Taking holidays during term time?

[Flowertop]

Hi, just need some opinions please. We have been trying to book a ski-ing holiday for February half term and am having problems a) due to the lack of flights and b) the flights I can find are so expensive. DH has suggested that we take two DS's (8 and 10) our of school for a week at the end of Jan. I know a few people who do this but it never sits comfortably with me - although financially it does make sense. Would really like others opinions as to whether you have done this and has there been any issues because you have done this. Thanks

i did it this year (ds1 in reception) and have already booked to do it again nest year. we go in may the week before half-term.

We do this.

Skiving is an important life-skill.

Take them out.

School isn't the be all and end all of life.

I'm a teacher and I'm one who actually doesn't think it's a big problem unless a) it's exam time, b)you're the kind of parent who requests 1-2-1 help in their child catching up (have occasionally had this) or 3) thinks it's a reasonable excuse for missing a major deadline (work should handed in before the holiday), but given the ages of your children this seems unlikely.

My head, however, thinks it's a major parental sin.

What are the legal implications/ramifications of taking kids out of school for skiing holiday (yr 2 & 5) in Feb. anybody knows? Head will refuse so it will be unauthorised leave.

cadelaide...
Was that skiving, or skiing?

Schools are being forced to bring unprecedented pressure (from Government) on parents re: term-time holidays, in a vain attempt to make the truancy unauthorised absence figures look better. They're therefore targetting otherwise "good" parents, as they can't touch those who are happy to let their kids stay at home watching crap TV all day or wandering round the local precinct wearing hoodies.
The absolute worst case scenario as far as I can see is that you might be fined, depending on your locality. But I reckon that a 50 quid fine is still infinitely preferable to the exhorbitant prices we have to pay for peak-season holidays.
If I weren't a teacher myself, I know what I'd be doing............

I have a phD (not bragging, just showing that I really do value education!), but don't think young children miss out by going on, say, one family holiday per year in term time. However, when my son started school last year we were told that time out for holidays will no longer be authorised and we might possibly be fined if we did it. The problem is, unless you are in a job where you get the same 13 weeks of paid holiday as teachers it can be awfully difficult to get time off with your partner in the high-demand school holiday period, especially, if as I do, you work for the same organisation as you other half. The teachers at my son's school seem to find this awfully difficult to grasp!