Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Holiday Request - Reception

63 replies

curiousmum32 · 19/09/2017 12:20

We want to take our 4 year old dd who has just started her reception to meet her ailing great grandmother and family in another country and have applied for a 4 week holiday. We couldnt go during the summer break because of my husbands surgery.
Can the school fine us or take any other action, she is not yet 5 so we thought this will be the last time we can take for such a long time out during term time.
Please share your experiences, I am really worried.
Thank you mums:)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Sweetnessishere · 19/09/2017 19:28

Am I the only person who thinks that it is being a bit dramatic to say that a 10 hour flight is too far to go for 1 week? It is entirely possible.

However if you want to go for 4 weeks then go as your DC is only 4 it won't make any difference to her education, it may make her struggle with friendship groups but I am sure she will adapt.

user789653241 · 19/09/2017 19:39

It's not so much about 10 hours, but the cost of flight, really, isn't it?. If I go to my country, it cost me around £2000 and £1000 for child, so, I wouldn't want to go for just a week and back.

ALittleMop · 19/09/2017 19:39

It's just that "it's educational" is a cliche that gets trotted out for everyone taking a sneaky trip to Magaluf/Disneyland/wherever in termtime.

Personally have I no doubt that travel broadens the mind but unfortunately insane bloody govt crackdown on attendance means that HT have no option to exercise their judgement on whether term-time trips and holidays might benefit the particular children more than time in the classroom.

You'll not get fined OP, but your DD might lose her place - or might not, you'll have to negotiate with school. I doubt it would affect her educational outcomes other than positively tbh, and I don't think friendships will be a problem either. There are often kids joining new schools and classes at random points in the year.

Wolfiefan · 19/09/2017 19:41

So you could go for a week in the holidays but you don't want to pay out?
I seriously wouldn't take my child out of school for a month. They get enough holidays. I know mine would have really struggled to settle back in after so long away.

HeadDreamer · 19/09/2017 19:42

I'm not sure why you can't do 10 hour flight in 2 weeks either. We do one every year during the Easter break for 10 days. It's a 12 hour flight. And we are back before break is over so DC has time to recover from jet lag.

10 hour flight isn't that long at all.

HeadDreamer · 19/09/2017 19:47

Have you look at Feb half term?
That's not peak season for long haul.

And where are you going that cost £2000 for an adult and is only 10hour? We can go to NZ for that

FYI we got just over £2k for Feb half term for 2 adults and 2 children for our long haul (the 12 hour place so slightly further than you). Are you booking 9 months ahead? You need to for getting the cheaper flights.

Jellybean85 · 19/09/2017 19:50

Never mind school how are the adults getting a month off work???

user789653241 · 19/09/2017 19:55

Head, it really depend on financial situation, isn't it? If you can afford to go every year, maybe two week is enough. 10+ hour flight means you would lose 2 days just for going to country to another.

HeadDreamer · 19/09/2017 20:31

I'm just questioning the cost of flights you quoted. £2k for an adult more than you will pay to go to NZ.

Liadain · 19/09/2017 20:35

teacher will be happy to provide you with work sheets etc!

As a class teacher - no I wouldn't be happy to do that, actually. I would provide a list of what we had covered. But if the parent takes their child off on a jolly, I'm not going to make up a pack of catch up work. I have enough to be doing teaching as it is.

On a separate note - you will probably manage fine with a 4 year old missing a month if you catch up on work yourself.

ALittleMop · 19/09/2017 20:49

"the teacher will provide you with worksheets"

As If and on what planet

Ankleswingers · 19/09/2017 20:55

Branleuse

I would go. She is four years old, not fourteen.

In lots of European countries they don't start school until the age of seven, so taking your child out aged four for a few weeks won't cause her any long term damage.

