Hoildays in school term time

[Neilzulu1]

Hi, can anyone shed any light on the current rules regarding taking your kids on holiday in school term time?

My kids have excellent attendance and i plan to take them to Spain in September, but i am a bit worried about the possibility of being prosecuted by the local authority.

Thanks in advance.

[Lil O'lady]

The way to approach this is to firstly write to your headteacher and make a formal request for the time. You cold sweeten this by offering to use part of the time for activities that might asist or feed back inot lessons. if your school is using a learning platform / virtual learning environment, your kids could continue to access school for a short time every day online.
Without being contentious, extended leave in term time is frequently granted for cultural reasons so it would be unusual for your headteacher to turn you down flat. On the other hand, start of september can be an important time for settling in and getting to know a new timetable, so there may be a reluctance to grant your request without discussion.

[bednobs]

but zac, how is going on holiday an exceptional circumstance?

i dont have any kids, yet my taxes go towards educating other peoples children, and they are ungrateful enough to deny the kids the benefit of my hard work, usually just so it's cheaper for them.
Clerly i do not know this poster, and indeed there may be an exceptional circumstance (dying relative for example) but tbh, i wish the local authorities WOULD prosecute people who cant possibly go on holiday during the 16 short weeks childen are off from school during the year

[Neilzulu1]

Bednobs, you are so sad.. I have worked my whole life, as has my wife. I have paid all my taxes, so stick your ignorant selfish view up you arse.

I asked a question, not for a sample view of narrow minded people like you!!

[bednobs]

but unfortunately you dont get to say what answers you get.
and i dont understand how my views are selfish - in my opinion your views, as treating school like something you could take or leave are selfish. it dosent really matter to me that you have paid taxes too - its just galling to me that i will never benefit from the schooling system, yet i dont get a reduction in tax. It also seems rather selfish to me that you wuld jeopardise you childrens education for a holiday, but thats the great thing about opinions - you can take or leave them, and its a good thing we are all different

[Suzyboo]

Is there a reason you cannot go during the summer holidays or is it just the cheaper prices that determine the timing?

[Neilzulu1]

My two children are both in the top classes and are in the groups expected to get A's in their finals. I do not treat the schooling in this country as a joke, i respect it and always make sure my kids attend.

Bednobs, i suppose if you never had to go to hospital either, then you would find it galling that others had life saving operations or even went to the doctors as it would be through "your" tax.

The main reason is down to the mind boggling difference between going in August and September, it amounts to � 1500.00.

Bednobs you seem misguided, this is called answerbank. Not vent your gripes bank.

[Neilzulu1]

Or jump in front of a bus.........

[RevFunk]

FFS

Surely the school has a POLICY on kids been taken out so you could always read it.

[Neilzulu1]

I have friends that have children at different schools and they all have a different policy, so i put this question on here to get the general feel as the policy seems to differ from school to school.

Dont tell me you adhere to everything you are told m8 either please.

[Neilzulu1]

Oh sorry, i forgot to put FFS at the start of my post. (lol).

[buildersmate]

There's the rub. Schools are entitled to have their own policies, interpreting any Government as they see fit, within reason. So one can't go saying 'but it's not like that at little Johnny's school down the road'.

[bednobs]

i dont find it galling that peope use the nhs, just as i don't find it galling that people use the education system that is provided., its great that we have a free education system in this country, giving everyone (who attends) a channce to get an education (including myself)
i would imagine that every parent would like to save 1500 quid on a holiday .... now imagine they ALL did that in september - two weeks of school but no-one in classes I suppose i'm just showing you the other side of the opinion (coming from someone who dosent have 1500 of money at stake, at least not in the sense you have)

[fathead]

I work in school as a numeracy assistant, so unfortunately I have to go on holiday at the most expensive time of year - but hey I do get 13 weeks holiday a year!!!
At our school 10 days are allowed without question. Schools understand that it is cheaper. Only in ex
ceptional circumstances are parents turned down - e.g. if a child has poor attendance.

[Neilzulu1]

Fathead, thankyou for giving a simple but effective answer. Cheers.

Bednobs, please read your previous post. Indeed you do find it galling!!

bednobs
Tue 24/06/08
22:04 but unfortunately you dont get to say what answers you get.
and i dont understand how my views are selfish - in my opinion your views, as treating school like something you could take or leave are selfish. it dosent really matter to me that you have paid taxes too - its just galling to me that i will never benefit from the schooling system, yet i dont get a reduction in tax. It also seems rather selfish to me that you wuld jeopardise you childrens education for a holiday, but thats the great thing about opinions - you can take or leave them, and its a good thing we are all different

[terambulan]

Neilzulu, am so glad u finally got an answer that is acceptable to u from 'fathead'.

You've heard what u wanted to hear, albeit wrong or right.

Lets hope other parents in your childrens classes do the same as u and the teacher will be left with empty classrooms & possibly dismissed. Dont complain, when u return from ur holiday and there is no teacher for ur children.

[Neilzulu1]

Talk about an over reaction. My kids have had 97% attendance in all their secondary years education. I ask for an answer to a question and now i am guilty of making teachers leave.

Grow up you fool, your post is perhaps the biggest pile of crap i have ever read on here.

[Skyline D]

To be fair Neil your subsequent posts very much reflect the attitude that you want people here to tell you it's fine and aren't interested in considering the other side of the coin.

In which case, it's fine. Go enjoy your holiday.

Fact remains though that as others have (perhaps less tactfully) tried to point out, if everyone did the same purely to save �1,500 then the school would be sitting empty for a fortnight during term time. Yes I know it's ludicrous to suggest they'd all go the same time but it's still the same principle.

Me, I haven't got any kids and I can't profess to any massively strong view either way. Whilst I'm sure it won't ultimately affect their educations one bit I'm not sure that financial considerations are the right reasons to be taking kids out of school though.

[Neilzulu1]

Well then Skyline please send me �1500.00 and i will gladly observe the rules.

Fair ??