A ban on taking holidays during term time?

Scroll to see replies

Why do you assume that parents don't care? My parents made me miss the last week of the summer term to go on holiday when I was in year 7. I missed a week of fun and games a trip to Chessington World of Adventures, my parents obviously cared so little about my education...

Chessington!!!
What a chavvy family!

Reply 61

rlw31

Original post by malcolmallison

Chessington!!!
What a chavvy family!

So my family's chavvy, because I missed a school trip to Chessington World of Adventures to go on holiday abroad :confused:

I think you should try reading my post again...

Reply 62

emi_sarb

I think it depends on the age of the child and how long you're going for. My parents took me out of school for a few days at the end of term in year 2. The school gave my parents the work I was going to be missing and being the end of term in year 2 I didn't miss much.

However, in secondary school there was a girl in my class who would go on holiday for 1-2 weeks every term, in the winter she would go skiing and in the summer she was off to hot places. This girl was not very bright and was already getting extra support from the school because she was struggling, and with the amount of school she missed through years 10 and 11 it's not surprising she failed all her GCSEs.

Reply 63

madders94

Original post by RVNmax

^^^This^^^

I took 3 weeks off at start of year 9 and 1.5 weeks at end of 1st term of A2(just before the actual Christmas holidays started), but literally had 100% attendance otherwise. I think that the school counted them as unauthorised, even though we did tell the school beforehand. The first was as we were already on holiday but it wasn't safe for my mum to fly as she'd had a preplanned operation done. Second was due to my cousin's wedding.
(I can hardly remember but I have a feeling I missed 3-4 days at start of Yr6 for a holiday abroad aswell.)

I'll be honest, I didn't study at all during the former, and a did a tiny amount in the second since I had exams coming up, which is partly why I believe that there should be more leniency as you get older rather than when you're younger. One doesn't appreciate education as much when young plus the fact they'll get a mentality where it is okay to miss school.

Nevertheless, I certainly think that the one's who miss school on a regular basis without being severely ill is a greater issue as I have noticed a link from experience between such people and their test performances.

I've always missed a fair bit of school/college due to being a young carer, my education hasn't suffered severely - I get better results than some of my friends who had really great attendance!

Reply 64

Ra Ra Ra

As long as the pupil is hardworking/has good grades to prove it, I don't see what the problem is. After all, schools are allowed to take pupils out for school trips* during term time, so why kick up a fuss when the parents do it?

* And most of these school trips aren't educational in the first place. My friend went skiing in Italy last year during term time with the school, where all they did was the obvious. When I went on the Art trip to Barcelona, about 80% of the time was spent wandering around the shops or going to the beach. Not that I'm complaining (the weather was amazing) but I always found this rather hypocritical when the schools don't let pupils off for holidays, despite their own trips being little more than sunbathing by the Med.

Reply 65

GunnerBill

I think the government should be even handed and prevent travel companies and airlines from jacking up the prices during the school holidays then.

Reply 66

im so academic

Original post by GunnerBill

I think the government should be even handed and prevent travel companies and airlines from jacking up the prices during the school holidays then.

Then they'll "reduce" all prices, but holidays in term time get reduced further. You may be able to prevent companies increasing prices, but it's insanity to force them to charge the same price all year round.

Reply 67

Georgiina_Tee

They should be focussing on more important issue's such as the quality of teaching across the country and when TEACHERS GO ON HOLIDAY and say (they 'broke their ankle for 4 weeks') they should throw in a proper maths teacher... to cover...

We need better quality cover teachers qualified especially for long term illness

Reply 68

tc92

Original post by Ra Ra

At my school, our holidays were almost entirely during the holidays. At most we'd get one day off school (the last day of term anyway), but that would by no means be the standard.

After all, we're meant to be there studying, so I don't see why there's any problem at all with making people actually go to school.

Reply 69

Sharri5

Education in the UK has taken the dumps anyway. This just proves it.

Reply 70

madders94

Original post by tc92

Yes, but you CAN go on holidays in the school holidays. There should be some leniency for the families who can't, otherwise it's just further increasing the divide between the well-off and the disadvantaged students.

Reply 71

Einheri

Original post by davidmarsh01

I agree that you shouldn't be allowed term time holidays, why should a child miss their education for the sake of a holiday?

