holidays during term time

[panther]

Parents are being reminded not to take their children out of school during term time as they prepare to book their summer holidays
they say...
"Many parents do not realise the impact it has, especially if their child is doing well.
We know that missing school can leave children struggling to catch up with their work, sometimes for months afterwards, and in some cases missing out all together"

What do you think?

iv booked my holiday and yes its during term time....why?.....because its a lot more cheaper than going in august.
and i doubt my kids will fall behind in a just a week

[AccyLass]

I let my daughter go last year in May with her Nan
It was once in a lifetime opportunity for her as we could never afford to go abroad
She went to Gran Canaria, all paid for, for 2 weeks and loved every minute of it
No her work never suffered

[entwisi]

I always struggle to understand how the schools don't make teh most of this, e.g. you take your kids to spain, let them try speaking some spanish, see some local culture, foods, etc. Take them to historical sites as well. there are loads of learning opportunities wherever you go. If you really want your child to do well let them have the opportunity to do so.

[emamum]

Schools generally dont have a problem with a child missing the last week of the school year.. the problem is the parents that take their children to pakistan for a few months, the child comes back after not doing any school work and not speaking any english and they are usually a long way behind their class mates, the child needs extra help to settle back in, help to catch up with their class mates and reminding that they need to use english again.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I can see the school's point of view but on the other hand how many children have a week off school ill and manage to catch up on the missed work?

[MargaretR]

When my 3 grandchildren were in primary school the family went on holiday in term time for 3 weeks to Cyprus. This was done with the school's consent and they were each provided with some course work to do whilst away.
Any overseas travel is good for broadening a child's outlook on life -
unless it is to Disneyland

[Neil]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I can see the school's point of view but on the other hand how many children have a week off school ill and manage to catch up on the missed work?

Exactly Ms Whisp. We have done it before, the savings were several hundreds of pounds.

[Lilly]

I can see the school's point of view but for many families it's a case of you either go on holiday in term time or you don't go at all.

The holiday prices in school holiday time are terrible. A holiday in August can be double the price of the same holiday in June. I don't think you'll get any hassle from the school if you take your child on holiday for one week but they can't be seen to be condoning it. The head teacher has to try to discourage us from doing it as she/he has to justify the absence figures to the government bod when they come round to inspect.

If money were no object then people would gladly go in August but unfortunately this isn't the case.

[panther]

We have had to book at a silly date, because my daughter as her sats in may, so we made sure we booked after them dates, that i agree with , not booking on important days like her sats
but in the end what do i do...... say they going on holiday or lie and tell the schools they are ill???

[howarth]

Originally Posted by panther

Parents are being reminded not to take their children out of school during term time as they prepare to book their summer holidays
they say...
"Many parents do not realise the impact it has, especially if their child is doing well.
We know that missing school can leave children struggling to catch up with their work, sometimes for months afterwards, and in some cases missing out all together"

What do you think?

iv booked my holiday and yes its during term time....why?.....because its a lot more cheaper than going in august.
and i doubt my kids will fall behind in a just a week

I do the same as i have 3 kids and we as a family couldnt afford a holiday in term time.

[shillelagh]

I always missed the last couple of weeks of the school year. My mum and dad took me to ireland for the 12th July meaning i used to spend my birthday either on a boat or in ireland. I think i was 15 the first time i had a birthday over here. I'd come back off my holidays just as everyone else where going on theirs.

If its like the last week of the school year like when i went - yes dont see no problem with it seeing as everyone is gearing up to the holidays anyway and how much school work did you do in the last week - it was always school trips etc. I think the problem is when people take the kids out for 2 weeks in the middle of term - and when they come back they disrupt the other kids from learning as they have to catch up what they missed. How many kids though are going to sit down and do school work on their holidays? Could you imagine it taking all the school books in their suitcase and every morning sitting down to do school work sat by the pool. Dont really think most parents will do that - if there is room in the suitcases its for bringing back an extra 200 fags.

[lindsay ormerod]

Originally Posted by panther

We have had to book at a silly date, because my daughter as her sats in may, so we made sure we booked after them dates, that i agree with , not booking on important days like her sats
but in the end what do i do...... say they going on holiday or lie and tell the schools they are ill???

Tell the truth; most schools are reasonable enough about it provided they are told in advance and not just left wondering where the kids are.

[steeljack]

seems a bit selfish to me , sacrificing a childs education for a couple of weeks of self gratification , one minute people are complaining about kids not following the rules and having no respect for anything and the next minute you have parents flouting the rules for two weeks of sun and sangria ......guess setting a good example to the kids doesn't apply in this instance and the rules are set for others

[katex]

Aren't you allowed so many days in term time ?

Think it is best if you can avoid taking them out of school during term for all reasons as already stated. As long as no longer than 5 school days (missing probably 1 lesson of importance in their curriculum) then acceptable, any longer to me is not.

'Tis sad though that holidays abroad are loaded during peak holiday times, so why not consider the UK .. wonderful place. Kids love it whether in Cornwall, Scotland, Wales as against Benidorme, Grand Canaria or Disney Land, just the parents that prefer the sun.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by katex

so why not consider the UK ..,

It's usually cheaper to take a family abroad than it is to holiday in this country, and your'e less likely to get ripped off by foreigners abroad