Taking children on holiday during term time : Your experiences?

This seems to be some sort of new national policy. I can see that sometimes there might be an issue, my children go to a small village school and we've had a similar letter. In our case I know there has been a problem in previous years because there are a large group of parents who go Skiing and take the kids (all as a group). Last year a third of the kids were away skiing in term time which I can understand does cause a bit of an issue.

I did wonder if this is one of those things that schools get marked down on by ofstead? I do know that they get marked down for kids away without permission (so they would be stupid to deny permission to people who might just go anyway). Anybody know?
 
I went on a number of holidays during term time - didnt do me any harm!!

If I want to take my kids away, I will, no public body is going to dictate to me. Maybe they should get their house in order first? What do they do about truancy, violent kids etc...

When mine does start school, I am not paying an extra £1k + to go away in holiday time.
 
we have done it for the past 6 years or so
as long as you avoid any exams times etc and your children have a very good attendance record what is the problem
i have taken my three children to Cyprus three times Bulgaria france twice turkey twice and booked it again this year
it is quality time with your children as well that in a busy lifestyle is not all ways easy to find
i always state that due to my work commitments it is the only time that i can go and if there is a problem then do not hesitate to call me
my oldest is now 18 and on his second year at college studying it
my next youngest has his exams this year and has a place at college hoping to go on to be a PE teacher
my children have been to places that there teachers have not experienced and seen and done some wonderful things
last year the five of us did a tandem paraglide 7000ft of of the bagadad mountain
that beats watching dvds in the last week of school anyday
 
cambsno said:
What do they do about truancy, violent kids etc...
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They get seent to a Pupil Referral Unit which is where my wife works. At the Unit those sorts of children get mollycoddled and are allowed to do pretty much as they please.
 
I'm not a parent, but I was a kid once, and it was never a problem between my parents and the school when they wanted to take me on holiday during term time.

Regardless of school policy, they were always pretty cool and it's generally down to an individual teacher if they want to kick up a stink. In fact, one said to me "I'll pretend I didn't hear that" when I informed him my dad wanted me to have a day off school to take me to see Guns N' Roses @ Manchester. ;)
 
CaptainPenguin said:
This may sound harsh and its maybe that I am just a grumpy old man but I always worked on the principle that when you have kids you are respomsible for them their education and their future,as a result and because their education is their future we never took them out of school for holidays and I cannot see any justification for doing it.
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This. I was never taken out of school during term time apart from the ONE day I got off whilst we moved home - to the next county. And we never even contemplated taking our own children out of school. It's not as though there are not enough school holidays.

Having said that, this now fairy widespread policy is no doubt a reaction to those parents who regularly take their children out of school. As you are clearly not one of these uncaring parents, Marcel, I suggest you have a chat with the head and stress the uniqueness of your request. But don't mention Butlins :thumbsdown:
 
CaptainPenguin said:
This may sound harsh and its maybe that I am just a grumpy old man but I always worked on the principle that when you have kids you are respomsible for them their education and their future,as a result and because their education is their future we never took them out of school for holidays and I cannot see any justification for doing it.
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In theory I would completely agree, but given the standard of education in this country over the past couple of decades, and how much it declines on a daily basis, are they really actually going to miss anything?
 
I think a little bit of common sense is needed in decisions like this. Marcel, have a chat with the Head. I am sure that your children have good attendance records and a good attitude towards school. There really shouldn't be a problem with it if it is a one off. The guidance isn't new. It is just being enforced a bit more and there is some flexibility.

It's interesting that some people appear to be a little disgruntled with the schools. It is the Government and LA's in general that have to try to enforce the guidance with the best interest of children as their priority, however, it is the travel companies that make the cost of going away for families during school holidays impossible for some :thinking:

Whatever happens, have a good holiday Marcel :)

Chris :)
 
Kaouthia said:
I'm not a parent, but I was a kid once, and it was never a problem between my parents and the school when they wanted to take me on holiday during term time.

