Taking Kids on Holiday During Term Time — New Rules

Well maybe they just don’t get that by taking their kids out of school they are effectively telling them “school work is secondary to our ski trip/summer holiday”.

Or may they are not 🙄 Its all a bit more complicated than that. I suspect the children get the message from their parents (I can only speak for a small number of friends I know who have done it) that education is the most important thing in their young lives and that it doesnt start and stop at the school gate.

The worst thing about this is – I’ve just bloody missed an hours worth of quality lego time on a strike day arguing with some guy I don’t know on the internet.

Our perspectives obviously greatly differ. We won’t agree – so let’s do something more useful. Apparently we are building a ship with a small rescue submarine! I’m off to do something fun now!

You’re going to have to do better than French rock pools.

😆

Is this how you see it?

It’s how it is. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to send your child there.

geoffj – Member
jamj1974 – I have a lot of sympathy for your approach, but how do expect the head / teachers to respond to your request/insistence to take them out of school in term time?
At risk of evoking Godwin’s Law (again), surely they are only following orders – personal issues with the head aside?

Pretty sure they are Geoff.

Leaving thread for today now! Really this time!

It’s how it is. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to send your child there.

Then Ransos is right you see education through blinkers.

The only thing that’s changed is taking the discretionary power out of the headteacher’s hands, which frees them up from a lot of whining and wheedling from parents who have already booked their Florida jaunt in term-time. I imagine it causes heads a lot of aggro when they have to say no to a fortnight in June.

My view is that it would be nice to be able to be able to ask for the odd day here and there, and that one or two days a year missed makes sod-all difference, but some people have routinely taken the piss and spoiled it for everyone else.

The agreement that exists between the state and parents is that your kids turn up for school and the state educates them.

I really can’t see how that could be simplified any further.

Those selfish idiots on here who remove their kids during term time appear to be the same bitter individuals who whine about having to look after their own kids when teachers go on strike.

My partner is a teacher – we’d love to go skiing. However, we can’t afford it these days.
That’s the compromise we accepted when she took the job.

Similarly, paying more for your holidays is part of the compromise the whiners made when they decided to have kids.

education is the most important thing in their young lives and that it doesnt start and stop at the school gate.

I would agree with that but when little darling gets sub par gcse/a level results, putting stuff like “I saw some glaciers/ I bought a baguette/I paddled in a Mediterranean rock pool” on you CV won’t really cut it.

I would agree with that but when little darling gets sub par gcse/a level results, putting stuff like “I saw some glaciers/ I bought a baguette/I paddled in a Mediterranean rock pool” on you CV won’t really cut it.

Thats right and neither will “we played board games and watched videos” for the last 2 days of term! will it.
Lets compare apples with apples instead of “anything outside of school time” is bad by definition and anything “in school time” is of unquestionable value. The lines are a bit more blurred than that.

Those selfish idiots on here who remove their kids during term time appear to be the same bitter individuals who whine about having to look after their own kids when teachers go on strike.

That seems a bit harsh.

My partner is a teacher – we’d love to go skiing. However, we can’t afford it these days.
That’s the compromise we accepted when she took the job.

Oh I see.

That seems a bit harsh.

It’s true though.

Oh I see.

Oh you see what?
The prices asked during school holidays are a bit daft – we’d prefer to spend the money on something else, instead of expecting special treatment like those who remove their kids during term time.

we’d prefer to spend the money on something else

Well you said you couldn’t afford it ? My mistake it just came across as you know “bitter” and “whiney”

It’s a compromise we accept.
The prices asked during the holidays just aren’t worth it.

If it made us bitter and whiney, she wouldn’t have taken the job 🙂

We’re happy with the compromise, unlike those of you who feel you’re entitled to special treatment.

Blimey, missed quite a party since last looking in!

