Term Time Holiday Ban

[ai_Droid]

I think we'd have a better idea of the mindset of the posters on this topic if, at the bottom of their post, they could state whether or not they have children. It would appear that those with kids aren't happy about this and those without kids are

 

 

I have kids (there you go)

 

I have three kids school age.

[fishkettle]

First of all it seems necessary to mention... I am a parent!

 

Why are people without kids getting het up about this anyway? Clearly it isn't going to affect them so they should just keep it zipped!!!

 

I think it is wrong to abolish it completely, perhaps if they felt they must do something about it then they could have reduced it?

 

I for one will struggle with it as it's hard enough to make ends meet as it is without forking out the extra dollar on your hols. Now it seems lot of kids will miss out on hols altogether just because their parents simply can't afford it. I know someone above made the point "you don't NEED holidays", no we don't, but it sure is nice to have the option!

[monasqueen]

I have a (grown up) kid, and no, I did not take her out of school during term time. I do not believe that this is at all necessary or desirable.

 

If one starts it, it sets a precedent for others to follow - "little Jimmy got away with it so why can't I" and all that.

[fishkettle]

I have a (grown up) kid, and no, I did not take her out of school during term time. I do not believe that this is at all necessary or desirable.

 

If one starts it, it sets a precedent for others to follow - "little Jimmy got away with it so why can't I" and all that.

 

If your kid is grown up and therefore not in school anymore... I hope you don't mind me asking... WTF is it to you then?

[champagne]

I think we'd have a better idea of the mindset of the posters on this topic if, at the bottom of their post, they could state whether or not they have children. It would appear that those with kids aren't happy about this and those without kids are

 

 

 

 

 

I have kids (there you go)

I have 2.

 

Ai-droid - No-one wants to disrupt other children in the class. I for one only take my children out for the odd day to latch onto term time because of connecting flight availability or because its too high risk to leave the island the same day as you depart from the UK. By removing this degree of flexibility does not mean I now wont go on holiday, it means i will lie and say "johnny is sick".

 

I dont like lying but it's my money, I've worked hard for it and I will be damned if any civil servant is going to tell me when and where I can spend my cash. There is no way that the odd day latched onto the end of term (when all my child does is play games and tidy the classroom) is disrupting others.

[fishkettle]

I think we'd have a better idea of the mindset of the posters on this topic if, at the bottom of their post, they could state whether or not they have children. It would appear that those with kids aren't happy about this and those without kids are

 

 

 

 

 

I have kids (there you go)

I have 2.

 

Ai-droid - No-one wants to disrupt other children in the class. I for one only take my children out for the odd day to latch onto term time because of connecting flight availability or because its too high risk to leave the island the same day as you depart from the UK. By removing this degree of flexibility does not mean I now wont go on holiday, it means i will lie and say "johnny is sick".

 

I dont like lying but it's my money, I've worked hard for it and I will be damned if any civil servant is going to tell me when and where I can spend my cash. There is no way that the odd day latched onto the end of term (when all my child does is play games and tidy the classroom) is disrupting others.

 

Well said Champagne...

 

Unfortunately this is what it's going to come to, like it or not, people will be reduced to telling lies in order to save money (and lots of it).

[Lost Login]

One kid yet to start school and one at infants.

 

I have and had no intention of taking my kid or kid out of school for a week and would definately not do so when they are in secondary school. However I will admit to the odd day mainly due to travel arrangements away from the summer holiday times. If you are on a charter flight that departs on a Saturday or arrives on a Sunday in the UK then sometimes it is not possible to get a connecting flight that gets you an onward connection same day. Being chartered flights the holidays are often of x days duration so there is no possibility of coming back on an earlier date as there is with scheduled flights.

 

I have and would also take them out in TT practice week as previous years shown that many kids are off that week. In addition as this year the school is actually only two open two days. Now this is not a cost saving measure as it costs me to take a holiday in practice week as it matches the UK half term so holiday prices are more expensive, although I generally only go to the UK. Attractions tend also to be bust which is a downside but I feel it is important that my kids see friends but especially close relatives in the UK whi also have kids of their own on a regular occasion. With holidays not matching up this year at Easter or Spring bank I or they have to take kids off for an odd day or miss out on what I consider is important social interaction for my kids development.

 

With regard to the timing of half term to match the TT that gives the impression to me that TT is taking priority over school term times. Maybe the Board oF Education might like to decide who decides its policy on terms. itself or the TT oraganising committee

 

 

Finally as an employer in a small office where the majority of us have kids we have to stagger holidays as otherwise the office would shut and that would be the end of our business. We are sensible and practical when fitting in holidays, we all work around each other and discuss etc etc but again this sometimes means that unfortunately the odd day of school is missed

[Tugger]

Two step-kids at secondary school, two pre-schoolers and a primary schoolteacher wife, who rants and raves when the subject is brought up about how selfish parents are who take their kids out during term time (admittedly her wrath is reserved for those who take, say, a full week, rather than the odd day at the beginning and end of term)

[Lost Login]

Ai-droid - No-one wants to disrupt other children in the class. I for one only take my children out for the odd day to latch onto term time because of connecting flight availability or because its too high risk to leave the island the same day as you depart from the UK. By removing this degree of flexibility does not mean I now wont go on holiday, it means i will lie and say "johnny is sick".

 

Agreed. I am anti this heavy handed policy and especially the way it has been communicated but in general I am also not in favour of taking kids out of school for a week or so just to save a bit of money.