Regardless of school policy, they were always pretty cool and it's generally down to an individual teacher if they want to kick up a stink. In fact, one said to me "I'll pretend I didn't hear that" when I informed him my dad wanted me to have a day off school to take me to see Guns N' Roses @ Manchester. ;)
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I take it that was the rearranged one on the Sunday at the Man City ground. ;)

If I can remember.. Soundgarden, Faith No More and G n' R
 
foggy4ever said:
If I can remember.. Soundgarden, Faith No More and G n' R
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That would be the one. :)

The one that ended 2hrs earlier than it would've done, had it originally happened as planned on Tuesday, due to the fact that they didn't want the neighbours complaining. Rofl? :)
 
sheddy said:
So you consider that the state has a higher claim to authority over your children than you do?
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Did I say that? Don't be stupid. There is a responsibility for parents to their children. Just like the parents of those two kids had a responsibility to bring them up so that they wouldn't go out and torture other children... but I guess that's the governments fault right?

Again, that's not to say Marcel's kids are going to grow up crazed lunatic just because they missed a couple of days worth of school. Just addressing the question quoted above.
 
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Marcel, I think you'll be fine. A few days won't hurt and from what I remember at school the last week usually involved kids bringing in toys and games to play with in the run up to the holidays. Exam time is a different matter, especially in later years where it becomes more troublesome to catch up on missed days.
 
We will be taking my Y6 son out of school for 7 days after easter. it's a one off, and the only contiguous time I can get off work that's remotely in school holidays this year. He's passed his 11 plus so it's time for him to have a break too.

The school is generally OK as long as you don't take the mickey at all by trying to do every year.
 
the problem is that their are parents out their who if not required to and not monitored by the authorities would not bother to take their children to school at all, there are also parents who will/would quite happily take their children away from school during important school times (prior to or during exams etc) much to the detriment of their education.
that is why the rules are in place, however their is some le-way, a head teacher can (and will) make exceptions to the rules where required and (I cant see why they would not in Marcel's case).

Children must attend school and if they don't then their parents are responsible, that is why the rules are in place. The DCFS target is 95% attendance.


as a y2 pupil at junior school i took 2 days out of school prior to a half term for a holiday (a holiday that my dad could not come on because as a teacher he was not allowed time off), i was set work to do while i was away, work which i did on the plane and it had no detrimental effect, I was also allowed to take 1 day off high school to attend my mothers graduation (again my dad could not get the time off, and me and my sister were allowed to go).

talk/write to the head and explain the circumstances and you'll probably get the A-ok.
 
I have one question for those people with the "no one is going to tell me I can't take my kids out of school" attitude -

How would you react if your kids teacher decided to take 5 - 10 days off to go on holiday in term time and your child didn't receive any education for that period?

I can understand why the rules are in place and it seems fair enough that there should be some discussion over how appropriate or not it is to take your kid out of school for a holiday.

In your case Marcel you can only explain the situation - make a point of it being a one off and big up your girls good (I assume?) previous attendance record.
 
Oh aye, previous attendance record is brilliant. They rarely take days off sick (Infact the only time they *are* off sick is when theyre sent home from school, or school policy dictates theyre not allowed in). This year they both have 100% attendance I think.
 
Daysleeper40 said:
I have one question for those people with the "no one is going to tell me I can't take my kids out of school" attitude -

How would you react if your kids teacher decided to take 5 - 10 days off to go on holiday in term time and your child didn't receive any education for that period?

I can understand why the rules are in place and it seems fair enough that there should be some discussion over how appropriate or not it is to take your kid out of school for a holiday.

In your case Marcel you can only explain the situation - make a point of it being a one off and big up your girls good (I assume?) previous attendance record.
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I am sorry that is not a good analogy, Teachers are employed to teach. Other people are employed in different jobs and can only take holidays when it suits their business, teachers have the same responsiblity.

One child out of a class for 5 or 10 days isn't going to disrupt the class in the same way a teacher missing is going to!

I can see the reason for some of the rules and discouraging people from taking kids out of school, but to be so rigid in their application is just plain daft!

Some children will miss a lot by missing a week of school, some times of a childs school life are more important than others, but this is treating all parents as children who cannot and do not think or care about their childs education.

Taking holidays out of school time is not going to affect the majority of children, as long as it is not all the time.

Books can be read, homework done....schools plan terms in advance, so how difficult is to say to a child we will be doing chapter whatever, whilst you are away.

God forbid if you actually wanted to home school your children...it seems to me that anything that is slightly different is frowned upon. Toe the line or else! I had many holidays out of school and learnt so much that I wouldn't have learned at school. If I had had to go in the holidays, I wouldn't have gone.

