School Holiday Rip Offs

[ColchesterFC]

In association with Centre Parcs let's play a game of which week do you think is February half term..........



Even after paying the fine for taking the kids out of school it's still over £400 cheaper to go during term time.

 

[Hobbit]

That's obscene. I'd be tempted to say the company has no social morals, in effect almost forcing parents to children out of school in order to save money. A sad sign of our times.

 

[sawtooth]

That's obscene. I'd be tempted to say the company has no social morals, in effect almost forcing parents to children out of school in order to save money. A sad sign of our times.

I agree and this sort of thing really winds me up.

Its a bit like the mobile food stand that thinks its OK to sell a hot dog for £5 or a tin of coke for a couple of quid. It shouldn't be allowed really.

 

[Smiffy]

I agree and this sort of thing really winds me up.

Its a bit like the mobile food stand that thinks its OK to sell a hot dog for £5 or a tin of coke for a couple of quid. It shouldn't be allowed really.

Or a garage charging 60p for a pkt of 25p Rizlas because they are "convenient".

 

[robert.redmile]

it winds me up, and I have kids so it hurts me - but it's simply supply and demand. They always sell out at school holidays, so you could argue it's too cheap!

Its like moaning how expensive it is go to watch Man u, or England rugby, or Coldplay (and believe I do moan!!) yet you try and get ticket! - the true price is probably 50% higher......

You should charge a price that allows you to sell your last slot, ticket, bed, 10 minutes before time runs out - if centre packs charged £1500 for these rooms I bet they would still sell out. unfortunately.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

A lot of the travel companies suggest that the prices during the peak times reflect the true value -off peak the demand isn't as high so to try and entice people they lower the prices - truth or not ?

 

[pbrown7582]

A lot of the travel companies suggest that the prices during the peak times reflect the true value -off peak the demand isn't as high so to try and entice people they lower the prices - truth or not ?

Supply and demand of a free market economy.
Yes I have children and it affects me too, as I will not take them out of school to potentially harm there education to save some money.

 

[sawtooth]

it winds me up, and I have kids so it hurts me - but it's simply supply and demand. They always sell out at school holidays, so you could argue it's too cheap!

Its like moaning how expensive it is go to watch Man u, or England rugby, or Coldplay (and believe I do moan!!) yet you try and get ticket! - the true price is probably 50% higher......

You should charge a price that allows you to sell your last slot, ticket, bed, 10 minutes before time runs out - if centre packs charged £1500 for these rooms I bet they would still sell out. unfortunately.

Paying to watch a live show, concert or match is a bit different because its unique and something you cant get anywhere else.

But you know the cost of a tin of coke or a packet of rizlas or whatever and its pretty hard to stomach someone charging 5x what it could cost elsewhere.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Try booking a Travelodge in Dundee when the Open is at Carnoustie.

Simple case of supply and demand.

Centre Parks Penrith is a Scottish toon at Scottish half term as it is always a week earlier [and much cheaper].

 

[Captainron]

I'm finding this out. We looked st s trip to Turkey in summer and there is no way we will shell out. For the same price as a week in Turkey all inclusive at a decent resort is the same as I spent on 2 weeks in South Africa.
Might just take the kids out during term time. Our school is fairly good about it.

 

[Mattyboy]

I go to Lanzarote in the October weekend. Monarch flights from Gatwick this morning for October 2016;
Out;
11 October £48.99 (lowest)
21 October £228.99
22 October £228.99

Back;
29 October £302.99
30 October £302.99
3 November£39.99

These are for one person, no luggage or accomodation etc. Nuff said. :angry:

 

[Karl102]

A school where my friend works struck up a deal with the local travel agent as they had a problem with absences either the week before or after half term. Either way it was cheaper to pay the fine and go away than travel at half term.
I think the travel agent was giving a 25% discount or something like that....

 

[ColchesterFC]

One of the schools near us is having all of their teacher training days in one week the week before half term so that families can go away that week and not have to pay a fortune.

 

[DCB]

Surely it's one of the things you have to take into consideration when you start a family ? I'm not in favour of taking kids out of school on an unauthorised absence. Do it once and it may be okay, but it can soon becomes a trend and sometimes happens more than once in a year.

 

[Ethan]

This idea that you are going to irreparably damage your child's education if you take them out a few days before end of term is laughable. Plenty of kids miss time due to sickness and don't lose out, and in the school my kids go to, they seem to do a lot more playing including watching DVDs, days out etc in the run up to end of term.