Some holidays can be very educational. I learned more about history from two weeks in Greece than I ever did from my (mostly) useless secondary school teachers. If you're just some chav going to "Ibeefuh, innit" then sure; you're not going to learn much, but then how much does your average chav get out of school anyway?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 72

PinkMobilePhone

Volunteer Team

I took my family on holiday last September (school started 6th Sept. We went away 13th to 23rd Sept). I shopped around and shopped around there is NO WAY we would have been able to afford to go away during holiday times. Just no way at all.
Last time we went away prior to that was 2008, so it's hardly as though we go away that often. Once every three years isn't exactly a ludicrous amount of holidays. My youngest son wasn't even born until 2009, so he had never been on holiday until last year.

We can't afford to go away this year (not even in term time), but I'm saving for next year. It'll most likely be a term time holiday again, and my children are going to have to fall mysteriously ill, otherwise we just won't be able to go away.

I'd never take them if it was an exam year or anything.

I'll be honest, sometimes I think I could teach them more effectively myself in some respects. At least at this primary school age. My daughter is (well, has recently finished) learning about dinosaurs. Yet everything she is learning about is outdated (pardon the pun). I did my own research online and found more recent studies and actually sent an email to the headmaster citing new research which shows that dinosaurs aren't at all how older studies depicted them to be.

Furthermore, my daughter is the only one in her class who knows what verbs, nouns, and adjectives are. That's purely because I'm the one that taught her that! In school, her class hasn't covered that yet.

When I took my children on holiday they came back knowing several Spanish phrases, and having learnt something of Spanish culture. That's pretty educational if you ask me.

Reply 73

The Real Quaid

One of the main issues is holiday companies increasing their prices for school holidays - obviously it's simple supply and demand - but it separates the wealthy from the less so.

I think holiday companies should either be penalised for doing this or given an incentive to not do it as surely education is the most important aspect of society.

Reply 74

tc92

Original post by madders94

I don't believe so. That sets a very dangerous precedent. What about those who can't afford a holiday even during term time? Should we start subsidising their holidays as well? Should we subsidise televisions for those families who couldn't normally afford them so they can be more 'equal' to the well-off? Going on holiday is not a 'right' but a luxury which the majority of the global population do not share.

Reply 75

madders94

Original post by tc92

I'm not talking about money here though - even if I had a billion pounds, we couldn't go on holiday outside of school holidays. Most people, if they save up for a few years, can go on holiday in school holidays. My family will never be able to do that, and I'm talking about when it's something other than the money that is playing a part - mainly young carers, because that's what I have experience of being - we're given very little help or leniency by schools or the government, and tend to need a holiday more than most students who can go jetting off whenever they want, and if holidays in school time were banned, money still wouldn't be a problem - we can't go in holiday time.

By disadvantaged, I meant the ones who have family/health problems that prevent them from being able to do things that the well-off (in terms of health) can.

Reply 76

F Ellen

I work as an attendance officer at a school and holidays aren't authorised in term time. Obviously we can't stop people going, it just goes on as unauthorised absence on the student's record.

Reply 77

Rascacielos

I don't think there should be a ban - parents taking their children on holiday during term-time affects nothing else but their child's education. If they value the holiday and saving some money as more important than that, then so be it.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 78

Skaarbs

Yes, school is compulsory, but I don't think the government should be taking responsibility away from parents on this one, or at all really. It encourages hands off and lazy parenting.

The decision whether or not to take your child out of school for a holiday/family event etc. should lie solely with the parents and consulting with the student.

To outright ban them is ludicrous, as there will always be circumstances which override school time.

If people could manage their own families and children's education better, the government wouldn't have to go anywhere near this issue.

Reply 79

olddad

Original post by Annie72

As a parent I can see where they are coming from.There would be no need for a ban if the price of a family holiday didnt suddenly sky rocket during the 6 weeks holidays.We used to take our kids on holiday during early to mid May when they were at primary school but havent taken them on holiday since they started secondary school.The main reason being the cost.

As anothetr parent, I agree. We did not take holidays during son's secondery years. But in primary school we did. All he missed were several days of the kids being shown videos while the teachers got ready for the next term.
And for those who say we were damaging his education, he did brilliantly in A levels and is now at Nottingham.
Heard any more about this parents' Forum?