I would have missed out on so much, Geography has always been a favorite subject of mine, and going to new places intersts me, but if it is learning to interact with people or getting up on stage at Butlin's it is all learning and getting out there and doing stuff.

As an engineer, in a world that is lacking in engineering talent, there is nothing better than getting out there are doing stuff. I think far too much emphasis is put on classroom learning and league tables and not enough on what is good for kids.

My two pence worth!

Roo
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Sorry but that's an incredibly snobbish comment to make basically slagging off everybody who go's on a Butlins type holiday and anyhow a week on the beach in Benidorm is hardly going to match a week at the Sorbonne studying Voltaire
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it wasn't intended to be, a week on the beach anywhere is f all use I just used butlins as an example as there isn't even the hope of picking up another language and the culture you are in is basically your own.

I've found the best way of actually learning something is to do something harder (to use a mathematical analogy algebra is hard, when you do quadratic algebra alagebra becomes easy - this has held true so far). So to learn something new about different people go visit them and try to talk to them. I don't really see the point in there being a world to learn about if you aren't out exploring and experiencing it (says the man with a lapsed passport)
 
Our students fill in a 'holiday form' this is put to the goveners who approve it. The absence is the authorised and does not impact on school record, child gets time out with the family. The times it can be a pain is exam times, year 10-11-12 & 13 and sometimes for the child at the start of term when friendships are being made and groups forming. But, that is when someone is on a two week break at start of term.

As for thw snow days comment - health and safety kicks in; your child falls and breaks a limb ... we get screamed at for opening school ... we close it .. we get screamed at ... no win situation lol.

Up to secondary school I took my five (single mum at that point) on hols out of season as it was cheaper ... the bigger issue has to be the price hike in term times ... grrrrr
 
Woo and yay!

Spoken to the head today and explained our situation. Because it's evidently a one off, and its our only holiday it classes as exceptional circumstances (ie not just taking them out when we can go at any other time), she has agreed to allow it.
I offered for them to do some work while away and she suggested maybe a postcard diary, sort of project so they still do a bit of writing and thinking while theyre away.

Chuffed now :)
 
ok, I'v not read the whole thread, but I have been taken out of schooling for a holiday before now, and I learnt more about another country, and more importantly, how to go about going on holiday, than any school could have taught me. And in my opinion, learning how to enjoy life is indefinitly more important than learning a vague charicature of the real world. and yes, i know people take the ****.
 
Marcel said:
Woo and yay!

Spoken to the head today and explained our situation. Because it's evidently a one off, and its our only holiday it classes as exceptional circumstances (ie not just taking them out when we can go at any other time), she has agreed to allow it.
I offered for them to do some work while away and she suggested maybe a postcard diary, sort of project so they still do a bit of writing and thinking while theyre away.

Chuffed now :)
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I know its the best result you could have asked for but I'm sorry, its a joke that you have to ask for permission.

At the end of the day, 1 holiday of primary school's time, is not going to effect children's education - I do not care what anyone says, it wont. Children have 12+ years of school, that is an amazing amount of "education" to absorb at the start of a life.
It is pathetic the whole saga you have to go through to take your children on a holiday, something that is now encouraged by many professionals to try and fix this country's obsession with bunking off work with "Stress".

I personally know your children obviously Marcel and I believe that it can only do them good, they are cracking kids (albeit cheeky devils) and it would be more "educational" in learning different languages/trips on planes/eating different foods then the crappy lessons they will be doing in class that a) they will have already done and b) is usually covered in the A4 homework sheet at the end of the day...


(Above are just my thought's and feelings and yes, I hated school)
 
These rules are designed for the whole rather than the individual. Bear in mind that some parents are just too lazy to bother sending their children to school so rules we must have. Sadly it catches us all out. You did the right thing here in that you played along with the game and asked permission, well done
 
my advice - as a chair of gov - talk to the head. Glad thats gone well for you.

If 100% (or so) then 10 sessions (5 days) wouldn't make that much difference; depending on when it is, and for that age ie end of Key Stage 2 not a problem.

The school will also take into account all students attendace for the school as it is an ofsted measure, and a school could be marked as failing if as a whole the attendance is less than 94.5% (I think that's this years figure).

Enjoy the hol :)

PS - and someone is going to pick up my spelling mistakes, so when I'm not as tired I'll edit it :)
 
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