I can see both sides of this argument however, hurling vitriolic abuse at teachers/heads shows a real lack of understanding as to where the legislation has come from. The rules have been around for some time with Heads having the power to ‘police’ them. The numbers of kids being removed from schools for holidays was growing and growing to the point where there were 50%+ absence rates in some classes either side of the official school holiday periods. Both this & the previous Government took steps to resolve the problem and we have now reached the stage where it is no longer the school’s responsibility to manage it.

Simply put, the school will not have the ability to ‘authorise’ absences from now on and any formal request for such needs to be applied for to the LA (via the school). The LA receive all attendance data from each school and it is their decision & authority to issue penalties.

Any genuine NEED for absence should still be okay (funerals etc) however anything that is simply a WANT will be declined.

The wider argument about what is and isn’t ‘education’ is irrelevant this is simply a case of rules being adhered to whether they are agreeable to you or not.

Abusing (verbally or otherwise) a Head or Teacher will also likely now end up costing angry parents even more:

Such parents will be prosecuted under Section 547 of the Education Act 1996. If convicted under this section, you are liable to a fine of up to £500

unlike those of you who feel you’re entitled to special treatment.

Well I dont actually as I have stated above I dont take my children out during term time. I just dont see it as black and white as many of the teachers above do. My childrens education is the most important thing I just dont like teachers taking the high moral ground, generalising and name calling when they have a limited grasp of the facts.

hurling vitriolic abuse at teachers/heads shows a real lack of understanding as to where the legislation has come from

Mmm.. interesting interpretation of the facts here! Looks to me like the abuse has been coming from the other direction.

I just dont like teachers taking the high moral ground, generalising and name calling when they have a limited grasp of the facts.

And you think that’s not taking the moral high ground? Wow.

Which are these ‘facts’ that teachers have a limited grasp of?
Sure they’re not just matters of opinion?

Well you said you couldn’t afford it ? My mistake it just came across as you know “bitter” and “whiney”

Like the O.P. Then, he can’t afford to go in the school holidays but feels he needs to be treated differently than others instead of sucking it up and having a different (cheaper) holiday.
Poor thing. 😥

Mmm.. interesting interpretation of the facts here! Looks to me like the abuse has been coming from the other direction.

I was aiming at this:

Seriously the first and last time I get a bollocking from a head for my attitude to education or parenting they will leave in no doubt who is having the last word. It won’t be the head teacher. There will be a winner and a loser in the frank exchange of views and I will not be losing.

I’m not an ‘internet hard man’ or keyboard warrior – but I will not be told by a someone whose salary I fund what to do with my child. Seriously they could go and do one

As I have said, it’s not their fault.

Why not just leave your kids in school during term time for full educational benefit, then take them to find some rock pools in the holidays. Best of both worlds. Word of warning though – my mum could only afford rock pools in Northumberland, so I failed to get any A’s at GCSE.

Like the O.P. Then, he can’t afford to go in the school holidays but feels he needs to be treated differently than others instead of sucking it up and having a different (cheaper) holiday.
Poor thing.

Yes but your missing the point. The OP is being characterised as bitter, selfish and whiney when others above are being well bitter and whiney. Cant have it both ways 🙂

Cant have it both ways

But the O.P. Thinks he can 🙄

And you think that’s not taking the moral high ground? Wow.

Which are these ‘facts’ that teachers have a limited grasp of?
Sure they’re not just matters of opinion?

So, going to answer the question then?

Yes but your missing the point. The OP is being characterised as bitter, selfish and whiney when others above are being well bitter and whiney. Cant have it both ways

Did any teachers start a thread whinging that they’d like to take a break during termtime but it wasn’t fair because they weren’t allowed? No.

Have several parents with a huge sense of entitlement and the belief that their views are the only valid ones attempted to justify;
a) Why they are deserving of special treatment?
b) Why the rules shouldn’t apply to them?
Yes.

Oh, BTW, the rock pools in Westward Ho! are great for the kids 🙂

I want to go to New Zealand to visit my brother who I haven’t seen for 8 years, it cost’s too much money for me whichever time of year I would go, who can I have a rant at?

