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Petitions and activism
Original poster

Petition - Allow 10 days term time leave without punishment

115 replies

Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 18:02

Please sign & share the petition 🙏https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700047

This is to oppose the current punitive legislation around term time leave. Families need leave for a variety of reasons. Please join us on the FB group - Protest to fight school fines & on tiktok.

Petition: Allow parents to take their children out of school for up to 10 days fine free.

We’re seeking reform to the punitive policy for term time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families. No famil...

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700047

OP posts:
ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:04

swashbucklecheer · 02/12/2024 18:59

Nope I'm not catching your kid up with 2 weeks work because you fancied a cheap holiday.

This.

Original poster
Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:07

This is NOT about cheaper holidays!!
This is about SEND children that cannot access busy places, families that work seasonal jobs/being told when they can have AL, parents that need to visit family overseas. This CANNOT be done in the "13 weeks school holidays" every time, life happens!

And teachers do not have to play catch up, most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps...not all parents are stupid!

The narrow mindedness of people is shocking!

OP posts:
ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:10

"most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps..."
How? How will they know which gaps need filling, without wanting a detailed list of what was missed?
More work for teachers.
No thanks.

Owmyelbow · 02/12/2024 19:12

One of my top set year 10s went off for a 2 week family holiday a month ago. I went to extra work to provide everything needed for her to catch up. She's done none of it and was having a strop and refusing to work today because she didn't understand the work because of it. Very few kids will actually try to catch up on missed work. So no. Not signing it

Original poster
Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:13

MissRoseDurward · 02/12/2024 18:42

Why don't you petition the holiday companies to set fairer prices?

Do you understand how supply and demand work?

parents who take their dc out of school for holidays, I hope you don't complain if dc aren't chosen for a team, or a leading role in the play, or anything that involves representing the school? Schools want people who will reliably be there for training, matches, rehearsals, performances etc.

This isn't about cost. Cost is a very small factor, there are several other issues which prevent families from accessing quality family time!
And not only that, it's supply and demand. Govt can't get involved with that!
Parents are being criminalised for making the best decisions for their children/family.

OP posts:
Anotherworrier · 02/12/2024 19:13

Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:07

This is NOT about cheaper holidays!!
This is about SEND children that cannot access busy places, families that work seasonal jobs/being told when they can have AL, parents that need to visit family overseas. This CANNOT be done in the "13 weeks school holidays" every time, life happens!

And teachers do not have to play catch up, most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps...not all parents are stupid!

The narrow mindedness of people is shocking!

I signed it for a cheaper holiday. Why make everything about sen?

Original poster
Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:14

MeThinksTime · 02/12/2024 18:37

You have 13 weeks of holiday time a year to take kids away.

It's the holiday companies you should be focusing on as it's the high costs that are driving this issue.

This is NOT about holidays, please actually look into it before spouting a load of rubbish...

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 02/12/2024 19:14

And teachers do not have to play catch up, most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps...not all parents are stupid!

Why have teachers at all then? I am far from stupid but I can't do the job of a teacher, I send my DC to school to learn from people trained and qualified to do it

Original poster
Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:16

Anotherworrier · 02/12/2024 19:13

I signed it for a cheaper holiday. Why make everything about sen?

Show quote history

It's not just about SEN, but people that want cheaper holidays is not the focus of our campaign. I understand why people want a cheaper holiday and get it 100%, but there are far more pressing issues.

OP posts:
ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:17

OK, well while you're at it, can you please add in to the petition that all school staff can also take 2 weeks term-time holiday a year too, please? At a random time of their choosing?

NotAScoobyDoo2 · 02/12/2024 19:21

I couldn't sign this. One or two days, occasionally at the end of term and a school will turn a blind eye (it's amazing how many people have dentist appointments, sickness bugs just before the holidays).

If a precedent was set for this, it would be a nightmare for schools to manage and actually parents would have to work with their kids on holiday. The lower ability children would end up falling so far behind with this as well.

Original poster
Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:23

OctopusFriend · 02/12/2024 18:39

Not this again. A holiday is a privilege not a right.
Some people are very entitled.

😂

OP posts:
Tess150 · 02/12/2024 19:23

I'm with you OP, mine had some amazing holidays - travelling around Cuba, going to Mexico and climbing Coba, swimming in bioluminescence. What he would have done in school would have paled into significance. Nobody had to catch him up - he was only at primary school and just joined back in with whatever was going on. The school just happily marked him down as sick!

