Abolish LEA fines for taking kids out of school for holidays

[KuanKaKu]

Recent times have proven that taking time away from the home for a holiday is important for families; a holiday provides much needed regrouping time, benefits the mental health and wellbeing of the whole family, provides inter-generational socialisation, access to wider cultures and events, being able to travel in term time will make holidays accessible to those who can not afford to travel during peak school holidays, and planned absence is easier for schools to manage than excess last minute 'sick days'. There are many more benefits to abolishing these fines - for genuine holidays, including the benefit on the tourism sector of demand being spread more evenly throughout the year, providing longevity of employment contracts, cheaper travel for teachers in the holidays and a more reliable income stream for tourism businesses throughout the year. PLEASE SIGN. https://chng.it/PBrrYtRCCB

planned absence is easier for schools to manage than excess last minute 'sick days’

Planned absence where a kid isn’t in school because he’s in Benidorm shouldn’t be managed at all by the school. No work should be set, and no catch-up should be organised.

You're naive if you think this will result in cheaper travel outside of school holidays. As for "planned absence " being better than sickness, how on earth is it better to have assorted children off for up to a fortnight at random different times during the year?

I do think there should be a little more flexibility (odd days tacked on where a holiday overlaps term time for example) but no way should there be a free for all and no way should the school be doing anything for kids who have just skipped off on holiday.

A petition to make teacher's jobs harder so you can have cheap holiday? No thanks OP.

A petition to make teachers who are already quitting in droves, lives even harder? Just so you can have a cheaper holiday?
Christ on a bike.

Also if you can afford skiing you can afford to pay during the school holidays, just saying.

Known absence makes it easier for the school to manage their resourcing, enabling additional one to one sessions etc..within ratios.

There would be a knock on effect to demand and supply for holidays, that goes without saying, the scale of that would only be known post abolition, obviously many people travel in August for weather related reasons and not just the fact it is the school holidays, being able to travel mid July though for those in state schools may tip demand away from August, and provide more shifts to tourism workers for a longer period of time.

Overall though it is seeing holidays as 'skipping off' that is disconcerting, the value of going away on a holiday far outweighs the school time missed, here is just one article with referenced links on this https://uk.news.yahoo.com/style/science-behind-taking-children-term-time-holiday-151510359.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFKFgF_EFfv8sSZiRE1PLkWbvVA-Gh1lxak5CXn-4VH4YNsbP89B4ccE-6AdB1lAib2UT_jwj2B3uMzo-T76k_6pFICFc4h681CANLIgjUztQzlPFO39tjshAnekkJWeDINRi0V45TxdkxjdcmbIfk6ExKymEY4IJcBa_BRSCqb3

How would you feel if we also allowed teachers to take term time holidays-so your child would have a substitute for a couple of weeks-surely you'd be able to see the benefit of that to the mental health of the teachers too?

Get a grip-I'm guessing you're expecting teachers to either supply work for your child or catch them up when they are in school?

No I'm not a teacher!

When you had children, you knew the score, same as teachers when they qualify. School holidays are more expensive-it's not right and it's not fair.

How about we have a petition to stop companies hiking prices in school holidays?

"Known absence makes it easier for the school to manage their resourcing, enabling additional one to one sessions etc..within ratios."

Would you be happy if year round you had to provide cover for 30 of your colleagues? Surely that's okay as you'd been warned it was going to happen so could plan accordingly.

Known absence makes it easier for the school to manage their resourcing, enabling additional one to one sessions etc..within ratios.

Surely by that logic the most efficient thing is to have periods of known absence for all the children at the same time, like they do now…?

The more I read, the more incredulous I become. Do you have the faintest - actually, scratch that - it's clear you do not have the faintest idea how hard it is to plan lessons for classes of 30+ children. Sickness is an absolute pain but the thought of trying to accommodate all the additional absence? School would grind to a halt. I don't take my own children in term time holidays as I value their education. And as another poster has said, I'm sure you'd be the first to complain if every teacher had the right to a term time holiday!

Quoting a 6 year old article to back up your assertions seems a bit of a stretch.

These children have lost so many days quality teaching due to the pandemic. It's more critical that absences are minimised now.

Why should a school use valuable resources because someone decides a holiday is more important?

go on holiday if you want but you can’t expect school to be able to fill the gaps for what has been missed, they simply don’t have the time and resources to do so.

Oh do bore off OP. What a ridiculous idea, do not expect any teacher to give your child any missing work. Why should they plan extra cos your kid is off? Take them out, do what you want to do but I don’t know a single teacher who will agree with this. Byeee.

How would you feel if we also allowed teachers to take term time holidays-so your child would have a substitute for a couple of weeks-surely you'd be able to see the benefit of that to the mental health of the teachers too?

I've often felt like saying this when parents want time off. A lot of them think that the school will provide them with work to do - no they won't. The work is here in the classroom.

Screams entitlement. No, no, no.

Thanks for the traffic! This petition already has plenty of momentum for anyone who is on the same page https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/658365

Also for the record I don't recall mentioning work being provided. I'm all for genuine holidays / travel experiences for all, including managed term time absence for teaching staff (sabbatical?) it's all open for discussion, with the bottom line being don't penalise parents who want to provide valuable travel experiences for their children, accept this as part of their education rather than a separate event. It's a mindset change obviously.

But when you decide to send you child to school - rather than home educate - you agree that they will attend school. If you decide to go on holiday during term time then you have to accept that a) that is disruptive to your child’s education and b) you may face consequences for the unauthorised absence.

if someone makes that choice then fair enough but don’t try to complain about the consequences of the actions.

Lol. Love the fact that the picture is of a clearly middle class holiday. Who the hell can afford a skiiing trip even out of school times.

Why no picture of the kids tucking into egg and chips at the Red Lion in Benidorm OP?

Attendance is a significant problem. There's no way the government will condone holidays to be taken in term time. There are 13 weeks a year to go on holiday. Of course, if someone wishes to home educate then they could go at any time they wish.

And if your child doesn’t get selected for the school ski trip I will take them out regardless

"part of their education"
I remember someone trying to claim that about a term time holiday to Disneyland!
It's just entitlement.

This.

I believe a headteacher should be able to authorise a holiday if its the only time that it can be taken (parents in certain industries getting time off, or for religious events for example)

But not a free for all.

Known absence makes it easier for the school to manage their resourcing, enabling additional one to one sessions etc..within ratios.
Are these additional one to one sessions to help the holiday kids catch up? So on top of the holiday, a teacher to themselves?!