Gosh, this one really has run on while I’ve been working, so here are a few points from my original post that appear to have been lost in the barrage of opinions.

1. This winter was to be the last ski trip before his GCSE courses start.
2. Both us and the school have been very happy with his attendance and achievement for the rest of the year.
3. The school has been quite happy to approve his absence for a week last season and the season before when they had the power to do so.

What I really wanted was to get some indication of how rigidly these rules are now being enforced or maybe some opinions from those in the teaching profession.

The price of a ski holiday is of a similar magnuitude to what most of us here have spent on our bikes. If the same bike was available for two thirds of the price, from somewhere that gave a better experience wouldn’t most of us want to investigate the consequences of going for the cheaper option?

The price of a ski holiday is of a similar magnuitude to what most of us here have spent on our bikes. If the same bike was available for two thirds of the price, from somewhere that gave a better experience wouldn’t most of us want to investigate the consequences of going for the cheaper option?

You could just steal one? 😀

I just dont see it as black and white as many of the teachers above do.

My argument is that, although a week out of school may not significantly affect a kids (short term)learning, the perception that school is less important than bargain holidays will have an insidious effect on their longer term attitude to academic education and thus exam performance. Shades of grey rather than black and white.

This winter was to be the last ski trip before his GCSE courses start.

School is always important but some parts of it are more important than others.

[/quote]the perception that school is less important than bargain holidays will have an insidious effect on their longer term attitude to academic education and thus exam performance. Shades of grey rather than black and white.

I made a point around this a bit earlier.

This

Which are these ‘facts’ that teachers have a limited grasp of?
Sure they’re not just matters of opinion?

Coming from the person who gave us:

Those selfish idiots on here who remove their kids during term time appear to be the same bitter individuals who whine about having to look after their own kids when teachers go on strike.

😀

You could do worse than speak to the head about this. The school could authorise the absence, doing so would not necessarily set a precendent, the option to fine parents for unauthorised absences has always been there but in my experience this option has not been excercised in the past. I would assume that it would be implemented with a little more rigour for repeat offenders. Speak to them, but respect their decision, or be willing to stump up if you chose not to.

I do feel your pain, my partner teaches and we have 3 children of school age. To go to Greece say, even for a week, in the summer holidays would end up costing us in excess of £4K. So we ‘make do’ with France or Spain, driving and camping. What needs addressing here is the greed of the holiday companies, not the fact that the government feels it should impose rules to educate children. Teachers teach, they don’t implement government policy.

So you’re not going to bother answering then? 🙂

School is always important but some parts of it are more important than others.

And there was me thinking every moment was highly stimulating, rewarding and intellectually worthwhile. 🙂

So you’re not going to bother answering then?

I have 😀

Oh, BTW, the rock pools in Westward Ho! are great for the kids

Careful. The OP might notice that there’s a town with exclamation marks in Canada (Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!), and decide to go there instead. Term-time, obviously, as the flights are expensive.

Your Quebecois rock pools are so much more cultural than the Cornish ones.

FWIW I am a teacher (albeit in sunny Scotland) and have had to “put up with” travelling at school holidays. We have managed fine by adjusting our budget and putting our holidays together ourselves via various companies online.

I can see the arguements from both sides, but getting petty and aggressive towards teachers and heads will do little to change the rules. And sniping at those who choose to take children out early will not affect those who chose to do this.

You mean Devonshire, surely? 😉

russianbob – the authorisation process is now out of the school’s control (effective 1/9/13) – the detail is around page 1 or 2 of this thread.

the perception that school is less important than bargain holidays will have an insidious effect on their longer term attitude to academic education and thus exam performance

Which is a very good point. However, i can see where adopting this holiday policy to the letter might mean that parents feel less responsible for the children in the long run, which is arguably as bad in my opinion.