Petition to tackle holiday prices in school holidays

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petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226515/sponsors/new?token=PNpep4mVeQ9WPLw0WUsu

Please sign my petition if you agree with it. I’m asking for the government to change school holidays so they’re different throughout the country. There will be crossovers of course but by spreading out when schools have holidays will spread holiday demand and should lower holiday prices for families. Why should families, who pay more than couples anyway, have to pay 3 times more? We are held to ransom as we have no choice except feel like bad parents taking the kids out of school to get a reasonable deal. Families deserve nice holidays without getting into debt. Why do we all put up with it? The holiday companies can’t do anything about it as they respond to the marketplace like any other industry so school holidays changing is the only way to reduce the cost of holidays. I hope you will support this. It may seem unachieveable and a dream but all changes start somewhere. I believe some European countries spread school holidays out throughout the country. If holidays were the same for the schools within each county but staggered throughout counties as much as possible then this could change the landscape for family holidays for us and our kids and their kids. Life is expensive enough with kids why should parents be penalised for keeping the human race going. Surely travel is important to children’s upbringing to make them rounded confident people as well as having quality time as a family away from the stresses of home. Also wouldn’t it be better economically if people leaving the country and being off work was more spread out? I hope you can open the link to sign. It can be found on the government website for petitions if not. Look for heading’ to legally change school holidays in each county in U.K. so they are different. Please support this and let’s get fair prices for holidays

don’t know why we have to have our finances dictated by fixed school holidays. This can only change by taking to parliament for debate.

Since when has the government dictated when schools choose to take holidays? Most school are academies - the head/governors decide.

Families pay more because there are more of them Looks like the op is gone fishing.

Tried here, was a nightmare.

1. Siblings in other schools with different holidays so couldn't holiday without taking a child out.
2. Teacher retention was a problem because their children had different holidays- not just teachers but TAs, cleaners etc.
3. No holiday clubs so parents who worked couldn't get childcare
4. Activities (NT, library, English Heritage etc) all planned around traditional holidays so not on when dc off.
5. Having to drag children out of bed when siblings on holiday.

The only people it benefited were parents with one child who did not need childcare.

How many petitioners does it take to change a lightbulb?

Just kidding, petitioners don't change anything...

In France they stagger it according to zones, but people pretty much all go to their local schools so there aren’t boundary issues. And it seems to just be staggered for February half term (2 weeks) and Easter. (2 weeks). They get 8 weeks in the summer.

vacances-scolaires.education

Prices of holidays are discounted in the off peak weeks when they are harder to let/sell. Not raised in the holidays. Its all relative and business will average it over the year. Supply and demand m'duck OP.

I think after saying bye 10 times Sarah finally took her ball and went home.

My DC's school has different term times to most of the rest of the local schools (eg we finish earlier for summer and go back earlier for the new year). It's a PITA to be honest - there are no summer activities for the first two weeks of the holiday and there are loads of fun things going on when they are back at school. If we relied on summer camp type childcare we'd be screwed

Titchy-only in secondary is that the case. It’s about a third of secondary schools that are LA but about 3/4 of primary schools are.

Maybe op is setting up a new petition? Send those mumsnet bitches to Maui. We deserve it.

Ooh we do. I’d love Maui.

I want to know how families are subsidising couples at the moment but I fear op has gone.

German school holidays are staggered to be spread over 3 months, approx mid June to mid Sept. The reason has little do do with holiday pricesfor parents and more to do with keeping traffic and infrastructural issues to a minimum. Bavaria always gets the latest holidays - from Aug to mid Sept, traditionally so the kids can help out at the harvest, though that's not relevant for most these days.
I think the overall price hike is less extreme than in the U.K., but it does often stay high for the whole summer period.

German school holidays are staggered to be spread over 3 months, approx mid June to mid Sept. The reason has little do do with holiday pricesfor parents and more to do with keeping traffic and infrastructural issues to a minimum. Bavaria always gets the latest holidays - from Aug to mid Sept, traditionally so the kids can help out at the harvest, though that's not relevant for most these days.
I think the overall price hike is less extreme than in the U.K., but it does often stay high for the whole summer period.

Oops, apols for double post.

"Titchy-only in secondary is that the case. It’s about a third of secondary schools that are LA but about 3/4 of primary schools are"

However an awful lot of primaries are VA, and they have always been able to set their own term dates. That's about 1/4 of all schools, isn't it? Then all the new academies in the last 20 years or so. They have to provide 190 days to pupils, but can choose when.

So why has there been little change to the trad term dates, and relative lengths of holidays? The factors (secondary term dates being tied in with the public exam timetable, not wanting to disrupt families by having wildly different school dates for different age DC) perhaps outweigh the spreading the peak for holidays, changing the costs for some holidaymakers.

In my area all secondaries & most primaries are Academys.

Even academies need to set around same exam periods though.

Great idea OP.

I’ll have six weeks starting at the end of July, the whole of August and a week in September. You could have, say, the end of January, all of February and a week in March?

Enjoy!

I don't think this was OPs first petition you know. This one sounds strikingly familiar in tone:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226309

I think Parliament have more important things to deal with. We are going to Hell in a handcart and you are bitching about holiday prices. Well next year it is going to be much much more expensive, the way things are going.

Yes. The academies have all kept the traditional holidays. The only schools round her thatvare slightly different are the catholic ones who tend to break up later at Easter so the kids are in school for Holy Week stuff.

Ha ha at the body shaming petition.

Is it that easy to start a petition? Can you do one an hour? About anything?

There was also one requesting the Government make Aldi start selling petrol "because Aldi is cheap and petrol isn't".

Yes, people can create petitions about anything they like.

(They do get vetted and approved/rejected accordingly though. Sadly you won't be seeing Government-enforced cut price Aldi fuel anytime soon though)

There was also one requesting the Government make Aldi start selling petrol "because Aldi is cheap and petrol isn't"