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.

Leaving aside the idea that people who do not agree with marmalade or do not post in ways she finds acceptable are "simple" -
My kids go to school during term time.
We go on holiday and days out during the holidays. There are 14 weeks holidays per year.
It's pretty simple really. We holiday in the uk. We are saving for a big trip in a few years when ds1 is 16 after his GCSEs.
I know parents who have taken their kids out but then expect the teachers to give them work to do in holiday (so what's the bloody point going in holiday?) or repeat work covered when they return.
Fact is some people think that they are "special" and that rules should not apply to them.
'twas ever thus.

Is it so essential you have to take your DC out of school for the holiday, oh sorry, educational activity snowmummy? I would suggest that it might be your interest, going by your user name, and you have the need to justify skiing as an educational activity.

Why would you leave me to it? I didn't set it up.

Poverty of thought... quite wordy. Well done! Certainly beats "boohoo"!

beat me to it snowmummy maybe they were secretly hoping my the the 'child' would pay for thems selfs! its only 4-17

whenshe 'cut your cloth accordingly ' ?? yes us lowley peasants have to save for years! years! I tell you to let little jonny go on holiday at least im politically correct! Maybe you will never be able to afford it due to constant inflation.....

Are you seriously never going on holiday/break inbetween?

I took dd to florida when she was 10, didn't get in to debt. Took her in term time, we had a blast.

mummymeister sorry you are stuck with having to work your kids holidays. I guess if holidays were staggered that wouldn't help matters for you.
Would your employer just ask you tell you to work in your kids allocated holiday time or do you think staggering would help?

YABU, if you dont agree with school dates them home ed and dont enroll. Its like taking a job knowing leave in x month is banned and then moaning.

Children have thirteen weeks and 52 weekends, plenty of time for trips etc. Holidays are not essential.

Teachers have to spend time catching up or repeating work, children get behind and some even expect the teacher to provide them with work whilst away.

There is nothing educational that cant be done outside term time.

How many looked at the Ofsted and results when choosing a school but then quite happily take term time leave which will impact at the next Ofsted.

No bowlers I don't have to take them out, I choose to because its an enrichment activity that I choose to offer them because we enjoy it. Why should we not have some choice/discretion as to what we offer our children other than what the government prescribe? Is that so wrong? And of course any physical education is educational!

acer sorry I didn't know "cut your cloth accordingly was somehow offensive. It's something I apply to my life.

You are right we probably will have a few holidays before the Florida trip. But these will be camping / self catering. Since 2010 we haven't had a holiday other than staying with family. I don't feel like the family has suffered for it.

Staggering holidays seems to be the answer. Our LA set the Easter holiday the week before all the neighbouring LAs. That meant that when the newspaper deals came out there was availability in that first week because everyone else was at school.

10 days off for a holiday. 5 days off for whatever bug they pick up in the winter, another few days here and there for inevitable ailments.

That's easily a month off school. Over 10% of the statutory 190 p/a.

Families of returning service personnel, those who've suffered trauma/bereavement will still be allowed to take 'holiday' (although I'd argue it was compassionate leave rather than holiday).

YABU.

Sorry Wallinson but I have to pick up on your post. Neither my husband or myself drive but for the last 12 years we have managed to have great camping holidays all over Scotland along with my son and our 2 large dogs using public transport. Not only island and beach holidays but city breaks as well. Never had to huddle in a tent cold as always go prepared and never had to teleport between transport, camp sites and days out.
In response to the petition No I wont be signing as I feel that 2 weeks out of my childs high school education for a nice holiday is a joke. In English alone you can cover 1 book in that time never mind the 10 other classes he is doing.

It should go back to the Head's discretion. There was nothing wrong with that system, why on earth did it need to be changed? How often did kids actually go away for the full 10 days?

That petition is a bit pap, but I see what they are saying. I think the fines etc are a load of bollocks, and will cause a lot more trouble in the long run.

badvoc names have been thrown about on both side...
Not every one wants to holiday in the UK, you might have a passion for it, others don't.
Its fine if you want to wait till your child is 16 before having a big holiday, I wanted to show my DD while she was a child.
I didn't think me or DD was 'speshul' I just did my best for her...if it was a choice between going to Cairo museum to see tutankhamun relics or a camp site in wales, Cairo (even though it was a shit hole) wins hands down all the time so glad I did as its turbulent there now

Its not about the one off holiday though is it? Its about trying to stop the families who go every year. Whilst 10 days absence in one year might not make a huge difference times that by the number of years the child goes to school for and that is a hell of a lot of time off school.

People aren't just using it to go on foreign or educational holidays where they will learn about a new culture etc what educational value has a fortnight in Disney world Orlando? Or a fortnight in Spain sat by the pool? Nothing wrong with any of those holidays but to suggest that they are educational is s joke.

Staggering holidays doesn't always work though.

We live on county boundaries. DD2 is in our village primary, DD1 is in our nearest secondary, 2 different counties.

My DH has his leave allocated to him so it's not always a case of "cutting your cloth" or "going camping".

Next year his leave straddles the May half term so we're taking them out for 1 day - DH has to be back at work on the Friday

And as for the fines - the holiday is £2k cheaper if we leave after school on the Thursday and miss school on the Friday than if we went on the Saturday. Financially, it still makes sense to take them out and swallow the fine

And, we've never done it before, their attendance is excellent. Heads of both schools have said they'd have granted the 1 day leave in a heartbeat if they could.

Not every one wants to holiday in the UK

So, now it's not just having a holiday it's having a foreign holiday that is important. Small children don't care. I spent every single holiday until I was 13 in Cornwall. It was still a holiday and was fabulous.

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHopeful Wed 11-Sep-13 15:05:08

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.

But most aren't talking about a holiday within the UK, so therefore you may up less than 1% of the world's population. A very insignificant number when it comes to 'the price of school holiday vacation prices'.

I can see two sides to this but I won't sign sorry. I work full time and have to squeeze my annual leave to cover school holidays as they are so my ds isn't in club too much. Also I think that it would disrupt the class. The teacher would be catching up constantly!
Lets face it if this was approved and never would be, I doubt, the holiday companies would just hike the prices all year round!

the holiday is £2k cheaper

Sorry, that should have said £1k.

The wording is crap but I agree he's acts should have discretion to authorize it, ours have done preciously as my partner cannot take leave in school holidays.

This time they are saying it will be unauthorized but they won't fine us! It looks worse on the school for it to be unauthorized and we have a letter from my partners employer stating the leave restrictions but they are just quoting the new law at us! I ahev found local authority guidliens which star exceptional circumstances which can include parental leave restrictions! I am awaiting their response.

Oh and we don't go abroad, not that it matters bit we do cheap sled catering holidays for a week in the UK. So five days off school, I woudln ask for them days, a week is long enough for a break.

kinky I do see your point that England makes up a very small percentage of the world population. The thing is when you open a holiday brocher the prices do go up significantly around English holiday times. So there is quite an effect (disclaimer I've not looked in a holiday brocher for years but I'm assuming you still get the same big hike ups around hol times).

I can see why you were pissed off with people forgetting about the rest of the uk. It must piss you off no end. Sorry about generalising everything to English ways.

I have signed it. Holidays should be your choice. I took my child out of the last week of his school nursery and we really did have a lovely holiday with two sets of grand parents that he will never forget. I did not do it for the rest of his primary nor intend to in secondary. Holidays in term time should be discouraged but if there are valid reasons should be allowed. We are becoming a nanny state. Holidays can be more educational and an ideal learning experience rather than being stuck in a classroom.

I've signed.