Completely fine.

user789653241 · 19/09/2017 21:02

I personally won't take term time holiday. It's against my personality and beliefs. I would rather pay extra than go against general rule.
But since OP's dd is still under compulsory age, and I can also understand visiting far away relative is precious thing to do, I don't think nothing against op doing it.
But expecting teacher to fill in the missed learning, I'd say you shouldn't. If you do take out your child for over a month, you should plan everything ahead and make sure there are minimum impact on your children's learning. But since summer born children are allowed to defer until later in the year, I don't think there will be too much consequence of missing part of reception year.

sirfredfredgeorge · 19/09/2017 21:02

HeadDreamer UK-NZ is a competive market with loads of capacity and possible on one stop.

There are lots of places closer that require more than one stop, or odd routings, and so little capacity and timing options that the cost is much, much higher.

MaybeDoctor · 19/09/2017 21:06

Sorry, but I'm an ex Reception teacher and agree that four weeks is too long, especially as you are not going to tack it onto a holiday. If it is important for you to go, at least minimise the impact by taking flights either side of one of the holiday breaks.

Yes, she will experience some new things by being away and you can keep up things like daily reading, but she will still miss out on all the experiences that her peers are getting. This will be on top of the time that she will invariably have off for colds, D&V, chicken pox etc. It will have an impact. It might not be a huge impact, but there will be one nevertheless.

Threenme · 19/09/2017 21:11

This is why teachers get s bad name! On my planet actually I go out of my way to build good realtionships with parents so I jolly well would take 5 minutes out of my day to print some work sheets and a set of flash cards off twinkl. Hardly taxing

user789653241 · 19/09/2017 21:14

Ha, Head, I wish I could plan and book flights months away. Having 3 consultants and hospital appointments for ds makes it so much harder to book something long ahead of time. So, yeah, maybe there might be better options, but unless my ds has better health, we have to pay max price in the normal holiday period.

Sirzy · 19/09/2017 21:15

5 minutes to print off enough work to cover 4 weeks!?

Liadain · 19/09/2017 21:17

Well, if it's hardly taxing then surely the parent can take the time to print it off themselves? They can use the list I mentioned above.

I believe in natural consequences and take the view that if your child misses school by choice (not for bereavement/illness etc), catch up is on you. I'll let the parent know the missed areas, but I've been in school with lessons prepared for the child. Not my fault if they're halfway across the world.

Threenme · 19/09/2017 21:18

Did you not read the bit about the ailing great gran?

Sirzy · 19/09/2017 21:20

Did you not read the bit about her agreeing 4 weeks was too much and admitting it was mainly to do with cost going in term time....

So it is a choice to go for so long and during term time. That is her choice to make but she can't expected the school to cater for that choice! (Not that she has said she is)

user789653241 · 19/09/2017 21:20

And I didn't want to say where, so I just quoted 10+ hours. My flight time is way longer than that.

Liadain · 19/09/2017 21:21

Ailing, not dead. (Apologies to OP, sounds harsh).

I am sure that somewhere on that long flight the OP would have a chance to look up learning activities, or can print work before/after they leave. There will be plenty of down time for the child, after all.

Personally I don't think I could find and print materials for 4 weeks in 5 mins (bearing in mind that I'd be adapting class work for individual, so many of my resources wouldn't suit). This is why I list content rather than activities.

We always hear that parents are the primary educators, which I completely agree with...well, if they take them out of my education, they can have at it then!

noenergy · 19/09/2017 21:26

I'm taking DC out of school for 2 weeks to go back to DH home country. Which takes 3 flights. We are adding on a week of half term so totalling 3 weeks.

We were going to go for 2 weeks with only a week off school but flights are too expensive. I think that is long enough so 4 weeks is too long. But since your child is very young I don't think it should b too much of a problem. It may b unsettling for your child.

Threenme · 19/09/2017 21:27

I'm clearly in the minority so I'll rephrase. Your dd's teacher may not mind, I wouldn't, some would op. And ailing not dead does sound harsh not really any point taking her to meet a relative that's passed, when it's the whole point of the trip!

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread