Taking term time holidays.

[hattiehippo]

I get it's hard for people in some jobs to get the time off that they want and especially in the military you get no choice. And there should therefore be some discretion for these circumstances.

But I am a teacher, I will never be able to take my son on a holiday in term time because I can only go on holiday in the school holidays. Yes I get 13 weeks to choose from but it can only ever be the expensive ones.

My mum was also a teacher so I grew up with holidays in the UK in school holiday time. I never felt I was missing out on 'learning experiences' by not going on exotic holidays during school time.

 

[JASMAK]

Crazy! Mine are missing three weeks of school for a trip to Mexico. We are leaving in 12 days. I hired two teachers to help them stay on track, but I TOLD the school. I don't ask. They are my kids.

 

[monkee12]

It's 60 per parent for each child if paid within 21 days, rising to 120 per parent for each child if paid after 21 days but within 28, if jot paid within 28 days then it can be prosecution, that's what it says on our attendance letter.. Yikes

 

[Pearls18]

It's 60 per parent for each child if paid within 21 days, rising to 120 per parent for each child if paid after 21 days but within 28, if jot paid within 28 days then it can be prosecution, that's what it says on our attendance letter.. Yikes

I think they are going to be doing special dispensation for military families, but I'm not sure if this is around deployment only. My husband has 50 days of annual leave owed to him...he can barely take any leave at the moment let alone choose when lol.

 

[Noodlebear]

Crazy! Mine are missing three weeks of school for a trip to Mexico. We are leaving in 12 days. I hired two teachers to help them stay on track, but I TOLD the school. I don't ask. They are my kids.

this is absolutely how it should be.

 

[WW1]

I get it's hard for people in some jobs to get the time off that they want and especially in the military you get no choice. And there should therefore be some discretion for these circumstances.

But I am a teacher, I will never be able to take my son on a holiday in term time because I can only go on holiday in the school holidays. Yes I get 13 weeks to choose from but it can only ever be the expensive ones.

My mum was also a teacher so I grew up with holidays in the UK in school holiday time. I never felt I was missing out on 'learning experiences' by not going on exotic holidays during school time.

I am also a teacher so in the same boat but this ruling will make school holidays even more expensive and harder to get. Also my DH is not a teacher and there is a distinct possibility he won't get holidays at the same time as only a certain number of people can be off at the same time. Now everyone wants 4/ the same 13 weeks it will mean even fewer get their choice. I don't care about going abroad (we tend to holiday in the UK) but I would prefer to holiday with my DD and DH at the same time!

The other issue I have is she's MY child (and DH's of course) - and no one takes her education more seriously than I do. If I feel a holiday is going to have a greater educational benefit then it should be my choice to make. I know some parents just want a week in the sun (and I'm not sure that is bad either) but as ever the government have gone to the lowest common denominator and told everyone they can't do something even if it may benefit some. Most parents don't take their children out anyway so it's unnecessary meddling in my opinion.

 

[monkee12]

It's 60 per parent for each child if paid within 21 days, rising to 120 per parent for each child if paid after 21 days but within 28, if jot paid within 28 days then it can be prosecution, that's what it says on our attendance letter.. Yikes

I think they are going to be doing special dispensation for military families, but I'm not sure if this is around deployment only. My husband has 50 days of annual leave owed to him...he can barely take any leave at the moment let alone choose when lol.

That's like my hubby x

 

[Foogirl]

This, I'm a military wife and we barely get anytime with hubby as it is
I do agree with the other posters in the sense that we shouldn't be told when we can spend time with our children, where does it end? first fines, next it will be child welfare and jail time

I'm not sure I agree with it just being a military dispensation though. There are loads of professions where families get limited time together because of work patterns forced upon them. I think the idea of having a fixed number of days per pupil per year where there can be an "unauthorised" absence without there being a penalty is the best way to go. That way ALL families can make sure holiday time is spent together.

 

[Pearls18]

This, I'm a military wife and we barely get anytime with hubby as it is
I do agree with the other posters in the sense that we shouldn't be told when we can spend time with our children, where does it end? first fines, next it will be child welfare and jail time

I'm not sure I agree with it just being a military dispensation though. There are loads of professions where families get limited time together because of work patterns forced upon them. I think the idea of having a fixed number of days per pupil per year where there can be an "unauthorised" absence without there being a penalty is the best way to go. That way ALL families can make sure holiday time is spent together.

Absolutely, I don't think either of us have said that we should be the only ones for special dispensation but just that it highlights the flaws in the new system, we are lucky in that they will probably ensure military families don't lose out on this due to the nature of their jobs (it's obviously not just that annual leave is hard to take but that special leave is given before and after deployment to enable us to spend time with them before/after long absences and we can't dictate when this will be).