It is OK for Tory ministers to lecture us. Their kids are all at private schools which have longer holidays anyway. The fines are just another form of stealth tax levied on parents.

 

[Hacker Khan]

This idea that you are going to irreparably damage your child's education if you take them out a few days before end of term is laughable. Plenty of kids miss time due to sickness and don't lose out, and in the school my kids go to, they seem to do a lot more playing including watching DVDs, days out etc in the run up to end of term.

It is OK for Tory ministers to lecture us. Their kids are all at private schools which have longer holidays anyway. The fines are just another form of stealth tax levied on parents.

As a school governor I see both sides of the argument. The are plenty of studies that show the poor attenders are the poor attainers and some parents are feckless and never give their child a chance to succeed through their attitude to attendance. Also a week in Provence out of school holiday times is not a human right. Despite how middle class parents try to justify it by saying young Phobe will be mingling with the locals and speaking Italian all day.

Also it is not just end of term that kids get taken out, we've had parents take kids out in sats week or out for 2 weeks a week after they go back in the autumn after 6 weeks off. And some kids do struggle to catch up if they miss a week off, either through illness or holidays.

Ideally you would leave it to the head to use their common sense, but people will and have always taken the micky who spoil it for everyone.

 

[Ethan]

As a school governor I see both sides of the argument. The are plenty of studies that show the poor attenders are the poor attainers and some parents are feckless and never give their child a chance to succeed through their attitude to attendance. Also a week in Provence out of school holiday times is not a human right. Despite how middle class parents try to justify it by saying young Phobe will be mingling with the locals and speaking Italian all day.

Also it is not just end of term that kids get taken out, we've had parents take kids out in sats week or out for 2 weeks a week after they go back in the autumn after 6 weeks off. And some kids do struggle to catch up if they miss a week off, either through illness or holidays.

Ideally you would leave it to the head to use their common sense, but people will and have always taken the micky who spoil it for everyone.

Well, we aren't talking about constant truancy here. We are talking about getting a jump on the holidays and saving a load of cash. Nobody said it was a human right. I expect some people in Provence will speak excellent Italian, but more of them will speak French.

The problem with the head exercising common sense is that it common sense is a lot less common these days, judgement is likely to be highly variable between schools and subject to favouritism.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Ideally you would leave it to the head to use their common sense, but people will and have always taken the micky who spoil it for everyone.

I think the head teachers need more guidance on what is and isn't acceptable as a reason for having a holiday during term time. At the minute they are told "only in exceptional circumstances" and they have to decide what that means.

Last year I was working offshore during February half term, Easter, May half term, 5 of the 6 weeks of the summer holiday and October half term so we had no opportunity to have a holiday during the school holidays. I booked for a week away at the end of September after explaining the above to the school and the head mistress said it would have to go down as unauthorised absence.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I may be wrong, as it was a long time ago, but I can't remember any kids being taken out of school early to go on holiday either in my middle school or high school and so this seems a modern trend. Is that the case? To me, it's very black and white. School years are published well in advanced and you should make your holiday provisions and budget accordingly. We only get one chance at a good education (and I did waste some of mine through my own idiocy, not my parents whisking me out to go away) and kids need to be in school. I simply think it's that clear cut and clearly these "fines" aren't strong enough to act as any kind of deterrent

 

[ColchesterFC]

I may be wrong, as it was a long time ago, but I can't remember any kids being taken out of school early to go on holiday either in my middle school or high school and so this seems a modern trend. Is that the case? To me, it's very black and white. School years are published well in advanced and you should make your holiday provisions and budget accordingly. We only get one chance at a good education (and I did waste some of mine through my own idiocy, not my parents whisking me out to go away) and kids need to be in school. I simply think it's that clear cut and clearly these "fines" aren't strong enough to act as any kind of deterrent

It's not always that simple though. I work bloody hard to provide for my family and this involves having to work during the school holidays. I have a good job and can afford to take my kids away during holidays as long as I am home to do it. Some parents simply cannot take their children away during the school holiday periods such as those in the military or if they work in the hospitality industry. Parents that run hotels have to work over the main holidays as that is when they make the money that keeps them going through the winter months.

The fines definitely aren't strong enough to act as a deterrent, as my example at the start of the thread shows. Over £400 cheaper to go during term time even once you've paid the fine.