience me.

It's perfectly possible to 'make do' without term time holidays. It's what all teachers do. DH and I are both teachers and have a young family. We stay in England / go at Easter / stay in a lower starred hotel / go every other year. No one is harmed in any way by this.

All schools that reward individual attendance penalise sick and disabled children.

We don’t penalise children who are absent because of sickness and disability. It’s coded differently from unauthorised absences. I’ve posted as much on the countless attendance threads I’ve read on here.

@suburbanrhonda

But are those children still eligible for a 100% attendance award if the school runs them?

My DSs school gives out a certificate every half term for those with 100% attendance. He is a healthy child with no SEN so has a decent chance of getting one. His younger brother has a health condition that means regular hospital appts. Even though this absence will be authorised he will never get a certificate.

He'd get a certificate from my school, and a 100% attendance treat.

But what about if his condition has made him miss school for more than just hospital appts? He is more likely to be actually ill.

I should say that I'm actually on SLT at a primary school and I really don't like attendance awards.

RockandRoll - every school I've ever worked in wouldn't give a child who had any time off a certificate /prize either. They'd authorise the absence, sure, but no 100% attendance. I've asked about this in the past and it's because they can't draw a line at a child who has SEN, a long term condition, a temporary injury, something like chicken pox etc. No sickness is a child's fault anyway, so to give attendance awards at all is discriminatory.

I notice no one has mentioned Walking Buses, Walk to School week etc. Those are just as bad. They make my DS feel like shit, as he has no chance of walking to school so can never earn tokens. My school was going to do it, until I explained why it was a crap idea. I'm all for walking to school if you can, it's brilliant, but some can't. They shouldn't be left out.

On mat leave before anyone wonders why I am posting during the day.

Moderation week here - I love moderation. I'm working from home all week but everything is pretty much done so I'm marking and planning. It's glorious

I often wonder how so many "teachers" are able to spend all day every day posting on Mumsnet. Obviously not you, Rock.

ICantCope I agree. I feel like attendance awards 'punish' children who have already got difficulties in life anyway. I'll be teaching my DS2 not to worry about them at all.

But what about if his condition has made him miss school for more than just hospital appts? He is more likely to be actually ill.

That would be a specific reason not to exclude a child from an attendance reward.

We don’t count authorised absence for sickness or medical appointments when doing attendance awards. It can be done - speak to the head and suggest it.

But then it's not an attendance award Feenie. It's just a 'well done for not having any unauthorised absences' award.

I often wonder how so many "teachers" are able to spend all day every day posting on Mumsnet.

I don’t know if you meant me but I’m not a teacher and my post is only funded for 16.5 hours a week.

That or ensuring holiday companies, airlines etc aren't allowed to hike prices.

They don't hike prices in school holidays. They reduce them in less busy periods. If prices were required to be standardised, the most likely consequence would be that off peak prices would go up.

Moderation week here - I love moderation. I'm working from home all week but everything is pretty much done so I'm marking and planning. It's glorious

Sounds great - but slightly odd, because 4 weeks ago you posted a thread about how you've had to give up your whole career because of severe ill health?

I'm so glad you've managed to turn your situation around so quickly, icantcopeanymore - that must be a relief for you.

But then it's not an attendance award Feenie. It's just a 'well done for not having any unauthorised absences' award.

Maybe. But those are the only attendance awards we give at my primary school.

Feenie, although I've said I won't engage with you any more, I am indeed back at work through the power of fantastic support, an electric wheelchair, flexible hours and a very decent OT. I'm very lucky.

Hope you had fun stalking my threads.

That's fantastic news

I wouldnt mind so much about the rules if private schools had to follow them as well. We have moved from private to state and they didnt care at all if kids were out for the odd day here and there or tacked onto the end of Feb half term etc and it didnt make a massive difference to outcomes.

But then fast forward to dd in secondary and we were penalised for her being out for my mums funeral in Year 8 and it hacked me off no end.

Private schools need more bums on seats so they get the money from your fees. If that means allowing children to be absent for term time holidays, that’s probably a price they’re willing to pay.

I have mixed views on attendance awards. I don't necessarily think they're terribly effective. However, I also think that the whole 'it's not fair on children who've had chicken pox' argument is typical of the snowflake/entitled parenting that we're increasingly having to deal with. Just because some people can't benefit from something, does that mean we can't do it at all? We can't enter netball matches because some children aren't ever going to make the team? Or maths competitions because some children find maths really challenging? Or do a Mother's Day lunch because it's not fair on kids whose mums work? Or ask children to bring in a picture of their pet because it's not fair on children who don't have one? These are all real examples of things we've had complaints about. And before anyone says it, yes of course we look for ways of including all children in a variety of events, not just those who are 'good at' stuff.

I am a teacher in a private school. My dc is in reception at a state school. I am taking her out for a holiday early July to take advantage of cheaper flights during my longer holiday.
In my school children outside of key exam years (so years 10 and 11 or sixth form) are authorised a little bit of term time holiday.
As a teacher I do not find it disruptive unless it's one of the aforementioned exam groups.

Icantcopeanymore I am a part time teacher and I do not work on a Thursday. Is it okay with you if I post on mumsnet on my day off?!

VoiceLePort; “not fair, my child has chicken pox” is wildly different from “‘my child can never ever, by definition, achieve this award because they have a permanent disability or lifelong serious condition that requires frequent hospital / therapy appointments “.