holidays in shcool term time adn bringin in sweets on return

[michellemcmanus]

does anyone elses kids have to endure kids taking holidays in term time then returning wiht sweets for their class mates?

More support in some LEA's than others. We've been told it looks likely within 5yrs.

I never set work for children to do whilst on holiday, ever. I used my longer term planning for catch up time, and expected children to use their own time too.

We did have a lot of holiday absence (and other absense) too. It was in an area where household incomes were quite low so many familes did go away in term time.

TBH holiday absence was the least of my problems there though! LOL!!!

Hmm homemama - wonder when anyone will ask the teachers what they think? Well, I am out of it now at least.

I am in secondary and after repeated cases where I have spent my time preparing work for kids to do while on holiday and them not do any of it, I now tend not to set work when kids are withdrawn in term time.

If them want to use my room to catch up I will lend them books, work sheets etc, but I feel that it is their responsibility to do the catching up, not me.

I have no probelm with parents taking kids out, their kids, their responsibility. However they must then take the responsibility if little Flossy doesn't get her 9 a*s at GCSE. Missing two weeks can mean a drop of a grade quite easiy, since grade boundaries are so close.

And while it is undenable that some familes can only get a holiday in term time, for many more that simply isn't the case. I've lost count of the number of kids who have gone to Barbados, the State, very expensive holidays. their parents could have afforded a holiday out of term, they just don't want to.

Not in my lifetime I shouldnt think, hulababy!
Anyway, I'm finishing in july to be a SAHM so wont affect me.

It is a year 6 sats year so I think that a lot of the leave will have been from end of May onwards. Also one boy has had about 6 instances as he has been on two cruises, Egypt and a few other trips as well so that will put the percentage up alone.

I've only skimmed this but am with enid, puddle and michellemcmanus on this. Actually, I didn't used to think so, I used to buy the 'family time is as valuable as school time' argument but was persuaded otherwise by reading (I think) hmb's heartfelt posts on here on the subject. I also heard a friend say it recently and it just rang hollow to me: this was a family who could easily afford to go in school holidays, they just didn't see why they shouldn't go when they wanted to, rather than when term dictated. I think it is sending a message that school is optional, but I guess the 10 days policy is designed to get around that, since schools condone it. But it's not a basic human right to have a holiday imo, so if you can't afford it you shouldn't go imo - I don't really get all this bleating on about it being tragic to not be able to GO somewhere. I do think holiday companies should be prohibited from hiking prices in the school holidays though, that would help.

And we had more sweets today from yet another kid who'd been on holiday most of this week.

Gawd, www, you don't take what I write seriously do you?? [nervous smile emticon]

we never brought pressies back for anyone that's not why you go on holiday!

its like the party bag syndrome - break the cycle

If you are a single parent family or one where both parents work, don't you need to save your leave allowance for the school hols? Otherwise you're just giving yourself another week or two for which you need to find (and pay for) childcare.

yes www. Its not your 'right' to have a holiday but it is your duty to educate your children.

and all these arguments coming out of the woodwork! Wordsmith you are serioiusly naive if you think that lots of people need to go on holiday out of holiday time due to illness. And as far as I can see you like to take your kids out because you fancy going to the seaside.

There are 16 in dd1's class, none on the breadline, none with serious illness (as far as I know) and yet I can think of at least four who have holidayed in term time this year. They do it because they feel like it. I would say the vast majority of people do this, not for any pressing reason other than they feel they 'deserve' it or they fancy a trip to the seaside when its less crowded.

and it clearly isnt illegal, so obviously noone is breaking the law, but I am afraid I think its pretty crap behaviour.

and just to say my example of the 800 holiday was in response to tiredemmas example of Majorca, rather than suggesting everyone can afford it.

I have on average 2 children out of school in every class I teach this week.

I had a holiday in the half term, myself, a weeks camping!

