Independent schools having a longer summer holiday

[CruCru]

I know it's a bit random but a friend's son goes to the American School in London and is breaking up in a week or two. Given that most schools break up towards the end of July, do you think that some people would assume that kids with very long summer holidays are truanting? For instance, do policemen know about certain schools having long holidays (I remember my brother being told to go to school by a policeman when he was on his way to the dentist)?

Nobody has ever mentioned anything to me or my children.

An important thing to remember is that there is usually almost exactly the same amount of teaching hours done over the year compared to the state sector but sometimes the days are longer or they also have Saturday school (or both like my eldest!) and so that's why the holidays start earlier and there's 2 week in half term in October.

I had another parent ringing me, just checking it was OK for my child to walk to the shop during school hours. In a nice way though.

I think most people are aware that most private schools have longer holidays, particularly in the Summer. I would have thought if you were stopped by the police, the first question they would ask was the name of the school attended. Local police would know the local schools.
I think it unlikely that this would happen though given the number of parents and kids that always seem to be in our local shopping centre in term time - I have never seen any of them stopped.

My DD and her friend once got stopped in town, in a City with a number of private schools. They said "we broke up on Saturday" and that was that.

I think back in my hometown you'd get funny looks and people asking "shouldn't you be in school?!", along with policemen/woman stopping you to check that you weren't truanting, but where I am now you wouldn't. There are lots of home edders, indie schools and private schools where I am now, and it's a holiday destination, so people are used to kids being around.