School and holidays during term time

[Undercarrigetrouble]

dd's school have refused us permission.
We are unable to go any other time as it is unaffordable to us also due to work commitments it is difficult to take leave during the school holidays.
dd has a great attendance record so i think they are being slightly unreasonable.
We are taking her regardless
So what will they do?

So do a different sort of holiday. We can't afford to go abroad at the moment, so we don't. It isn't an inalienable right to have two weeks in Lanzarote every year, you know! Children pick up their parent's attitudes very early and very easily. If parents don't think that school is a serious and important thing, then why should children?

as children we were taken out of school every year, twice a year. With 4 kids and just dad working there was no way we could go during school holidays. I always took school seriously as did misdee and SGK.

We havent been aboard in years but even uk holidays are 3 times as much in school holidays.

It's not always a question of a holiday in Lanzarote or at home as has been shown by this thread.
We have not been away at all for a few years. And the last time we went on a foreign holiday was our honeymoon 24years ago. We have never been overseas with our children.
And taking 2 weeks off in term time does not automatically mean that you don't think that school is unimportant. Just that, at times, a break away with your family is more important.

And thinking about it, if someone has worked all year and prefers a break in Lanzarote during term rather than a campsite in Britain in school holidays for the same cost, why shouldn't they be able to do that?

I agree with Mrz that there are certain times when it would be better/worse to take the 1 or 2 weeks if it's necessary to miss school.

"And thinking about it, if someone has worked all year and prefers a break in Lanzarote during term rather than a campsite in Britain in school holidays for the same cost, why shouldn't they be able to do that?"

This is getting to be a circular argument. Because their children are at school. Because school is important. Because children need to realize that it's important. Because when you have children you sometimes have to compromise.

As you say a circular argument.

No idea what the solution is.

I agree Seeker. I don't think anyone's going to agree on this one. Looks to me like there are two types of people answering this thread:

People who take rules seriously Vs people who are willing to break rules for their own benefit.

Interesting.

Well, hopefully the majority of heads are not overly sticklers for the rules and accept there are times when children will benefit from a holiday away with their family. More like Clumsymum's than Lisad123's.
Though why it should be up to the whim of the headteacher to decide what is better for my child(parents not to be trusted?) I'm not sure.

Thing is, I don't think it's for the children's benefit either - it's for the parents. Nowt wrong with that - parents are important too. But, once again, I think people should be honest about their motives.

interesting point on rule-keepers v rule-breakers.

As previously stated on this thread I have taken my yr 1 our of school both this academic year and last academic year.

I am not completely sure whether my main motivation is financial (I could afford to do the same holiday in school holiday time, but don't see it as value for money) or that I enjoy the time more off season without the crush of humanity. Dwelling on that thought I think the financial motivation is secondary. But I am lucky in this regard.
I certainly would not argue that it is educational, of course he gets things out of it, but it isn't school - thank god.

Back to the rule point. This is probably the ONLY rule that I break, in everything I do.

I also have no problems with the school staff, and haven't experienced any attitude from them towards me, the holiday is unapproved as that is policy. I just submit the form with the dates, I don't try to justify it - I am taking it anyway and see the form as just notifying them.

oh yes - parental benefit - ds1 would probably enjoy it more in school holiday time with more similar aged children around rather than pre-schoolers.

Seeker - so you don't think there is any benefit to children having time away with their parents? Don't you think it benefits the children if their parents benefit from the break, either?

Chasingsquirrels, I think you make some very good points about value for money and avoiding the crowds.

My attitude is that much as my children are very important as is their education I am allowed a break too and if foregoing the annual glint of sunshine was required to produce 100% attendance then frankly they could shove it up their ofsteads.
With luck my children's headteacher thinks family time is equally important to primary school children and it's a complete non issue to families with regular attendance, if only all heads could apply common sense.

I'm never sure that children actually enjoy holidays away as much as we think they do. Time with their parents, certainly, days out, trips to the beach - all that sort of thing. But actually going away....a lot of them I am sure would rather stay in their familiar home with their familiar things just with their parents there with them.

Can't prove it, of course - just a theory.

And I'm not a natural rule-keeper actually. I just think that school is a three way relationship, and if I expect my child and the school to keep their sides of the deal, then I should keep my side.

If you can get the time off in the hols, then look for alternatives to the rip-off package holiday. And go for a week instead of two weeks. Or for 10 days. Or have long weekends. You can have quality time away without spending a fortune. And May and October half terms are good times to go away without being as expensive as August.

I am not keen on people taking their kids out of school in term-time for all the reasons others have mentioned although I confess to having done it myself before May half term last year (plan was to fly to Scotland Fri eve, so needed to take son out of school at 1pm, thereby missing 2 hours of school. Then school decided to run school trip so had to miss school trip and take whole day off. Then ds had hospital appointment in morning).

umm, ds2 (3yo) certainly was like that last week when we were away. He enjoyed what we did, but didn't like being away one bit.
ds1 (6y) on the other hand loved it, but it was the 6th time we have stayed at the same place - so he knows it.

Well, I can't speak for everyone but our children have loved it when we have gone away and ask when can we go again.

my holidays with my parents are the most exciting thing in my life

there was also the time in secondary school when I got time off to go and spend a few months in an English boarding school- very exciting! (emerged with a little clutch of O-levels, too)

my nephew spent several weeks in Cambridge last year, with a private tutor, and had a brilliant time, learnt loads

they are now at us to do a return date and let dd or ds spend time at his Swedish school

but of course their English schools would never allow that

don't know why English schools are more of a 3 way relationship than Swedish ones, but there it is

And I do sometimes wonder about the '3-way relationship' as it seems to be biased towards doing what the school wants more often than not. But I suppose that's for a different thread.

"they are now at us to do a return date and let dd or ds spend time at his Swedish school

but of course their English schools would never allow that"

That's not a holiday - it's an exchange. My ds's school do a lot of them with a school in France, and my dn did a straight swap with a girl in Barcelona when she was in year 5.

We're talking about family holidays, not school trips!

Yes, exactly, it has to be an organised school trip. Organised by the school. What I had in mind was an educational trip, but arranged by us, to a linguistic area that is different from the languages taught at dcs' schools.

And our schools do not do language exchanges in Yr 5; the French taught in junior school here is minimal tbh. Dd is in Yr 7, but their only foreign trip will be a day trip to Boulogne at the end of this term: don't suppose she'll get to speak much French walking around with the whole school. They do not organise the kind of exchange trip you mention.

Also, my holidays with my parents were highly educational; I learnt more there than I ever did in history classes and got to practise foreign languages into the bargain.

Haha Seeker! Last year, when my son was 16 he dropped the bomb shell that he never enjoyed any of our holidays camping in France and would much rather have stayed at home playing with his mates! The money we could have saved....!!!