Parents taking children on holiday in term time.

……… and over the year it adds up to 12 weeks (of school holidays) where getting leave might be a problem

icanhandthemback

My daughter started a new State school when she was about 7 years old and we had just arranged a 3 week trip away on business for Mexico, Guatemala and Mexico. I spoke to her new head and asked for his permission. He was so enthusiastic about the amount she could learn out of school whilst travelling. I offered to make her do a diary, teach her about calculating the exchange rate, etc but he was sure that the experience would be enough so not to stress too much. She kept a diary (I still read it every so often) and she did worksheets (Ok, I was a teacher, I couldn't help myself) and had a great trip.
As teachers have lesson plans for weeks ahead, it is not beyond the imagination that there could be a contract between the parents and school that this work must be covered with evidence produced for absences. It's what you do at Private Schools.

icanhandthemback As teachers have lesson plans for weeks ahead, it is not beyond the imagination that there could be a contract between the parents and school that this work must be covered with evidence produced for absences. It's what you do at Private Schools.

Perhaps this is why I don't understand. Nuns handed us the plans/papers/books - we took with us, the children did their schoolwork.

We never took our children out of school for holidays. We couldn't -
I taught modern languages in a secondary school. Often we camped in grandparents' or friends' gardens, saving money for ferry and campsites in France or Germany the next year. One April, when they were teenagers, we had a week in a flat in Florence. We never had a beach holiday abroad.

A child at my son’s primary school was taken away for a two week caravan holiday before the end of the summer term, every year. Her parents were unlikely to be up to teaching her anything much.

But with kids everywhere! No thanks! I much preferred September, despite the coachloads of Saga trippers.

My daughter started a new State school when she was about 7 years old and we had just arranged a 3 week trip away on business for Mexico, Guatemala and Mexico. I spoke to her new head and asked for his permission. He was so enthusiastic about the amount she could learn out of school whilst travelling. I offered to make her do a diary, teach her about calculating the exchange rate, etc but he was sure that the experience would be enough so not to stress too much. She kept a diary (I still read it every so often) and she did worksheets (Ok, I was a teacher, I couldn't help myself) and had a great trip.
As teachers have lesson plans for weeks ahead, it is not beyond the imagination that there could be a contract between the parents and school that this work must be covered with evidence produced for absences. It's what you do at Private Schools.

Germanshepherdsmum

Why would people without school age children want to take a holiday during the peak times Frogs? I never opted to take a holiday during school holidays before my son started school or after he left.

No idea Germanshepherdsmum but that’s what quite a few said and I suppose I could see where they were coming from. Six weeks is quite a big chunk out of the summer.

Why would people without school age children want to take a holiday during the peak times Frogs? I never opted to take a holiday during school holidays before my son started school or after he left.

As a few people have mentioned (and some particularly those working in the education system may not fully appreciate) it is not always possible for parents to get time off work during the school holidays - as some have also said parents need a hard earned break too.
In the last job we had to juggle holiday leave between the staff available to cover - only a few staff were allowed to be off at the same time. There was also resentment amongst staff who didn’t have children or none of school age who questioned as to why people with children should get the first pick of holiday leave at the peak times.
As a child I often had to take holidays during term time as my dad couldn’t get time off.
We also took our children out of school occasionally for a few days holiday as my husband had difficulty getting leave during school holidays. How times have changed - I remember saying to the headteacher I regretted disrupting our son’s education even though it was only a few days - he replied that it was a valuable lesson that my son had to learn that disruption is a part of life and he needed to get used into it. 😂.

geeljay

I was taught, and uderstood, that having a family was a 24/7 commitment. This included putting education in the frame.We have 4 who have all had success in their own lifestyles and treat their children the same.

We never took our sons out of school during term time and we couldn’t afford to holiday abroad so we had 2 weeks in a small cottage in Cornwall. We had several lovely holidays in that cottage and I can’t tell you how excited we all were when it came to loading the car up and spending hours travelling to get there😀.

There are some glorious beaches in Cornwall and in Devon. It didn’t matter that the sun didn’t shine every day as we always found something to do and places to visit.

We did eventually buy our own house in Cornwall and quite often we had 2 families share the house during the summer period which made it very affordable and we allowed a dog to stay.

Of course, travel does not always broaden the mind and help understand foreigners better. Holidays to soak up sun on the beach in Benidorm (with 'chips like mother make it' to quote the press reports), the Seychelles, West Indies or elsewhere is more likely to narrow the mind in my opinion whatever the dubious health benefits.

