Taking children out of school for holidays during term time

[jojoh1979]

Hi, I was wondering if someone can give me some advice on the school system regarding taking kids out of school for a holiday?

I have been looking at holidays for a couple of weeks online to see about how much it would be to book a holiday in the summer break. It's absolutely crazy how much the prices go up and to be quite honest we cannot afford the extra cost incurred.

For instance, booking a holiday for 10 days last year in Kos (4 adults, 2 kids) cost 4,900. The exact same holiday for this year is 6,200........................beyong belief!

If i was to request time off to go away during term time, I'm guessing this would'nt be allowed despite my kids have 98% attendance at school the last two years.

If we were to just go ahead and book a holiday regardless of one not being allowed, what kind of fine am I expected to have to pay?

I obviously do not want to take the kids out of school but the costs of a holiday are simply out of control and we would not be able to pay that kind of money.

Why take them out when they have 13 weeks already? A couple near us are unemployed and one year they their 4 kids out of school in june for a week, another week's holiday in july and another week in august. Seems like benefits go a long way for some! Tbose of us who work/worked were lucky to get one week away some years

None of that happened.

Oh yes it did, they had 3 holidays in 3 months one of which the kids were out of school! We live 3 houses away and they even told their next door neighbours about taking them out of school!

Yeah yeah yeah.
They are on full out of work benefits and they take three holidays a year.

pfft.

How big is their telly?

Massive with sky package of course!

I've just got back from a holiday in term time...took both kids out for 6 days. They are year 1 & 3. They both had 100% attendance this year and the head actually authorised it. Normal holiday, no big lie or anything.

In fact most primaries near me (lancs) are still authorizing.

Fines depend on the area. In lancashire and merseyside for example, they only kick in after 10 unauthorized sessions in a term .. Therefore if you have an inset day or take out for less than a week, then even if unauthorized, you don't get fined. My friends are head teachers who confirm this but it isn't advertised. The fine will kick in if the 10 sessions are reached in one term. I know lots who have had an unauthorized break but none who have been fined.

I think this system is completely silly and it must be changed. Our family are all overseas. Even if we could afford it, taking them to Canada isn't worth it for 5 days there (all the one-week holidays, given that they can't attend school the morning they arrive on an overnight flight). Extended family's time off is not arranged around UK school holidays (imagine!). As it stands, we lose professionally, and we lose personally, because our 6yo MUST BE IN SCHOOL.

As for data, what matters is not the strength of evidence that (chronic) absense (plus many other factors) weakens attainment- that is all completely irrelevant to cases like ours or OP's: there is no data to suggest that 98% attendance + holiday in Kos will give poorer attainment than 98.2% attendance + no holiday. In fact, strength of family bonds etc will probably help the DC's attainment. And having good home/school relationships adds too. This is undermined by current policy (even though we are aware it's not really the schools' fault; it is still very alienating).

A 10-day holiday would be, let's say 16 sessions of school (8 x 2, assuming two days of it would at the weekend). There are 340 sessions of school a year. That gives an attendance of c. 95% not 98% v 98.2 without the holiday.

Throw in a couple of days of sickness, which let's face it, most children will quite legitimately have and then you're falling well below the rates that will have long term effects.

And if your perfect child should get flu or tonsillitis, they might then find themselves well below 90%.

Why do it?

Good lord op I wish I had £5000 to spend on a holiday!!! I was just looking at 4 days in Prague for OH and I in mid August. Very good hotel with a Spa and pool and breakfast included flights etc £500 I could do it for less if I didn't have the Spa etc. It would be approx £1000 per adult for 10 days and £128 return flight from London per adult and that is in the middle of August. Eating out in Prague is very cheap and good.

If you have a budget of that much then you have no need to go away in term time use the ample 14 weeks school holidays.

I have no intention of taking a holiday in term-time, but it does irritate me immensely that so far this year DD has had to have 4 days off school: 3 strike days including this coming Thursday (my sympathy and patience is 100% exhausted unless the NUT would like to reimburse the £210 this has cost me) plus Polling Day.

If pretty much a whole week can be taken off for political purposes then I don't see why any parent should be worried about possibly doing the odd day at Legoland.

I do agree with you about schools being polling stations this should be stopped in this day and age. There are plenty of other venues that could be used. Our local school stays open on Polling Day which I think is terrible. Strangers having access to the school and the toilets when the children are in.

The Strikes no they are designed to be a pain if they were not they wouldn't make a point.

I took my reception age child out of school for a week this year, for a £300 caravan holiday. It was £1k, for the exact same holiday, the day we left because it was half term.

We booked for next year before we left, £270.

Wish I had £5k to spend on a holiday.