Should parents take their children on holiday in term time?

When my children were at school their father couldn't take his holidays during school holiday time until the youngest was about 8. I think family holidays are a really important part of childhood and can help to keep families together. I took my children out of school for about 10 days 3 years running. They each made diaries about their holidays, when we were abroad they made dictionaries of new words they had learned. I also asked their teachers to keep a copy of any work sheets their classmates had completed during their absences and we did these together when we returned. Their education didn't seem to suffer. It really worries me that parents are having less and less influence over their children's lives now that many are in education from the age of 3!

I have mixed feelings. It's really annoying when some children take holidays in the middle of term and then demand to have copies of work missed. I got round that by putting all resources on a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and telling people to get on with it. It's still difficult to arrange assessments if alternative arrangements for some pupils have to be made.

Having said that, I only ever took my children out of school for one day - at the beginning of the Autumn Term, when I made a mistake about my son's holiday dates.

We went to Greece, including a trip to Athens. I received a sniffy letter about it - and a message from the class teacher, asking me to take plenty of photos, because the class was studying Ancient Greece in the new school year.

It isn't just the cost of the holidays. If you work in retail, where the majority of workers are women, you find that there are far more mothers wanting summer holidays with their children than there are holiday slots available. If you then factor in the fact that their husbands are probably being offered different dates the whole thing becomes a logistical nightmare.

No N&G this does not apply to homeschooled children.
Two of my GC are home schooled (not my choice) but it was pointed out to my D that she could holiday anytime.
Their father lives in foreign climes and my GS has just spent 8 weeks with him, doing and submitting work online while he was away.
Double standards or what?

There is always that scramble in industry, the public services etc - in fact every job except teaching - to get your application in for leave (4 or 5 weeks a year if you're lucky) during part of the school holidays so that at least one of you is at home to care for your children and trying to co-ordinate one or two weeks off together is often difficult. Not to mention the problems that single parents have.

Add to that different schools having different holidays, no available grandparents or reasonable childcare and it becomes a real problem for the majority of parents.

Sorry missed a page out. Relevant all the same.

Even pit ponies had a "holiday " GGMK2! A holiday is restorative for mind and body for everyone and, without it, we'd be nothing more than machines, surely.

Pit ponies do not feel they have to go abroad or to Disney Land Chewbacca. They need a break and fresh air and that does not have to be so expensive - in the case of children - that it HAS to be in term-time. You can take this in as silly a way as you and others choose but running around, having fun and visiting places of interest does not have to be so expensive it is outside your budget unless you abdicate the responsibilities YOU have in return for education for your children that is free at the point of access. Perhaps we should start charging for the education - something I am sure the Conservatives would like any excuse to do - so that people remember the value of what they are getting.

Feel a bit the odd one out here as my DD is taking her two children out from year1 for a week in July. The school have classed it as unauthorised but are fine with it as it was not one of the three periods they had told all the parents were an absolute no-no because of assessments. The purpose of the week is a family break in London to celebrate DH's 70th birthday. The rest of the family, DS, DDIL , 3 DGC and one boyfriend are coming over from Spain. They have their holidays much earlier and so can take advantage of much cheaper flights. The cousins have not seen each other for two years so I feel it will be justified. We could not afford it at peak time. I feel the London holiday will be educational for all. I agree that this would not be appropriate for secondary age children or higher up the primary range.

I think it is more important at secondary level not to take holidays in termtime.
A reception age child missing a week at the end of the summer term will not miss very much at all - as DD's teacher said when we did this nearly 40 years ago 'she'll learn more going to France than she will in school in the last week of term' which was a pragmatic and sensible approach.
DH could not have taken any other fortnight than that one.

But isn't the point GGM2 that it isn't about the expense or where - so Disneyland or abroad are moot points- it's about having the right to make decisions for your children that you believe are right. Not being part of the creeping Nanny state that can tell you how to raise your child.

Ann has confirmed home schooled children are not covered, so why are state school children penalised?

A cottage in a not terribly touristy area near here but with fresh air and green fields is £900 for a family of 5 for a few days at Easter. Add to that visiting a few places of interest it's no wonder people take their children out of school in termtime!!

Then parents can make their own decisions and pay for their education N&G. They will still find it difficult to take them out during term time but they will have got control of how they bring up their children back - sort of.

Or, yes, you could work fewer or even no working hours and home school and that is sure to put you in a position to spend a couple of weeks abroad each year.

Nothing is for nothing and never has been. School became mandatory when it became free I believe. If we started having to pay parents might well have children at home more during term times - on the days you couldn't afford it, never mind expensive holidays.

Nanalot it sounds as if your DD has discussed and agree with a sensible head in good time. This is why I did say that Heads should have the final decision.

DH and I had no choice as he taught so hols during school hols only for us. DD1 is self employed and has taken family away end of term-when she could get a locum-with HT's blessing.
What about all the time wasted at school on so called "activities" days/weeks? Our local senior school has a week a year, costs a fortune in outings to local theme parks of all places. Children who can't pay just kick their heels at school.Double standards methinks.

When our kids were in school, a long, long, time ago now, my husband and I worked for the same firm, and holidays were staggered. It was difficult enough managing to get the same holiday dates each, so most years we took the kids out of school for 2 weeks per year, which at the time was allowed, as long as the school had prior knowledge in plenty of time. We obviously didn`t take them out at exam times.

It used to work perfectly well when it was at the Head Teacher's discretion.

