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?

WW, you will have a blast. Mine have the best fun while camping. what they loved last year was that we were only 150m from the park and they could go on their own! (aged 7 and 4). It is the freedom that they have that we all love

I would never ever take a child out of school during GCSE or A level years, though as I said before if I had to I would boycott SATS. I'm pretty much only talking about primary age. I'm not even sure I would take them out during the lower secondary years ubnless absolutely necessary.

For me, this argument is a bit irrelevant as dh works most of term time and dd's school breaks up 3 weeks earlier than most schools but I'm just trying tp think of others it may effect.

We had a parent come to us last week to say they are taking the child out of school and our after school activity for 1 year in September. They are buying a camper van and having a gap year travelling around. What an experience!!!!!

At my first school I had a lad in my class who always had 6 months off school each winter, and then came back for 6 months in our summer. His dad was a cricketer and travelled to Aistralia for their summer every year. Not sure how they worked it with school - think he was home ed'ed whilst in Oz IIRR. But school even kept his place open for him.

ha ha at that thread Blu! So a beach in Weston isn't educational but a beach in Mauritius might be? Hmb, Bruno the magic boy and no, I don't take your posts as gospel but you did change my mind on this one, ages ago

ooh - I fancy 6 months here in Blackpool and 6 months abroad, loads of Hoteliers do it but we've got the kids so it's not really an option!

WWW, that was great , what a superb set of posts and I missed them first time round. We should have one of those 'Recently on MN' interoductions each week

Actually I've been thinking about the 'Its easy for teacger to take a holidat , you get 13 weeks a year' comment.

you are quite right that we do get exceptionally good holidays. I love the luxury of having the time with my kids and not having to organise childre care. I realise taht this is a bit plus, part of the reason that I went into teaching if I am being honest.

However I am married to a man in the RAF. He has gone on 4-6 month detatchments. When he gets home he is given leave. Do we have a 'right' to a family holiday???? I'd bet next months salery that people on MN would huff if I was to try! and I'd knowq better than to ask the school as I know what the answer would be.

So wheras we have good holidays were are not all married to other teachers and many of us have the same probelsm as the rest of you getting a family holiday in the school holidays

I missed out on Bruno too. He sounds, how shall we say, unique?

hmb, I didn't actually say it was easy, just that they do get a lot more leave than everyone else. This was following Enid's comments about going out for days- great fun in February.. Even if teachers can't go away, you do have time available with your children during the nicer weather.

I wasn't teacher bashing- just getting a bit sick of the "let them eat cake" attitude that the MN teachers seem to have towards everyone else. We can't all help our circumstances. It's easy to believe that everyone else can afford the extra for holidays in peak weeks- even in the UK- if you can yourself, or to think that everyone else could "go out for days" otherwise. There are people who do not have that option.

(hmb I also have a degree- it isn't only teachers )

has this thing kicked off yet? sorry suzt made me say it

Funny how people who say the h oliday thing never were tempted by it to become teachers themsleves ( puxzzled emoticon)

i hate children else i would as i am so very clever, did i say?

fio?

dont sound so shocked michelle

must say if you had wore a sarong with the black swimsuit everything woulkd have been fine, why didnt you ring me???!

where have oyu been?

I know i'm coming in on this thread late but thought I would add - either no-one ever goes on holiday term time in my kids school or they don't bring in sweets! Never heard of this phenomenon.

I have taken my children out in the term time before - my daughter has visited her paternal grandfather in Trinidad & took part in carnival and toured a couple of other islands. She had a fab time & did a diary for her teacher (and wore her carnival outfit to non school uniform day).

I think someone should sort out the situation WRT holiday companies making a mint off the back of parents - maybe each school could nominate a weeks term time holiday in lieu of 1 of the summer holiday weeks so that parents & teachers could get away outside of peak times?? I'm sure it would go down well ( with me it would anyway )

to morrisons shell

have you bin on the market agen? it was pakin up when i went

And as I said I do realise that there are people who can't afford a holiday. However I have seen many, many families, far better of than I am, who repeatedly take their children out of school for very expensive holidays.

I've never said that all cases are like this, but neither are all cases those of genuine family need.

It isn't case case of my saying 'let them eat cake'. Ithink that parents have the right to do whatever they see fit with their own children (within the law) However the parents have to make the choice that they see fit bearing in mine the facts that it can have a major effect on their child's results. It can be very hard to have a consultation with a parent who is complaining that their child is underperforing at GCSE when you know that they have just returned from 2 weeks in Hong Kong when the child missed and external exam.

And even though I have the school holidays, my husband has to put in for leave so I do understand the problems that non-teachers face

it is possible to go out for the day in February you know

But day trips in feb (which my kids have had btw) don't have the same school yard 'clout' as a trip to disneyland, Enid!