My dad was a postman and he rarely got to pick his annual leave when I was younger, in my mum's work they are all parents and when I was younger my mum couldn't take a lot of school holidays as she had to share when amongst all the other parents.

As I say I think the policy is lazy and badly thought out, the military is just an easy example of highlighting this but certainly not the only one. It punishes everyone.

 

[Foogirl]

There are schools who do allow children to take time off during special leave already, as they absolutely should in that situation. I think at the moment there isn't a blanket rule for military families, it is up to individual head teachers in individual cases.

 

[HPmum2B]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that local councils can choose whether or not to enforce this new law. So whether you get fined or not, is down to your local authority.

 

[Pearls18]

There are schools who do allow children to take time off during special leave already, as they absolutely should in that situation. I think at the moment there isn't a blanket rule for military families, it is up to individual head teachers in individual cases.

Yeah it's something the Families' Federations are looking into I believe, but with the military covenant and schools getting money for accepting military children I doubt it'll be too difficult for us (not that it would be something I would do at all often), however, I live near base, some families live unaccompanied so I'm not sure what this would mean if you were the only forces' child in the school, they may be less understanding. But anyhow as you say it doesn't just affect military families, which is why I am so against the way it is being handled at the moment.

 

[Noodlebear]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that local councils can choose whether or not to enforce this new law. So whether you get fined or not, is down to your local authority.

I don't get what difference that makes...?

 

[Foogirl]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that local councils can choose whether or not to enforce this new law. So whether you get fined or not, is down to your local authority.

I don't get what difference that makes...?

I think it means that no matter how successful any petition is, or how the legislation ends up, everyone is still at the mercy of individuals of local councils or local schools, which is how the situation is at the moment.

 

[Noodlebear]

Yeah I get that but I mean that you're still being dictated to. I don't think it matters who's doing it.

 

[Foogirl]

Yeah I get that but I mean that you're still being dictated to. I don't think it matters who's doing it.

Oh for sure. But I can't see anything proposed which will change that. And to be honest, without being too philosophical about it, isn't that just the way of life? We're all dictated to by governments, councils, employers, corporations to some extent.

I mean, I get annoyed when a shop closes too early when I want to buy something from it. Isn't that my shopping habits being dictated by a corporation?

My boss get pissed off when I'm late. But I'm late because I can't get all my daughter's therapy done first thing in the morning without being late. So they are asking me to choose between my daughter and my job. That's being dictated to for sure!

 

[RachA]

Yeah I get that but I mean that you're still being dictated to. I don't think it matters who's doing it.

Oh for sure. But I can't see anything proposed which will change that. And to be honest, without being too philosophical about it, isn't that just the way of life? We're all dictated to by governments, councils, employers, corporations to some extent.

I mean, I get annoyed when a shop closes too early when I want to buy something from it. Isn't that my shopping habits being dictated by a corporation?

My boss get pissed off when I'm late. But I'm late because I can't get all my daughter's therapy done first thing in the morning without being late. So they are asking me to choose between my daughter and my job. That's being dictated to for sure!

I agree with this. Many people work in environments whereby they are dictated to by someone. My OH used to work for a company where he HAD to take 2 weeks of his holidays together so he didn't actually have the choice that he wanted.

I understand that we don't like being told what to do but actually if we want to take our children out of school we still can-we will just get fined for doing so. Chances are the overall cost of the holiday we book will still be cheaper if we do it in term time.
I would have no problem in taking mine out of school if we were doing a holiday that was actually going to be educational for them but I don't see why I should take them out of school for 2 weeks just to be with them while they play on the sand on another country.

I think it's a good thing to teach our children that life isn't easy or fair and to me part of that is sticking to policies like this otherwise what you are actually teaching children is that a policy is in place but we don't actually have to respect that and we can so whatever we want.

 

[Noodlebear]

I think that's a little different than being told what you can and can't do with your children lol.

 

[Gingerspice]

My husband works away for long periods of time. He doesn't get much say when he is home. We have to grab the opportunity to get away as family whenever that might be. When my little one hasn't seen her dad for weeks, possibly months abd he gets a week at home before heading off again and we decide to go away. I will. I'll pay the fine. Whatever. I reckon a child getting time with an otherwise often not around father is more important than a week of work which I'll happily take away with us and work through when away....

 

[Foogirl]

I think that's a little different than being told what you can and can't do with your children lol.

Not really, after all the school dictates curriculum and food options and uniform and all sort of other stuff. And if it weren't for cost, no-one would give a damn.