I did mention that I believe the set-up in schools should be changed and I wonder what you feel about my initial suggestions.

1. Holiday time both for students and staff to be reduced to six weeks. There should be no idea that teachers are expected to work in schools/colleges during this time.
2. There would be the equivalent of industry shut-downs for: two weeks at Christmas, one week at Easter, two weeks in the Summer.
3. One week could be taken at any time other than those exempted by the head teacher - these being different for different years where necessary.

The day should be the equivalent to a working day with children arriving and taking part in non-academic activity. This would not include the academic staff who would have this time for preparation/marking.

The middle of the day would be teaching time. In secondary schools the subject/stage of learning could be introduced in lectures to the whole year and then smaller sets used to enable all levels of learning.

The last part of the day would not be academic and not include academic teachers in supervision or teaching but would be additional time for preparation/marking/training.

Those are my first thoughts but someone, somewhere needs to change the school year from one that was set up to allow children to help with the harvest. Time is too expensive now to treat it in the way that we do and teachers are leaving in increasing numbers because of the pressure put on them.

This could never work GGM2

Holiday time both for students and staff to be reduced to six weeks

can you see any teachers agreeing to this? 13 weeks reduced to 7. I don't think so.

There would be the equivalent of industry shut-downs for: two weeks at Christmas, one week at Easter, two weeks in the Summer

and unless you were a teacher how would that benefit parents working in jobs where they have no choice when to take their (often meagre) holidays? Also the holiday companies would rub their hands together for those weeks pushing the prices up even higher.

One week could be taken at any time other than those exempted by the head teacher

This could result in a class full of children all taking "their week" at a different time. Imagine trying to keep up to date with the curriculum?

I think even more teachers would leave, if they only had six weeks holiday! These days, some employees have more than six weeks holiday, if you add up annual leave entitlement and bank holidays.

Who would supervise the non-academic activities, if not teachers?

When I was teaching, I spent at least half of my holidays planning and marking. It can't just be abandoned. It's an essential part of the job and isn't like overtime. I doubt very much if the work could be done during term-time, unless the teacher is prepared to forgo any time with family.

Sorry, but I don't think it would work.

The opposite would be better. Add an extra hour to the school day and have an extra seven weeks holiday, which is what some independent schools do. The problem then would be that parents would complain about having to fund an extra seven weeks of childcare.

Add an extra hour to the school day and have an extra seven weeks holiday, which is what some independent schools do. The problem then would be that parents would complain about having to fund an extra seven weeks of childcare.

Too right they would daphnedill Trying to cover 13 weeks holiday for normal working parents is difficult enough given that most working people only get 4-5 weeks holiday per year.

Are you seriously suggesting that teachers should have 20 weeks holiday per year? its such a pity they have to go to work at all

No, of course I'm not!

I'm suggesting that teachers could have more time to plan and mark, without the distraction of having to teach. They wouldn't have the extra holidays, only the pupils.

PS. Most people I know get 4-5 weeks holiday PLUS bank holidays (8 days?). Bank Holidays are part of a teacher's 13 weeks holidays.

I don't know anyone in the private sector, who get more than 28 days holiday per year, including the statutory bank holidays. My sister works for the nhs and gets 33 days inc 8 statutory.

I'm suggesting that teachers could have more time to plan and mark, without the distraction of having to teach

Admittedly I am not the brightest button in the button box, but isn't "teaching" what "teachers" are paid to do?

It's like a bus driver saying I could do this job so much better if I didn't have to pick any passengers up!

Here in Ireland, taking term time holidays is allowed, although permission is usually sought from the HT in advance.
However, in our local school, plenty of parents of primary aged children think nothing of removing them for a day out on a whim, if the weather's nice or it's their birthday, which I do find a bit ridiculous. One of the mums was having a moan to me about receiving a letter advising her that they must improve the attendance rate for her 2 sons. She's a bit bohemian and keeps them at home when she feels like it. I told her that I agreed with the school that regular attendance is important and it will impact badly on their education longer term if they have too many days off. (!)

What I find incredibly difficult is the shorter days and longer holidays they have although they are given a lot of homework (to my mind). My 8 yr old DS school starts at 9.20, finishes at 3pm and he has 10 weeks off in the summer. Luckily ckily, I don't work but a lot of parents rely n extended family for childcare as there's little in the way of holiday clubs or after school clubs here.
The secondary school has more than 12 weeks summer hols. They still have the usual 2 weeks Xmas and Easter and half terms too!!
My DS has about 40 mins of homework every day from when he started school, aged 5. I don't recall having homework when I went to primary school, but maybe things have changed in the UK?

"Inset days" where children are told not to come to school because their teacher is off on a training course, causes a lot of disruption and inconvenience to families, and some resentment towards teachers who have two or three times as much holiday in the year as the parents. I believe it would be better to arrange teachers' in service training at the beginning or end of the long summer holidays.

Another inconvenience to parents are "evening" meetings or parents' evenings which start at 4 - 5pm. For most working parents the evening starts after they have got home from work, cooked, fed the children, etc - ie the evening might start at say 7- 8pm at the earliest, but teachers seem to regard the evening as meaning any time after school finishes in the afternoon. This gives parents the quite wrong impression that teachers have an easy job with short hours and have no appreciation of the lives of other people.

Class teachers don't organise these events. Give up bashing them!

And let's not inconvenience the parents by asking them to come into school to be given an account of their child's progress