Of course that was back in the day before Ofsted became obsessed with attendance and practically the only reason you could have a day off was if one of your parents died. The problem is the kids who are more out than in at secondary school, particularly from Yr 9 onwards, not kids having the odd bit of time off here or there at primary. Up until Yr 9 there is a lot of repetition of similar stuff with a bit of an extension all through school.

Westofeasttoday · 02/12/2024 19:25

Hell no. Emphatic no.

If there is an emergency or serious extenuating circumstances then a conversation with the school would be fine.

Otherwise in my opinion you shouldn’t take your kids out of school when school is on. No matter if a holiday is cheaper, no matter if “it’s a great experience” for then (same experience will still be great in holiday time, no matter that they will “catch up” etc.

it is seriously unfair to the teacher, other children and school that have to catch a kid up.

i also personally think it’s the wrong message to kids.

SmolTrashPanda · 02/12/2024 19:27

No thanks. School attendances are awful currently and this just seems to be another part of the rising anti-intellectualism in this country. Kids need to be in school learning. Sitting around a pool eating chicken nuggets in Spain isn't doing anything for them.

ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:27

Right, so your high-end expensive "swimming in bioluminescence" trips are OK. What about a week at Butlins for the poorer kids?

Westofeasttoday · 02/12/2024 19:27

user6476897654 · 02/12/2024 18:30

10 days would be a two week school absence - thats a lot to catch up on for both child and teacher. Imagine the chaos if every child out of 30 did this!
I get holidays are expensive, but thats the deal when you start a family.

And (understanding this is controversial) - it isn’t your God given right to go on a holiday abroad every year.

Dontcallmescarface · 02/12/2024 19:28

Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:07

This is NOT about cheaper holidays!!
This is about SEND children that cannot access busy places, families that work seasonal jobs/being told when they can have AL, parents that need to visit family overseas. This CANNOT be done in the "13 weeks school holidays" every time, life happens!

And teachers do not have to play catch up, most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps...not all parents are stupid!

The narrow mindedness of people is shocking!

Not to mention children of blended families whose NRP and step family live in a different LEA which doesn't have the same half-term dates as the RP. It was either DD missed a week of school or she didn't get a holiday with her dad.

ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:29

"it isn’t your God given right to go on a holiday abroad every year."

What, not even if it's Cuba or Mexico?

OctopusFriend · 02/12/2024 19:30

Parker231 · 02/12/2024 18:58

Why - that’s the parents role if they take them out of lessons.

Show quote history

You cannot let a member of your class lag behind. They all have to be prepared for assessments etc

OctopusFriend · 02/12/2024 19:31

swashbucklecheer · 02/12/2024 18:59

Nope I'm not catching your kid up with 2 weeks work because you fancied a cheap holiday.

This 💯 %

ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:32

"You cannot let a member of your class lag behind. They all have to be prepared for assessments etc"
It's not as clear-cut as that.

RosieLeaf · 02/12/2024 19:33

No - you want to disrupt their education, you pay the fine. If everyone had ten days off, the class would be a riot, why should others wait while teachers play catch up with kids who’ve been off.

ILoveAnnaQuay · 02/12/2024 19:33

ChimneyRock · 02/12/2024 19:27

Right, so your high-end expensive "swimming in bioluminescence" trips are OK. What about a week at Butlins for the poorer kids?

Exactly! It's always the middle classes who are claiming that their holidays are educational. I live on the Suffolk Coast, we have bioluminescence here in the summer. But no one is claiming that a holiday in a caravan park in Felixstowe is educational, even if we do have bioluminescence.

It's classist shit.

OctopusFriend · 02/12/2024 19:34

Natbat87 · 02/12/2024 19:07

This is NOT about cheaper holidays!!
This is about SEND children that cannot access busy places, families that work seasonal jobs/being told when they can have AL, parents that need to visit family overseas. This CANNOT be done in the "13 weeks school holidays" every time, life happens!

And teachers do not have to play catch up, most parents are perfectly capable of filling in the gaps...not all parents are stupid!

The narrow mindedness of people is shocking!

  1. Responsible parents find calm and otherwise appropriate holidays for children with AEN.
  2. Getting leave and visiting family overseas can't be done in the 13 weeks? Really?
  3. Teachers are measured on the success of the students. If one of mine misses a topic because they were in Tenerife, yes I do have to catch them up.