This web forum is displayed for archive purposes and is no longer accepting public contributions. For queries relating to the content of this web forum, please contact the Education Committee.
Jo Weston
21 November 2014 at 14:24The term time rules make family time very difficult to achieve. My husband is not allowed holiday from his job between April and End of September so a family holiday longer than a week just doesn't happen unless we tag a week onto Feb or Oct half term. This means that I usually take a uk holiday in August without my husband to give my daughter a break away with time in Devon and we miss out on being together as a whole family. The school will not give permission for this now but this would have been allowed under the old system. We work hard and pay our way and just can't afford the price hikes in half terms if we want to go away - a week on Butlins £650 in half term £240 week before! It is unfair to those who can't afford to go in the holidays all the time. As long as our daughter is achieving and doing well a week out of school will not hurt. We keep up daily reading and writing and learning outside of what u get in a classroom. As an example we took her to London to see the poppies and the Tower or London recently and she missed one Monday as we travelled back. She experienced tube travel, London sights and history which she does not get at school. She loves London and we are fostering a love of exploration. Are these new rules supposed to be targeting parents who regularly don't send their children to school? It seems to be affecting those who do send regularly but also value the importance of family time and life experience.
Rebekah Webb
21 November 2014 at 14:19Headteachers should be allowed to grant leave on a case by case basis. Taking a child out of reception for one day to be able to visit close family in another part of the country or to attend a family funeral should not be of government interest and should not be subject to a fine. The letter that was sent to us by the school made me feel like I was living in Stasi-controlled Germany. I resent the interference of politicians in the day to day running of schools when they do not have educational qualifications. I also do not want my child to have a Singapore style education, where suicides among young people are among the highest in the world. That is not how we should be trying to compete in the global market.
vicky stubbs
21 November 2014 at 13:54Not allowing parents to take their children out of school for the odd day when holidays overlap is scandalous. Parents that have abused the system have put us in this situation. Holidy prices are far higher in school holidays making it now impossible for some lower income families to go away. Give us back our human right of choice. its ok for schools to shut when they want and us to have to find childcare but doesnt work the other way around. Be fair and focus on the parents that abuse the system and dont care about their childs attendance
alison ayson
21 November 2014 at 13:50I am totally opposed to the ban on term time holidays. It is not fair on parents who have difficulties getting time off during school holidays. Also, why us it being made a crime to need a cheaper holiday? A lot of families like my own are finding finances very tight at the moment even though both parents are working. I feel that the old system worked very well. Head teachers should be allowed to grant up to 10 days off, according to attendance record etc. Please help families, time together is precious.
Dee Oakes-Wilson
21 November 2014 at 13:45We have been fined for the last 2 years (I HAVE A LETTER FROM SCHOOL SAYING IF YOU DO THIS A 3RD TIME YOU WILL NOT GET A FINE BUT GO STRAIGHT TO COURT WHICH MEANS EITHER A 3 MONTH SENTENCE, UP TO £2,500.00 FINE OR COMMUNITY SERVICE) for taking our kids on holiday during term time. I have explained the situation each time to the school & council but still not authorised. My kids have been to school almost every day apart from 1 or 2 days when they were ill. My husband runs his own business working for a lettings company which rents out properties to students. The students move out in June/July so therefore we move in and do up the properties before they come back in September hence July and August being the busiest time. When we went to parents evening a couple of weeks ago even the teacher agreed with us about being away as children learn a lot more from being away. We always make our holiday educational too. I MUST ALSO ADD THAT I RECEIVED A FINE THIS WEEK 17 November 2014 (JUST THE SAME AS THE 2 TIMES BEFORE)SO THE LETTER I RECEIVED WAS JUST A THREAT.....and it says if i pay this then NO FURTHER ACTION WILL BE TAKEN.
Sarah Heather
21 November 2014 at 13:40Parents aren't always able to take there children on family holidays in school holidays due to work commitments and the astonishing holiday prices. Parents should be given atleast 5 days a year to allow for family holidays, dentist and doctor appointments. If teachers deprive children there full school term by having strikes and teacher training days why are we parents fined to take our own children on holiday. This needs to be looked into ASAP as is getting out of hand.
Christina Cramsie
21 November 2014 at 13:36I have 2 children and am a single parent. One has Aspergers Syndrome and Sensory Processing Disorder, the other has a rare genetic condition, asd traits and sensory issues. I can't take them anywhere in school holidays, they cannot cope with crowds or noise. So now we cant go on holiday at all as it is so busy for them, and I have to cope with the meltdowns, it is just not worth it. We haven't been away since the change in rules. I don't know what the problem was with the way things were, I used to take them out for 1 week usually before half term and we could go to a haven site with facilities but it was quiet. For me it is not just about the money it's about providing opportunities and experiences for my children.
Mark Fereday
21 November 2014 at 13:27I am referring to the change in the old discretionary allowance of up to 10 days term-time holiday. There was nothing wrong with the old system in most cases. The changes were put in place with no, or very little, consultation. The changes now penalise people who were in the main not abusing the old system, and for whom a few discretionary days off did NOT cause any loss in learning. The key is discretionary - the old system put the control in the hands of the head teacher - the person who would know whether extra time off would effect the child.
Thomas Liddicott
21 November 2014 at 13:18The education of children is the responsibility of the parents. The role of schools and the education establishment is to assist the parents with this responsibility, with their specialist knowledge and training. Too often in this country we have the cart before the horse. It is not for school heads to tell parents when they can take their holidays, because education is more than just schooling. It is about the whole of life's experience and that includes the family holiday, whether at home or abroad. It includes the visit of a distant family member from foreign climes. And it includes the death and funeral of relatives and friends. We in this country are sick and tired of Big Government constantly interfering with our rights and liberties. The boarding school elite at Westminster don't know about, or understand the real family life experienced by the rest of us.
Sarah Harradence
21 November 2014 at 14:24As a teacher I have never been against parents taking their children on holiday in term time, most objectives should be revisited many times during a child's school career so I never set catch up work. Children can write postcards, read menus, look at maps and study culture and have FUN! I fully support education and value it. I do support my children with homework, help on the PTA when possible and support learning throughout my children's lives. We took our boys out of school as my holidays were different to theirs. We saved a fortune, built memories, kept fit and fully understood that the boys may miss some things at school but we plugged those gaps with life lessons. My boys have only ever had a day off ill once or twice. Totally disagree with head on ITV who said children who have time off for holiday will think it's ok to have time off by pretending to be ill. What nonsense. After 10 days off by all means start prosecuting and calling it truancy. Many MP's children will be at independent schools where the holidays are longer and they get to benefit from the cheaper holiday prices. Plus they all get good holidays over the summer. In a society where work / life balance has been eroded horrendously we should not be penalising parents and families who want to holiday together and who do it with thought and care with regard to important dates in the school calendar. Valuing education is about valuing a child as a whole. Valuing family time and relaxation time is as important as valuing academic achievements. Done sensibly with avoidance of exam years there is no reason and no proof that a child will fall behind by missing 0-10 days of school. They will gain in other ways and how any actual hours of lessons will be missed when you deduct time in the day not spent in learning?