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.

isabella I am talking about a school that asked for a counsellor and therapist report, that was duly provided to them - at their own request, and at the time and expense of the professionals who provided them for free.

Having asked for these reports, (which I don't think they believed I would provide) ,I then had them handed them back to me as they had decided that they weren't applicable.

They were directly applicable and the therapist was appalled.

I could provide more examples, suffice to say, I do not believe that the school, or the LEA has my childs interests at heart, I do not believe by teaching my child to conform to their values I am teaching them anything except to be a sheep who does not think for themselves.

Our family has been through things that would make most peoples toes curl, and yet the LEA, the school and every one else involved from a council/government perspective, has fallen over themselves to tell us exactly why they cannot help, including our MP and our councillor.

If they had put the man hours into supporting us, that instead they have put into telling us the many, many ways they cannot help us, then I may be believe they have the best interests of children at heart, but they cannot comply with even the most basic of requests, in the most heart breaking of situations.

I have seen what happens to families in this government when they really need help - and it does not lead me to believe that they give a care about anything other than making their own official lives easy.

As long as as parents, we do the right things, then they are free to ignore us and make our lives more difficult.

I will continue to take my children out of school, to make happy memories, of sunshine and carefree parents - for as long as I AND THEIR FATHER think that is what is best for them.

I will not abide by the rules of some government official who is only interested in league tables and producing clones.

Agree with sirzy.
As a child my summer holiday was a day trip to Skegness.
We can't afford a holiday abroad in the summer hols so we stay in the uk.
Our last holiday (in July) was to Northumberland and was probably the best holiday we have ever had.

and re the home education, if I thought I was able to at the moment - I would do it in a heart beat, but I have spent so long fighting for help - I have had my confidence beaten out of me.

But sunglasses there are over 100 LEAs in Britain I'm not saying each one should have completely different holiday times.

You could do big blanket holiday areas. Maybe the North West has holiday slot A and the North East has holiday slot B (and so on and so on for the rest of the country). This would reduce the impact of differing holiday times for children and teachers but it might spread out holidays a bit for the country as a whole.

But FreckleyGirlAbroad, whether in South Yorkshire or South Norfolk, prices are hiked during summer holidays. If not 'allowed' to go during term time, for many people it won't mean the difference between Spain or the UK; it will mean the difference between a holiday or no holiday.

This is ridiculous. Stopping holidays in term time is sensible, not some terrible infringement of our rights.

Those of you who suggest that 'they' stagger the school holidays?

They already do.

England ain't the centre of the world, yunno!

Post and run, OP?

Won't sign. Holidays are not essentials and if you need on to be the "glue that binds you together" (what crap) then there is something wrong.

YABU also to misuse this topic.

I won't sign. When we decided to have a child we knew that holidays would have to change - it's part and parcel of becoming a parent. If we can't afford what we would usually do then we'll start camping (DH is alarmingly keen)/stay with family/save up and go ever other year or something.

When teachers make the decision to teach they do so knowing that they have to take the holidays during school holidays, and I would be very annoyed if my child's education was buggered up by teachers each taking 10 days off during term. Absolutely no different to parents. If holidays are so important to you then it's up to you to make provision for them, or not have a family!

so tell me in a call centre of 150 staff, all parents, all with 6 weeks holiday to take, all of whom want the school holidays of 13 weeks, mostly the summer who wins? A free for all, a rota?? No-one (I have seen that happen all leave cancelled over school summer hols as no-one could resolve it)

what about forces families, children who have suffered a major tragedy or bereavement??

children whose parents have won something

children who are ill or whose parents are diagnosed with a terminal / serious illness

these things happen every single day in this country yet we continue to advocate a heartless, one size fits all policy

Wallison - have you tried Haven? they certainly offer discounts in the holidays, yes its more than term time but we have booked 5 days in august with them for next year for £350 for the caravan

Not sure exactly what your point is there...I did home school my son for all of 2010 and as such we went away in term time because we could

Wrt your confidence, have you posted on the home ed boards?
I found them immensely helpful.