I'd be interested to know how people would feel if their child's teacher went on holiday in term time. Teachers are not paid that much, any many find it hard to pay for a holiday

We used to take ours out of school every year when they were tiny. The reason was simple- I worked in a call centre with a lot of other women and leave was done on seniority. EVERYONE wanted school holidays & because most of them had been there for many years I was so far down the list that the only school holiday I could have off was February 1/2 term, which isn't much fun in a caravan in Dorset...

DH works in retail, and his work would not allow him time off in a week with a bank holiday. Just trying to find one week per year that we were both allowed off didn't give us much say in when we could go.

We worked shifts around the children, so didn't pay for childcare. That also meant that we hardly saw eachother & never got a chance to go out as a family at weekends like normal people. We felt it was important for our children to have one week when they were together with both parents. (We also had a very low budget- I think the first caravan was £75 for the week).

There will be others in that situation. It's not all 2 weeks in Mauritius.

Have to say that for a while I did used to think that where possible holidays in term time should be avoided - but that was from a teacher's point of view and the hassle it caused. Although still felt that the issue was more to do with exam years (Y10 up) more so than befor e that.

However in my last year or so of teaching I quickly came to realise that 2some children taking a couple of week's holiday in term time was not a major issue - either to me and my planning, to the school as a whole or to the average child's education. There are far more important and far more pressing things going wring in education that whether children have 10 days off a year on holiday with the family, enjoying quality time together (hopefully together - I am not a fan of children's clubs on holiday, but that is a different thread).

What caused bigger disruption is poor pupil behaviour, lack of discipline, ever changing curriculums, paper work, etc.

Just my (ex) teacher's POV. Sorry - rant over.

hmb, posts crossed. I would imagine people would be pissed off if their child's teacher took time off in term time because they get 13 weeks holiday a year (plenty of opportunity for those days out Enid mentioned) & the rest of us get 4 weeks if we are lucky!!!

As for teachers not paid that much, I thought starting salary was about £24k? (Graduate scheme round here is £18+k without being qualified). Where I work (public sector) most people are lucky to be on £16K if they've been in for about 10 years....... (South East)

And holidays can be educational too - speaking another language, seeing other countries, seeing other cultures, historical places to visit, using another currency to pay for things, learning to swim (I know lads of people when I was little who did this on holiday), etc. OK, not all holidays but some are.

Errr.. I don't think I actually said that Enid. Where did I mention illness? In fact what I said was, we are taking DD1 out the week before half term in October, but next year we will get a tent and go in the summer, because like you I don't really agree with term time holidays. When he starts his sats and when he is in secondary school, there's no way he'll miss schooling for a holiday.

I do like the seaside, so what? So sue me!

I wish I lived in your world where everything was so black and white. (although come to think of it I'm glad I don't) And I do pity the disapproving looks those four kids in your dds class must be getting on the playground!

This is a bit like the thread the other day when someone (can't remember who) was appalled that a mother had put her baby into a creche for a few hours just so she could have a coffee!

Oh I agree, but there are lots of Muritius

Talluah - the teacher's starting salary is very good. However, if you compare a teacher's salary with other professions when people have trained for the same length of time and at the same level (degree, post grad) then teacher's salaraies are, on average, not as high at all. They fall short quite quickly - within 3 or 4 years generally. I know this - all our friend's salaries quickly outstripped mine even though we'd trained at same time, or them being behind me a year or two!

well I tend not to look disapproving at the kids

and am always nice to the mums so they would never know

Tallula starting salery is £18,000

Oh Tallulah let's not start getting into teacher bashing, they do a bloody great job most of them and it's pretty stressful. And they take loads of work home.

No I'm not a teacher but I know plenty of them.

Oh Enid I'm sure they do know!

And for that I have a degree in Biochemistry and a PGCE. unqualified saley is £13,000

And wheile I'd be the first to admit that the holidays are outstanding, theyr are *always in peak season. And people most oftengive the reason for taking kids out that they can't afford to take them in the peak season of school holidays