Unauthorised school absences

My parents took me out of school once as they had won a holiday in America. I still have the school report that states I had been unable to grasp a specific maths concept due to missing school because of this holiday.
Actually I was just really rubbish at maths.

I think the education, experience and knowledge gained by going to different cultures outweighs the fact of being in a classroom for those days. Truancy is another matter

JaneJudge

LailaAnn, also it may be easier for people whose children have SEN to take holidays in quieter periods anyway, rather than in high season.

I thought that too.

What I mean is that I used to believe that it was always best for a child to be in school, but that changed for me when bringing up an autistic grandchild. School kept saying she was fine in school when clearly she wasn’t. I stopped believing them. We didn’t fly off on holiday but I did take her on the train to Skegness when she should have been on an educational trip into London. I knew it would be too much for her and school would not make any adjustments. We had a lovely day on the beach and I have no regrets!

LailaAnn, also it may be easier for people whose children have SEN to take holidays in quieter periods anyway, rather than in high season.

We always took our children on holiday during term time, no fines then. my son is a senior solicitor in London and my daughter is in management. We never took them away from senior school, only primary, it certainly didn’t seem to harm their learning!

I think something which has changed is that it used to be cheap to go out of school holiday time and ‘normal’ price to go in school holidays. My impression is that it is now really expensive to go in school holidays - i.e. charging luxury or premium prices for the times when families can go away, when it is normal to go away - seems like holiday companies being greedy. Of course, from a sane, climate change point of view I would love to see people taking fewer holidays involving all that flying to hot, sunny places. But I recognise people have come to think that is normal and holidaying at home is also not cheap because of accommodation and food prices. And yes, I think the unspoken contract between school and parents (we get child in to school, you look after them once there) has broken down for many families, partly by Covid, but already for many parents and carers of children with SEN whose needs are not being met. I came to respect my grandchildren’s school less over time because they were simply not doing their job - not ultimately their fault, there is no money - but affects one’s attitude. So lots of things to unpick here - not just about feckless parents and/or spoiled children.

This is at least something I can blame my parents for as I know we missed every single fortnight before the summer holidays started, may have been earlier. I always remember Wimbledon being on in the caravan
so it's their fault I have behaved in this manner this year

I think it is sad that so many posters don't believe that families deserve to spend any time together during the year.

Or is it a lack of understanding that in some occupations taking holidays in the school holidays is simply not possible and leave can only be taken during term time.
- tourism and hospitality workers
- agricultural workers
- organisations that maintain schools where work is don in the holidays
- healthcare
- other organisations that have strict holiday rotas the means that parents cannot guarantee time off in the school holidays - social care, nurseries + many more

Britain has become so much more authoritarian - back in my day you were allowed up to 10 days if it was approved but now schools will not approve any because of league tables and OFSTED.

I know we used to take an extra school week most years because of my Dads holiday rota.

My current neighbour is a potato farmer and he always took his kids away the first weeks of January because it was the only chance of time off.

I'm a little surprised that so many don't think families deserve a week or two away together.

Some parents have no choice but take their children out of school to enjoy a family holiday. We had to as my DH was a police officer with allocated holidays, some which feel out of the school breaks. As he worked shifts barely seeing the kids some weeks a holiday was our time to really connect as a family.

I am afraid I am guilty of this. Over 30 years ago my parents organised and paid for a trip to Florida for them and my husband, me and children. It was going to be a holiday of a lifetime and we went last two weeks in May and I did have permission to take them out of school for a week, no fines then.
We enjoyed it so much we saved up and went again 4 years later before eldest started senior school, again one week out of school. Never did it while they were at senior school.

My son and his partner ( now wife) took their kids out of school for last few days before summer holidays. His job and her shifts meant only time free together. They were BOTH fined for same two kids. A double whammy ! Meanwhile my neighbours kids attended same school but were allowed to send theirs to Poland at same time ..no fine. Because it was cultural . I don't approve of kids losing time for holidays but make rules the same for everyone.

When parents take their children out of school for holidays, they teach them that it's just fine to break rules. Two of my sons did it, I was appalled but kept my mouth firmly shut.

JaneJudge

We had family holiday this week and my youngest has missed a few days of the start of school. The house we rented was half the price of the week before (last week). I have no idea if I'll get a fine as it is a new school and they knew about the absence when we enrolled in the summer.

But then again I am the breakfast for lunch thief

Join the ever growing crew of “gangsters grannies” pilfering the breakfast buffets

MissAdventure

That was about taking food to eat at lunch time from the morning food, wasn't it?
I expect I did that too, in between being pi**ed as a fart, in imagination land.

😂😂😂😂😂

I too am guilty of “pilfering” food from breakfast buffets AND taking my kids out of school (not every year and mainly at Primary School)

Not for the cheaper prices, but because it was so hard for both my husband and I couldn’t get our annal leave from work easily together.

Oh and dd had to travel abroad recently for the funeral of a close relative-fortunately the service was on Saturday. She left late Friday night, returned Sunday, couldn't get home until Monday due to shortened train timetable. This resulted in a day off school which she had to take as unpaid leave.

We had family holiday this week and my youngest has missed a few days of the start of school. The house we rented was half the price of the week before (last week). I have no idea if I'll get a fine as it is a new school and they knew about the absence when we enrolled in the summer.

But then again I am the breakfast for lunch thief

Yes absolutely guilty as we had our family holiday at the end of June every year. No problem as we requested permission via a form and it was always agreed by the headteacher.

Fabulous family time together in the sunshine. My DH was always booked at work for the whole school holiday weeks as it was much easier to work in the schools when the children weren't there.

One of my sons is a deputy commissioner in the fire service and one is an A&E consultant. No holidays in term time ever - camping holidays in Great Yarmouth for us. Just saying!

3 DC teach in senior school, 2 heads of department and 1 depute head teacher. They all have children. They have no option other that to take holidays in holiday time and have to budget for any additional costs. My son finished school on the Friday and Saturday morning they drove to Wales for a 2 week holiday. Foreign holidays have sometimes been taken at half term but are usually at a Eurocamp site or similar. I think it's called cutting your cloth to suit.

And it is absolutely the usual approach of looking at a problem, in this case attendance, (a real significant problem) and looking for a really easy solution that will have no impact on the actual problem.

Galaxy

I will be honest and say term time holiday in terms of absence is the least of my worries, we currently work with children with 20- 30 % attendance, I would much rather resources were targeted at that group.

I just had a quick Google and their upwards of 100,000 lost children not in education since the Covid school closures.

Definitely need to prioritise these over and above a family wanting a holiday.

M0nica

^Banning those who can only afford to go away in term time from doing so is just penalising those in society who have less disposable income than others. Another stick to beat the poor and just about managing who scrimp and save for a week away with family!^

Sorry, disagree, there are lots of ways of having a holiday without spending much money. We had one where we stayed home but planned a week of activities, some free, others costing a bit of money. No housework, no washing, ironing or gardening and food either bought in and quick to assemble with a couple of meals out. We had a very happy week.

Holiday expenditure was always fairly low on our priority list, but it never stopped us having enjoyable holdays. If a family can have a better holiday if they go in term time, then they can have a really enjoyable hliday elsewhere and in different ways in school holidays.

Ah so the poor are limited to an occasional cheap day out, along with home activities and wow best of all no cooking or cleaning for a week.

Really M0nica that would just add to the othering of the poorer children in the classroom and amongst their peers.

Am I alone in thinking that a holiday taken at the end of term is probably more educational than what is usually a winding down time in most schools?