Missing a week during highers year?

[Caplin]

So, we have promised the kids since before Covid that we would go back to Disney world in Florida. Then Covid….anyway, it never happened.

Planned Easter 2025 trip, but just realised we can’t as eldest will be sitting her Nat 5s straight after Easter. Can’t mess them up!

We toyed with July, but being pasty Scots (with one red head) we aren’t good in the heat and don’t want to spend all that money to be stuck in the heat in queues.

Now toying with Oct 2025, which is when we have been in the past and it is fab, taking a few days either side of half term to give us 2 weeks. It means eldest will lose a week in her highers year, but hoping it leaves plenty time to catch up. Youngest will be in S1 so less fussed.

Does it make us awful parents? Are we going to mess up her studies? She is bright, great attendance normally (98% plus).

Really I wouldn't. Highers are hard enough as it is.

Although you could ask the school and see what they think. But you'd always question yourself if they failed or didn't get the expected grades.

Illness is one thing; taking them out for a holiday is something else. They have at least one week's holiday in October and some schools have two. Work will be expected to be done during the break. I have rarely known pupils, who go on holiday during their Highers, do as well as they could and I've taught for a long time. My cousin took her two to Florida after the Easter holiday and both children did badly in their Highers.

Bad idea. The high r curriculum is intense and missing a week isn’t worth it.