Allow students to be taken out of school for two weeks a year without penalty

[Kalevala]

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/658365

"Families face school fines for taking their children out of school to go on affordable holidays. This can be a particular issue for low-income families, and families with children that have additional needs, who want or need to avoid busier and more expensive periods."

Teachers should get at least 5 days off allowed in term time. Yes, you could argue that it is a nightmare to cover classes but that is also true with teachers are off sick with stress or stress related illnesses. They should be able to attend their own children’s school events and just to go away when prices aren’t sky if they want.

There was a thread recently about someone wanting to take their daughter out of school for two weeks for a "holiday of a lifetime".
It turned out to be 2 weeks at Disney World.

@LochKatrine the government could easily increase funding for schools, teachers shouldn't be suffering because of poor government policy.

Parents would be fine - they want to take their kids out of school but teachers can't go? Makes sense

If your child is bright then in reality a missing week/two week period is not going to have a significant impact.

Not every child is bright though. Some children struggle to keep up with the pace of learning as it is.

So parents don't take them out of school? It's that easy

School funding increased? I couldn't agree more. However, the first thing I would do with extra funding would be to reduce class sizes and reintroduce good support for children with AEN, rather than facilitate family holidays. The former result would be a reduction in teacher stress, the latter continue the issue of catching children up.

@LochKatrine teachers deserve to be able to take holidays too you know?

As this thread shows, plenty of parents are prepared to prioritise their need for time in the sun over their children’s education. There has to be some kind of rule/policy on absence and you can’t legislate that the bright children get authorised holiday but the average children don’t.

Eh? Did I suggest teachers didn't deserve holidays?!
I've been a secondary school teacher for more than 30 years. I know full well what we deserve!

So only clever children need holidays! Right that makes sense.

Therefore, to make it fair, parents take them at some point in the 13 weeks holiday.

Kids who need more term time can holiday in the holidays. Why should all kids be the same? The term is too long for some SEN kids.

Maybe Teaching Assistants pay should reflect that they are I able to take holiday during term time

Or maybe parents should just be able to take children out of school for a holiday whenever they want, rather than just two weeks. Such a petition would actually make more sense to me. Often a "holiday" isn't a holiday. I have known parents driving the length of the country in the middle of the night to get a child back to school after a family funeral, rather than pay a fine.

Teachers work and support kids who have missed school due to illness. They can’t be expected to do so for those who miss school through choice.

OP - How would it work - in a class of 30 in the summer term you might well have a could chunk missing. If you were introducing new content or having in assessment would you carry on if 5 kids were missing, 10, 15? If 10 were missing would the remaining 20 do a less important lesson or would they repeat the important lesson twice? Or would the missing kids catch up at another time, if so when and how?

If you can’t present a plan as to how this would work without disrupting other kid’s education then you shouldn’t be promoting this daft idea.

All of this.

Also - can teachers start taking off 2 weeks a year in term time too? Got a feeling that wouldn't be as popular...

This can be a particular issue for low-income families, and families with children that have additional needs

Oh great, you're advocating to allow these kids to have their education disproportionately impaired.

The argument that term time holidays are needed to improve kids language skills and cultural experience is nonsense.
We all know that most of these holidays are sunshine beach holidays in places where everyone speaks English. These holidays are about fun and relaxation and they are luxuries, not essential.
If you are interested in culture there is masses in this country, many museums are free. You can camp or do day trips if money is tight. Harder work for parents but kids love it!

It is the Department for Education that make the rules, not Osted or a headteacher.

The guidance is here. Preventing holidays is not the reason for the guidance. The need for the rules are because attendance has not recovered post pandemic. Secondary school absence is over 10% (primary less).

Attendance at school is directly linked with educational outcomes. Low attendance, lower outcomes.
Absence is a safeguarding risk.
Both aspects are overall, not necessarily your individual family, but generally across all children.

Reading the guidance will support parents to see the serious issues at play, more important than a holiday or costs associated.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65f1b048133c22b8eecd38f7/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance__applies_from_19_August_2024_.pdf

Yes, I know about the DfE guidance. Of course, my DD always had 100% attendance because I was a teacher and she loved school. Attendance has been an issue since long before Covid. Some extremely anxious children, including those who are neurodivergent, are not well enough to attend school full time, but there is no flexibility because of the Holy Grail of Progress 8 and achieving Ofsted-mandated attendance targets. I know numerous adults who struggled to attend school full time but still achieved top grades. It’s not a one size fits all.

Angelus - non of that has anything to do with a petition encouraging parents to take kids off school for two weeks for a holiday though.

I think the error you've made is focusing on the holidays, OP.

I'm all for removing the penalties. There are plenty of countries with no immediate financial penalties - that does not mean carte blanche for school non attendance!

The main issue is that the penalty system is inflexible and unfair, and should be scrapped.

Would the children then be put into two weeks' summer school, so they receive their allotted number of weeks of education? Or should it be that those children whose parents can afford a two week holiday (presumably abroad) should be awarded an extra two weeks holiday per year?

And when did a holiday become a right, and not a privilege?

This is the thing, everyone views a holiday as a right these days. You don't have a right to go abroad for two weeks every year, it's a luxury.

I don't really understand it, this only became a thing when the fines were introduced. Before that most people weren't bothered about a holiday. I've also noticed the ones who are most angry about it are those who never went on holiday before the fines anyway

Do we know that term time travel absences are sitting around the pool? Do we have that information? Among the people I know, it's usually visiting family in Asia or on the continent.

Why does mumsnet think culture=museums?

@LameBorzoi let's be real most of it is a week or two in Benidorm, Malaga, the Canary Islands etc., places where the most culture they will get is the signs in the airport.

Maybe if the family could prove it's an educational trip then far