 

I do though recognise that living on an Island unfortunately at times the practical solution is to take the child out of school for a whole or half a day or miss out on something over a week completely e.g. a holiday. In addtion their will be occasionally once in a life time opportunities that are too good to miss and again I understand kids being taken out for those.

 

I would love to take my kids for a few days to Lapland whilst they are young enough to appreciate it and I have been looking at term times over the next few years to see if it can be fitted in between breaking up at Christmas. If I can not then I have to make a decision aboout taking them out of school. I will not do so lightly and will do my best to minimise disruption and days missed but a trip to Lapland would be a one off experience which will not be repeated. But if we decide that we wish to go I will not deprive my Children of a unique experience that I believe would also be enriching for them just to appease the department of education. In my view Education is not only what you learn in the classroom and but also what you learn and experience away from school etc and it seems that the department of educaton is forgetting this.

[monasqueen]

I have a (grown up) kid, and no, I did not take her out of school during term time. I do not believe that this is at all necessary or desirable.

 

If one starts it, it sets a precedent for others to follow - "little Jimmy got away with it so why can't I" and all that.

 

If your kid is grown up and therefore not in school anymore... I hope you don't mind me asking... WTF is it to you then?

 

I have an interest in seeing kids brought up with respect, and not to take the pee out of their seniors. It is the same deal at work - too many take time off for trivial reasons, and do it just because they know they can get away with it. (Time off to watch football matches, and/or days off with hangovers after football matches, etc.. etc..).

 

Just because I no longer have a school age child does not mean that I no longer care what happens.

[John Wright]

Un necessary and silly petty regulations will make rule breakers of us all

 

From 8 I was in a one parent family. Dad took us on holiday occasionally in term time.

 

He was an ex teacher who had stopped work when my mother had died, the budget was tight

 

However he always asked permisssion and ensured we worked and that we caught up

 

It is clear rom the numbers that that is not it in absolute terms. It is people taking the piss, not asking or disrupting.

 

This is a poloicy, not a law. Agree with it, observe it, no problem. You disagreee with it, fine here is how you go about ignoring it and doing things correctly and notr end up being prosecuted for non attendance.

 

You write to ask, you explain the reason, you ask for work/essays to be set for whilst away, books to read etc, work sheets to complete. You make it clear tat you ae going anyay, know the policy but want to ensure little X still gets education whilst away. If school refuses permision you ensure the kids do some work any way, whether school sets or not. If school sets and the kids do it there can be no breach of attendance rules if school refuses but you still make them do work each day and keep proof then it is school which is in the wrong

 

There is nothing to debate here apart from petty bureucracy and parents who do not ask or educate their kids thenmselves, which all parenst should be doing all the time

[champagne]

Un necessary and silly petty regulations will make rule breakers of us all

 

From 8 I was in a one parent family. Dad took us on holiday occasionally in term time.

 

He was an ex teacher who had stopped work when my mother had died, the budget was tight

 

However he always asked permisssion and ensured we worked and that we caught up

 

It is clear rom the numbers that that is not it in absolute terms. It is people taking the piss, not asking or disrupting.

 

This is a poloicy, not a law. Agree with it, observe it, no problem. You disagreee with it, fine here is how you go about ignoring it and doing things correctly and notr end up being prosecuted for non attendance.

 

You write to ask, you explain the reason, you ask for work/essays to be set for whilst away, books to read etc, work sheets to complete. You make it clear tat you ae going anyay, know the policy but want to ensure little X still gets education whilst away. If school refuses permision you ensure the kids do some work any way, whether school sets or not. If school sets and the kids do it there can be no breach of attendance rules if school refuses but you still make them do work each day and keep proof then it is school which is in the wrong

 

There is nothing to debate here apart from petty bureucracy and parents who do not ask or educate their kids thenmselves, which all parenst should be doing all the time

 

Thank you John Wright, when I take my child out for a couple of days before the october half term so that we can get a connection to the sun, I shall be sure to do exactly as you have said!!

[ans]

This is a poloicy, not a law. Agree with it, observe it, no problem. You disagreee with it, fine here is how you go about ignoring it and doing things correctly and notr end up being prosecuted for non attendance.

 

I'm confused as to why people would be prosecuted for something that is not a law...

 

For the record, parent of two school age children and I don't agree at all with parents taking their children out of school in term time for holidays. Kids get what? 14 weeks of the year off or something daft?

[Lee54]

As someone that can not take annual holidays during the summer term due to work commitments,I have no alternative but to take our child away out of term if we wish to have a family Holiday. But I do feel that I have a strong case against the BOE, we were informed by our child's head with the school reports that our child was in the top 2% of the islands school children and that he (head teacher) went on to say that our child might be getting held back a bit due to the education system. he feels that our child could be moved up a year but the system does not allow this.

So there we have it our child can take more in than the system can give, so who is being let down, what harm could it do to take our child out of the system, maybe it will give the system that runs his class the time to play catch up. We will take our child away regardless of any refusal given by the school.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

For the record, parent of two school age children and I don't agree at all with parents taking their children out of school in term time for holidays. Kids get what? 14 weeks of the year off or something daft?

 

But a holiday away somewhere foreign is a bit different, and not the same as spending those 14 weeks on the Rock. It is all dependent on when the parents can take their holidays.

 

I have an interest in seeing kids brought up with respect, and not to take the pee out of their seniors. It is the same deal at work - too many take time off for trivial reasons, and do it just because they know they can get away with it. (Time off to watch football matches, and/or days off with hangovers after football matches, etc.. etc..).

 

It is different with work in the sense that adults take the time off or pull a sickie because they don't want to job, which is understandable, especially in a crap job. I don't see how keeping the children in school maintains respect though.