To ask if you agree with term time holidays to please sign this petition...

[TermTimeHolidays]

here

It needs 100,000 signatures before it can be discussed in parliament.

"So do this mean that I (a teacher) can also take term-time holidays?"

No, Lindyhopper, it doesn't. Working during termtime comes with the job when you are a teacher. Same as working during the holidays comes with my job when you work in the holiday industry. There would be outrage if a flight is cancelled because the staff didn't turn up because it was on an unpopular day. The people who work these days - often in difficult and stressful jobs - are among the more vociferous in defending parents' rights to take their children on holiday when they are able to get the time off.

The new rules seem to be made purely from an education-orientated point of view, rather than a whole society (which includes airline and airport staff, bus and train drivers, doctors, nurses, soldiers, policemen and women, power station staff, and a whole enormous section of society that works nighttimes, weekends and Bank Holidays to ensure that we live in as civilised a way as possible.)

Actually, amend my last post - so long as there is a fully competent stand -in, why not let teachers take time off during term time, so long as they do not exceed their annual allowance?

"Rich kids don't go on trips poor kids can't afford in term time. If it's in term time, payment has to be voluntary."

That's rot.

There have been two trips at DS's school in the last 12 months, which other parents in the year could not afford. They did a teddy bear's picnic at the school for those who could not go.

So under the new rules, kids whose parents cannot afford the trip will be sat doing a crappy teddy bear's picnic/some other pointless activity rather than allowing the child to be taken on a trip with the parents that they CAN afford.

My DH has a manual job trained for and works very very hard. But doesn't earn much so does that mean we cannot have a holiday? Even for a haven holiday the price difference can be three weeks wages. And he only has four weeks a year to choose from not thirteen .

Teddy bears picnic? The rich kids at my dc s school went to New York

It's not a right, puppyfat. Or didn't you know?

Why don't you do some naice crafting with twigs or camp on a motorway roundabout with your children? They will ENJOY THAT.

Nooooooooo, the teddy bear's picnic was held for the children who couldn't go on a two night residential.

It's not rot, marmalade. Perhaps you should remind your school of the rules.

"School trips
Your child’s school can ask you for a voluntary contribution to the cost of activities like school trips. They can’t stop your child from attending if you don’t pay, but they should cancel the activity if there isn’t enough money to cover the cost of it."

"Headteachers or governing bodies may ask parents for a voluntary contribution towards the cost of:

any activity that takes place during school hours
school equipment
general school funds
Children of parents who are unable, or unwilling, to contribute may not be discriminated against. However, if there are insufficient voluntary contributions made to cover the cost of the trip, or activity, and there is no alternative method to make up the shortfall, then the school should cancel the activity."

www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/overview
www.education.gov.uk/popularquestions/a005627/school-trips

School trips being in school hours, btw.

Thank you marmalade I forgot my place

Ah, they can charge for board and lodging on a residential.

I know that voluntary payments have been stipulated for trips to zoos etc and I know that parents that can't afford the full amount have still been able to send their children.

For the residentials (and in particular, the £790 skiing trip in Year 6!) parents are asked to cough up. I didn't send DS. Not because I couldn't pay it but because I didn't agree that £120 for two nights in a barn conversion was value for money.

X posts!

Just as teachers know they have to work term time, surely parents know when taking a job roughly when leave will be granted or if limited to set times. Teachers are always told to change jobs if they dont agree with the set holidays but presumaly its different for others

Family time is just that, it doesnt need a beach involved whilst missing school. Opt out and home ed if you dont agree with the schools policies.

Did most kids go on the skiing trip?
We have a ski trip in secondary but it's in the holidays so no disruption. Not sure if there are any residentials in term time.

I think that half went. It's extortionate! I won't be sending DS. He is in Year 2 now so don't need to worry about that for a while. But yeah. The three of us went to Greece last August for £1030, not much more in the grand scheme of things than the skiing trip!

HappyMummy, teachers get many benefits that outweigh not being able to holiday in term time. 12 weeks off a year is one of them. Not needing 12 weeks of childcare is another (if they have DCs) The rest of us get 4 weeks leave, there or there abouts. TBH teachers whining about no holidays in term time sound pathetic. That said, I still wouldn't care if the rules changed and they were alowed leave during term time.

BUT TEN BLOODY DAYS!

Re residentials in term time, it's far, far easier for teachers to plan for 30 x students off in one go than it is to plan for 15 students off in 15 individual goes. Stands to reason.

The school trips argument is a red herring here.

Signed.

I can't ever go on holiday with non-teaching friends as it wouldn't be fair to expect them to pay nearly double to accommodate me.

We have been back in school 4 weeks and already one little darling has been off for 2!

Marmelade - in your reply to Lindy, you mentioned her contract - she signed up knowing the terms and conditions so can't whinge now - but surely that applies to the pupils too? When a child starts school, the parents know that the holidays are set, and that they are supposed to ensure that their child attends school when they are supposed to.

By putting your child in school, are you not making a contract with the school, whereby you agree to abide by the school's rules, including the rules on attendance?

So if Lindy has to abide by her contract, should you not also be honouring your contract with the school?

Nope, won't be signing that.

I might have done if it was just for primary age as full attendance isn't quite so important at that stage. That's a disinterested view as my DD is in secondary and refused to let us take her out for a day in primary!

My parents were teachers and quite a lot of the time we couldn't afford to go away on holiday - so we had 'holidays at home'. The time together as a family was what was important, not the location.

The time together as a family was what was important, not the location

I agree whole heartedly

I haven't noticed any teachers on here "whingeing" about not being able to go on term-time holidays. Just a couple pointing it out, mildly under the circumstances.

SDTG, those weren't the guidelines when DS first started school. The goalposts have been shifted.

I won't sign because DD is in year 9 and her education is far more important than a trip abroad.

Marmelade- - you could argue that keeping your child in the school implies consent to the changed terms of the agreement.