Teachers of today

I know quite a few who have done this and paid the fine as its significantly cheaper than paying the extra price for taking a trip during school holidays.
I can also remember my parents taking me and my sister out of School the last week of the Summer term as Holidays, were cheaper all those years ago as well.

The teacher is right - it is certainly not the children's fault - it is a parental decision.

And the teacher is also right that the problem exists because of the massive hike in prices during school holidays. But travel companies are commercial enterprises and will grab a profit where they can.

Travel companies put forward an argument some years ago that if they didn't raise the prices in the school holidays, they would have to make all holidays more expensive for the entire year. I am struggling to see the reasoning here - it does sound like an opportunity to rip off those who have little choice about their arrangements.

It isn't just in school holidays, though.
DD1 and family are flying to a European holiday destination in June, and it's still very expensive then.

Of course that isn't the children's fault, they deserve to have all the experiences life can offer and price gouging is exactly why some families choose their holiday dates carefully or otherwise cannot afford to go.

I have not ever taken my children out of school and my daughter hasn’t with my grandchildren.

However this year is their GCSE year and they don’t go back into school when their exams are over so as a one off we are able to go on holiday this year to a resort we’ve been to before (and love) at the end of June instead of July or August . It is literally thousands cheaper so I understand why parents do it .

Strange title. What have ‘teachers of today ‘ ( do you mean all of them?) got to do with holiday prices?
Of course it’s not the children’s fault.
In my opinion there are more important things to be shocked about.

Years ago we took our children out of school each year for a week away, in June usually. There was no fuss about it and having worked for many years in school, I don’t think there should be even now. It’s not the end of the world. The children ‘catch up’, sometimes they don’t miss a great deal …and I’ve never known a child who suffered long term for having a holiday! My children went on to get first class honours degrees and now, they do occasionally take their own children out, if the dates for travelling clip a school term by a few days. I’m with the teacher I’m afraid. Let’s keep things in perspective.

A family holiday, particularly abroad, is not a necessity, it’s a luxury imo, I disagree with taking children out of school, they’re being taught rules don’t apply to them.

I think the problem is that if only a small minority as now take their children out of school and they have the ability to catch up, it's not significant. but if a large proportion of children are off at different times it would be absolute chaos in classrooms as regards delivering the syllabus..

Thats why in principle I don't support it

(except for the example of post GCSE time out which seems logical)

Luckygirl3

The teacher is right - it is certainly not the children's fault - it is a parental decision.

And the teacher is also right that the problem exists because of the massive hike in prices during school holidays. But travel companies are commercial enterprises and will grab a profit where they can.

I agree

Wyllow3

I think the problem is that if only a small minority as now take their children out of school and they have the ability to catch up, it's not significant. but if a large proportion of children are off at different times it would be absolute chaos in classrooms as regards delivering the syllabus..

Thats why in principle I don't support it

(except for the example of post GCSE time out which seems logical)

I agree

Stillness

Years ago we took our children out of school each year for a week away, in June usually. There was no fuss about it and having worked for many years in school, I don’t think there should be even now. It’s not the end of the world. The children ‘catch up’, sometimes they don’t miss a great deal …and I’ve never known a child who suffered long term for having a holiday! My children went on to get first class honours degrees and now, they do occasionally take their own children out, if the dates for travelling clip a school term by a few days. I’m with the teacher I’m afraid. Let’s keep things in perspective.

That would be all well and good if it were not for the fact that part of schools “judgements” are attendance!

Also, it could be deemed “ok” to take your child out of school for 5 days each year, but many children have very scant attendance as it is.

Teachers have to suck up the additional costs of holidays in school holidays with their own families, and they are not exactly overpaid, especially Primary School Teachers, and if you’re an LSA it’s even worse.

I get sick of hearing that holiday companies hike the prices during school holiday time, they don’t.

Like a gym membership Mon-Fri 10-4 off peak is always cheaper than 7 days 6am-9pm.

Holidays are cheaper out of term time when demand is lower, why wouldn’t this be the case?

We went on a cruise to the Fjords in term time last year, the ship was full of children, most of them didn’t even get off in port.

I do not agree with taking children out of school for a holiday.

Children should not be taken out of school. Their education is paid for by the state. Many children in the world would give anything for an education. In this country too much is taken for granted.

Here in the north west we had Mill holidays until about 30 years ago. The mill towns had designated Wakes Weeks. Ours were last week June, first July. We could go away so much cheaper and when places weren’t overcrowded.

1976 and a few years after I took my 5 & 7 year old daughters out of school for a holiday, my husband died 1976, I did this because of costs, we were living in Wales and went on holiday in Wales, I wanted them to continue having that week by the sea.

Iam in South Wales we called last week June first week July
‘Miners Holiday’

No one in education gives a toss about children taking a week off to go on holiday. We have children who have attendance of 30 %, worrying about holidays would be like worrying about a lightbulb needing replacing whilst your house is on fire.

A family in the west were fined nearly £500 for taking their 3 primary school age kids out of school for 4 days. They have also been threatened with a criminal record and possibly prison if they do it again. So they have deregistered them all from school for a term and are homeschooling so they can have more days off. Not sure they will getaway with it unless they do homeschool. I homeschooled my disabled son but had to prove to the LEA that he was getting schooling.

That would certainly be one option 25Avalon. I've heard there are so many children being homeschooled now that the LEAs can't keep up with checking on them anyway.
Another option is, of course if you can afford it, to send the child to an independent school where they can't be fined.
The business of authorising absences is down to the individual Headteacher. So, as I see it, it all becomes very subjective with variations as to who will or won't be fined.

My grandchildren went to Japan for 3 months when they were in primary school. The teachers wished them well and said they would learn more in that 3 months than they would in school. They were right,too. They loved the Japanese culture and learnt to speak some of the language and to read the road signs which were in Japanese. Two of the are at uni now and the youngest is doing her final year at high school.

Galaxy

No one in education gives a toss about children taking a week off to go on holiday. We have children who have attendance of 30 %, worrying about holidays would be like worrying about a lightbulb needing replacing whilst your house is on fire.

Exactly so.

escaped

That would certainly be one option 25Avalon. I've heard there are so many children being homeschooled now that the LEAs can't keep up with checking on them anyway.
Another option is, of course if you can afford it, to send the child to an independent school where they can't be fined.
The business of authorising absences is down to the individual Headteacher. So, as I see it, it all becomes very subjective with variations as to who will or won't be fined.

I was under the impression that a Head Teacher cannot authorise absence in term time. Parents can't be prevented from taking children out of school, obviously, but it would be recorded as unauthorised absence. The class registers are posted online to the Education Authority on a weekly basis, and any notification of fines or legal action is made by the LEA.

You are correct * LovesBach*. Headteachers have no authority to agree absence in school time.
The local authority, not the school, sets fines and makes any decisions regarding legal action.