To be fair, there used to be a rule across the UK about having up to 2 weeks off in a school year for a holiday. It’s relatively new that this rule doesn’t exist anymore (as in pretty sure the last decade)
I was taken out of primary school 4 times for a fortnight for some big holidays, once in Year 8 (end of year, sister had done GCSEs so family took advantage of her long summer)
Never taken out past Year 8 for obvious reasons.
Like everything, the blanket ban comes from the fact that for some children (and their teachers), missing a week or two will be a monumental disaster. Some children will absolutely fine. Some won’t.
As a teacher, I’m mixed.
As a member of the human population, who doesn’t want basic rights squashed and my life dictated, I think a certain amount of holiday should be allowed.
I work in a prep so my Head can’t do anything about holidays in term time and plenty take them (despite having a 9 week summer, 3 week Easter, 3 week Christmas and 2 week October Half term so plenty of off peak time too). Where I get angry and really annoyed with parents is when they take their child out for a week but want the catch up work. Or expect me to put together a pack of work for them to take with them (normally with no notice). Or complain at parents evening that their child isn’t where they think they should be (because they miss two weeks each term for holidays - yes that’s the case I deal with in my class) and I need to explain myself. And if the child doesn’t achieve what they should be, despite absences over crucial moments, of course it’s the teacher who gets the telling off and the school looks bad.
Where I can support term time holidays is where the parents just don’t have a choice of leave and it’s either a term time holiday or no holiday (and yes I think holidays are very beneficial to families and children despite not being a case of life or death) and where parents fully take responsibility for the missing learning - so one I had this term asked me (albeit 3 days before) what the phonics sounds and high frequency words for the week they were missing, asked for a brief on the maths focus and topic work and child returned up to scratch - I am reception but still. Lower year groups in particular, many aspects could be caught up with if parents take control.
A lot of parents, in reality and for multiple reasons such as needing to keep leave for actual school breaks, won’t actually take their children on holiday term time if it was allowed.
So I’m on the fence. I would be more supportive if schools could allow the holiday (two weeks max a year) but could say to parents basically “tough luck - what your child misses they miss. You want them caught up you do it yourself” and likewise, if a child doesn’t achieve their overall goals, the school should have the right to say “child taken out for two weeks mid term” and not be done in for it. But that’ll never happen.
Then again, private school families and home schooling families can do what they want. It seems daft that it’s not actually compulsory to go to school but if you dare sign your child up for a formal education and miss a bit of time, you could be fined or worse visited by outside agencies on welfare checks. But you could also “unschool” and have your children run feral all day.
Pin me down for an answer? I think parents should have the right to.