It is difficult, I believe it still should be ht discretion at primary reception till year 5. Tbh most of the families I know who have previously taken their children out was more to do with upgrading their holiday rather than not being able to afford a holiday during the summer holidays. I have found although camping is cheaper in term time it has become false economy as I then have the 6 weeks entertaining the children by myself. If there was a petition I wished to sign it would be for a maximum of 5 days.

Well I won't be signing, I don't agree with term time holidays, never have.

Very few people genuinely can't get time to go away in the holidays children have. Holidays are pricey at any time when the weather is half decent and ultimately, they are a luxury, not a right!

We've had years without holidays, no big deal! We also have always taken our holidays on the uk to keep costs down. We did camp one year and would again if that's all we could afford.

In my sons school, time is given off in temp time for exceptional circumstances.
I know someone for example who is travelling to Mexico in october to get married and taking her kids with her.
I think you can agree that your examples are exceptional?

Wallison I can no longer drive due to medical reasons but I had a good time camping earlier this year. We travelled by train with a smallish tent, sleeping bags, we use roll up mats not air beds so no pump required, small stove and pans, picnic set and clothes. Most of the equipment fits in a big holdall which I can pull along so walking from the station to cacampsite is easy. As for trips to the beach I use a big rucksack. I've camped and back packed all my life and it is doable without a car.

and there speaks someone who has no idea lifeofpo, quite seriously.

It's not even as if its a big chunk out of people's lives that holidays have to be restricted for.

You can take your child on holiday whenever you like before they get to school age, and then as soon as they've done their GCSEs they get some term time off anyway. That's 15 years out of whatever the average lifespan is, maybe 75 ish?

People need to get over the idea that a holiday is a right that they have an entitlement to.

It isn't. Holidays are a luxury.

These threads are great. They always turn into a contest to say who had the grimmest holiday in the seventies that they really enjoyed.

• Well, I had a holiday at the bottom of my garden, inside a cardboard box and it rained the whole time but it was fun.

• Well, we got the charabanc to Weston for HALF A DAY and we were allowed a pence each for the penny falls and we shared some candy floss between six of us.

• Well, my mother gave me some crayons to draw a beach and the sea and that was MY holiday in 1987 and I was GRATEFUL.

More of these please guys.

Cheers for the tip, Sirzy; I'll check them out. £350 sounds reasonable as does the price quoted for the other holiday resort that someone mentioned upthread. Why do I never find these places when I'm looking myself? Grr.

I am going to sign it. We took 3 days off at the beginning of this term. Yes we did go abroad but the whole holiday for a family of 6 cost £650 including flights. If we had come back to be home in time for the start of term it would have cost us £700 more in flights and we wouldn't have been able to go. It was our first holiday (time off from work) in over 18 months. Last year we looked at staying in this country but the price of somewhere to accommodate us and the cost of days out if the weather was bad was prohibitively expensive. We were pretty much guaranteed lovely weather and we spent time relaxing as a family and enjoying each others company without the constant beeps of emails and phones.
My children are all little and I am not sure that I would be happy taking them out at secondary but for now the experience we have had has been valuable to us and I would do it again next year.

The argument about holiday companies and airlines being to blame is flawed - its simple revenue management/supply and demand.

I'll sign, ten days is nothing and much more beneficial to a child than two weeks in a classroom: different culture/language exposure/currency if the holiday is overseas, just different and a nice break with parents if not.

I grew up in a family of teachers and could never be off in term time consequently - but we had fewer holidays as a result. Conversely, my DM used to prepare workbooks for the children in her class who were going on holiday during term time - a little diary, some maths re the currency of the country etc, geography - where's the country on a map, capital city etc. Disclaimer: this was the 70s/80s before the world had gone mad!

Sorry kinky I know England isn't the centre of the universe. The thing is over 80% of the population of the uk live in England so it has quite an impact.

My sister and her dh have always taken their kids out for the last few days of every term.
They have a holiday home in Spain.
They can afford to go later, but chose to take the kids out early so they always missed all the end of term activities and prize giving.
This isn't about LAs discriminating against parents with less money!