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.

you said 'I'd rather go on holiday with Robert Mugabe rather my parents', to which I responded 'that kinda says a lot about you and your parents', which is does - I certainly wouldn't compare going on holiday with my mum to vacationing with a vile dictator, but each to their own. I'm merely trying (badly, it seems) to make the point that holidays with parents don't automatically stop once your children hit 16.

I'm sure one child missing 2 weeks is no big deal for them to catch up on but wouldn't letting all kids have an extra 10 days off be a nightmare for teachers.

The whole of June could be pointless as a teacher could have 10-20% of his/her class off at any one time. So it would affect the education of the children on holiday and the rest of the class as well.

Oh. Well. I WAS joking.

MNHQ, did you not get the message I sent to you about the possibility of a joking font?

Even when our school allowed 10 days discretionary leave, it was rare for more than one child to be off at a time in any year.

I know this because the head told me. She said that not as many parents took the leave as you would think.

I don't necessarily agree nothing is missed in 2 weeks. Some topics (especially maths and English) are only covered for 1 or 2 weeks a year/term so you could miss a block of work easily

If it became policy across the whole of the uk for every child to be allowed 10 days off I bet the numbers of kids off would increase quite dramatically.

It WAS policy, until the new regulation came into place this month, for most schools. :)

that is an old fashioned view, these days, with early booking disocunts and cheap flights its cheaper to book early

Oh yes. It IS funnier the more you say it. My mistake.

Seriously were parents officially allowed to take their kids out of school for 10 days a year?

I thought any abscence was strongly discouraged (as is doesn't look good on the Ofstead report).

For us, it isn't about the cost. we are both self employed and cannot take holidays in school holiday time. no discretion, nothing to do with prices we cannot do it. neither can the staff (8 people) that we employ. if we want to holiday with our kids we either have to do the odd weekend here or there or take them out of school during term time. alternatively one of us takes them away in school holidays but we would never get away as a family. in the past we have asked the school/schools our DC's are at what would be the best time to go and the least disruptive to their work. the school suggest a date/week/2 weeks and this is what we took. Attendance for my kids never fell below 95%. but because of Ofsted and Mr Gove we no longer have the right to a family life of time away from work together with our children. we are not alone in this. those of you who are saying "ehh just suck it up and get on with it" need to look back at this thread in a years time. I have been doing a lot of research on this. Holiday companies can see that their income will drop massively in May, June, early July and Sept. they have to cover this they are businesses not charities. to do this they will be hiking prices in school holidays. not by a bit but by masses. this is a fact. You may not believe me but just wait until January/Feb when you start looking to book your holiday. if you work in a place where > 8 people have kids then someone isn't going to get school summer holidays off are they. as I have said before. common sense needs to break out. I don't want to break the law and get fined but neither do I want never to go away as a family again. I am fed up of being told on the one hand to take responsibility for the parenting of my children whilst on the other being told how to do it by laws like this. have written to my MP and Mr Gove about the economic impact and await their response. and those of you saying they want to see holidays in school holiday made cheaper then why on earth aren't you signing this because this law will make holidays in school hols much more expensive. holiday companies are businesses not charities.

I think that most schools were given the power to grant 10 days leave at the head's discretion.

And the two heads that I know preferred it that way and thought it worked well as a system.

It is interesting that most of the people against the old system are the ones who seemingly were deprived of holidays as children.

Clearly not lifeofPo otherwise that would be a whole other thread. its not life and death clearly but does anyone honestly think that those who couldn't give a monkeys about their kids education and take them out of school one day a week "sick" will suddenly care. or that those who can afford the fines will care.

YANBU

I've signed up. It shocking the price hike. Its actually cheaper to pay the fine than pay the over inflated prices.

Holidays are becoming a thing for well off family's. Taking my DD to see wonderful sights over the world was important, it wasn't just about sitting around a pool, but that would have been unaffordable to us at the time as I was a working single parent.

Who as got the right to suggest every fucker goes camping in summer how very limiting.

It never did my DD1 any harm, she never fell behind with her studies and has been all over the world. Travelling IS enriching. If you want to spend every year in cornwal, then rock on but it not for every body, any way even British holidays rocket over term time, so are we dammed to be a nation of fucking campers because the majority cant afford the piss take prices.

Oh sorry. Have I upset someone's PO PC sensibilities?

indeed!