Very difficult for teachers when there are children in class who have to be caught up on topics they've missed whilst on hols and likewise for the child who doesn't get the same learning experience as the others had. On the other hand does depend on what year they're in and whether it's exam time etc. There's a definite wind down towards end of summer term and not always much learning done so going on holiday and making use of cheaper rates is sensible in my book.

I think people forget that holiday prices are not increased during the school holidays but discounted at other times. Many would go out of business if we started expecting holiday prices to fall during school holidays. You have to bite the bullet amd it’s not for your whole life. I also hate the argument that my children learn more in a holiday - poppycock! Some may do, but the majority go somewhere hot and sit on a sunbed round a pool or on the beach. They don’t get to see the culture. A package holiday abroad is not an essential. That said, I am a single parent (65), 2 birth children, 3 adopted, ranging from 34 down to 18 and I have never taken one out of school. If you book flights at the right time, accommodation directly, it can be done and at a very reasonable cost. We have had foreign holidays most years.

Germanshepherdsmum

Why is nobody content with a self catering holiday in the UK as we always had?

Actually, some self catering holidays in the UK cost more than a self catering holiday abroad and there isn’t the good weather.

I'm not sympathetic. Foreign or beach holidays are not a God given right. Somehow we managed for years without a decent length of holiday. The only time we had a fortnight off was at Christmas when the school was closed. We didn't want to go away then.
We appreciate our holidays now we're retired but never felt hard done by when the children were at school.

I am a parent who never took my children out of school for anything, except a single half day for a grandparent's funeral, which the school didn't count.
One had a handful of days off due to genuine illness, but the other had 100% attendance for the whole of their 12 years at school.

People are always moaning about kids missing out on their education during the pandemic, but then instead of making sure they get a much school time as possible, they take them out for holidays.

Teachers put an awful lot into preparing lessons, they need the parents to realise this and make sure their kids are there for their educations.

I accept that kids will actually, genuinely, fall ill, but falling illness or just taking them out of school for holidays is not on, in my opinion.

Personally, I think holiday companies should keep their charges lower during school holidays and the fines for taking kids out of school should be MUCH, MUCH HIGHER, in an attempt to discourage people from doing this.

Due to DHs job he was allocated annual leave. For many years nit even able to swop with similar colleague. Our holiday year started in May with 2 week allocations then orogressing over the summer until end October. Had the current rules applied we would never have been able to go on holiday even in this country. Did the children suffer when we did keep them off, a definite No. Also, for niwadays, not everyone wants to go on holiday in the hottest seasons to sit by a pool but would prefer a more temperate time of year to actually do activities or even site see. Perhaps schools should run all year with pupils and teachers taking their alloted holiday entitlement when they want. The curriculum would be spread out, be less intense so there would be less to miss when absent.

I was taught, and uderstood, that having a family was a 24/7 commitment. This included putting education in the frame.We have 4 who have all had success in their own lifestyles and treat their children the same.

"How would families feel if they were told that their class teacher was going to be away next week on holiday with their own children as it was too expensive in the school holidays?"

Probably the same as they feel when they're told that the teacher has decided to go on strike?

You're right Blondiescot; 7 nights in a caravan, in Perranporth, Cornwall, for 2 adults and 2 children, next week is £441. Same holiday 28th July, £817.

How would families feel if they were told that their class teacher was going to be away next week on holiday with their own children as it was too expensive in the school holidays?

Teachers have already been on strike for 5 days this year, with a further 2 scheduled for July. That's 7 days schooling lost to their pupils. Not so worried about those are they?

I live and work (in a school) in Leicestershire and we break up for summer a week earlier than the rest of the country… 10 days and counting 😜. Historically it was because the area was deemed poorer and therefore allowed for families to get cheaper holidays, that said, still, we do have a fair few children off this and last week.
Which reminds me, i must book a holiday ha!

A holiday here in the UK can work out just as expensive as going abroad. Accommodation prices shoot up during the school holidays here too - even supposedly 'cheaper' options such as caravan sites. And if you don't get decent weather, it then costs an arm and leg to take the kids out somewhere to try to keep them amused.

GrannyGravy13

Germanshepherdsmum

Why is nobody content with a self catering holiday in the UK as we always had?

Have a look at the prices and compare term time to school holidays.

It’s not all about going abroad, it’s the affordability of any holiday, even campsites and caravan holidays can double in price.

I know that - I lived with it whilst my son was at school. Our answer was to have a week’s self catering holiday and a few days out near home, apart from one year when I couldn’t afford a holiday at all.