School Holiday Rip Offs

[pbrown7582]

The fines will become a deterant as they are per child per parent and double after each instance that £60 each parent/child soon becomes £120 £240 £480.......

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The fines will become a deterant as they are per child per parent and double after each instance that £60 each parent/child soon becomes £120 £240 £480.......

Maybe but even at £240 it's still not going to deter many. More a case of the have's being able to soak up these costs and the have not's having to scrimp every penny to afford to go then not getting the flexibility to take advantage of the cheaper deals, along with those that actually think their kids need to be in school during term times.

 

[User20205]

Mine took me out when I was a kid, we went to Disney world it was brilliant. It should be done on attendance, good previous attendance and the school can use their discretion, poor attendance, maybe not.

I haven't done it, I probably would do, in junior school, not senior.

And re centre parks, it's a bit of a rip off anyway, but their school holiday prices are ridiculous. The disparity between term and non term is embarrassing. It's cheaper to go abroad to somewhere like menorca for a week. At least then you don't have to share the pool of human soup with fellas with 'interesting' tattoos

 

[Hacker Khan]

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.

You are a prefect example of what is an exceptional circumstance. Heads should take into account if parents can not take time off in school holiday time. That has anyways been defined as an exceptional circumstance and still is.

 

[MendieGK]

I've got an 18mnth year old son, and I sure as hell will be taking him out of school sometimes if it saves a fortune.

If parents take the time to educate their children outside of school like they should, then a week off school a year isn't going to hinder their education at all.

Absolutely agree that it should be done on an attendance basis with a break 'earnt'

 

[Deleted member 16999]

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

When did you go to School, times have changed and moved on, as others have said, morally disgusting that Companies can take advantage of Parents, I get the supply and demand argument but the excessive over the top price increase is wrong,
Will children really suffer missing 2 weeks a year?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Doesn't matter when I went. Term times are published. Stick to it.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Doesn't matter when I went. Term times are published. Stick to it.

And what about those that are unable to stick to it because of work or other circumstances? Is it just tough luck to them and they don't get a family holiday?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

And what about those that are unable to stick to it because of work or other circumstances? Is it just tough luck to them and they don't get a family holiday?

I understand your circumstance and my comment was general. If you have legitimate grounds like you of course there needs to be give and take but schools seem to hide behind the rules. I guess if you do it for one....

 

[Smiffy]

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.

Spot on.
I played truant quite a bit from school and my grammar and spelling are betterer than a lot of other boys what I went to school with.

 

[ColchesterFC]

I understand your circumstance and my comment was general. If you have legitimate grounds like you of course there needs to be give and take but schools seem to hide behind the rules. I guess if you do it for one....

I was more thinking about those in the armed forces or hospitality trade rather than myself.

I thought that the recent court case where the guy said that his daughter was "attending school regularly" despite taking a week off for a holiday was the beginning of the end of the fines but sadly it seems not. I think that missing a week of Primary school is not going to affect a child's education too much. Once they get to secondary school and are studying for exams it's a different situation.

I also think it's a badly worded law as it says that a child must attend school regularly. Technically speaking if a child goes to school every Monday and misses every other day of the week they are attending regularly.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Doesn't matter when I went. Term times are published. Stick to it.

So long as you stick to this ethos, then good, just remember it though when you question anything else on here, seeing as you are now one for the rules!!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Who gets the money from the fines ? Local council or the schools ?

Common sense should be applied in all cases when children are taken away from school for a period.

 

[pbrown7582]

Attendance rates of less than 95% now warrant a reminder letter that a child risks being labelled a regular absentee.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Who gets the money from the fines ? Local council or the schools ?

Common sense should be applied in all cases when children are taken away from school for a period.

The local authority gets the money from the fines. Supposedly to cover the cost of enforcement and prosecutions.

The problem with using common sense is that the schools are put under pressure from Ofsted to raise attendances and as a result are reluctant to authorise absences.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was more thinking about those in the armed forces or hospitality trade rather than myself.

I thought that the recent court case where the guy said that his daughter was "attending school regularly" despite taking a week off for a holiday was the beginning of the end of the fines but sadly it seems not. I think that missing a week of Primary school is not going to affect a child's education too much. Once they get to secondary school and are studying for exams it's a different situation.

I also think it's a badly worded law as it says that a child must attend school regularly. Technically speaking if a child goes to school every Monday and misses every other day of the week they are attending regularly.

Not arguing the ethos. I don't have kids (pending our adoption application) but think there has to be a degree of common sense on both sides. As it stands, the system is cack and suits no-one

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The local authority gets the money from the fines. Supposedly to cover the cost of enforcement and prosecutions.

The problem with using common sense is that the schools are put under pressure from Ofsted to raise attendances and as a result are reluctant to authorise absences.

So the fines are a little money spinner for local council who then may well give the school a bit of extra funding ?

When on the way back from golf a couple weeks back they had stories of parents who had recieved fines - one took their son out of school to attend a family funeral because they wouldn't authorise absence , another wouldn't allow a child to attend their own mothers wedding ,also a couple of stories of families being fined when taking their child out of school so they could spend a week with their military father who had been away for months - it all seemed a lack of understand and compassion for family life from the head teachers

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Not arguing the ethos. I don't have kids (pending our adoption application) but think there has to be a degree of common sense on both sides. As it stands, the system is cack and suits no-one

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

So here you quite clearly have no time for Parents who don't like it and I asked a simple question.

Doesn't matter when I went. Term times are published. Stick to it.

This is the short sharp answer you gave and then follow it up with this

Not arguing the ethos. I don't have kids (pending our adoption application) but think there has to be a degree of common sense on both sides. As it stands, the system is cack and suits no-one

So in the space of a few posts you've gone from one side of the fence to the middle, is it any wonder you get asked awkward questions when it's difficult to follow you at times.

 

[User20205]

So here you quite clearly have no time for Parents who don't like it and I asked a simple question.



This is the short sharp answer you gave and then follow it up with this



So in the space of a few posts you've gone from one side of the fence to the middle, is it any wonder you get asked awkward questions when it's difficult to follow you at times.

Ahhh the famous homer contradiction hang around they'll be another along in a minute.

What gets me in this, is people without kids chucking their oar in. It's none of their business.
Parents can see pros and cons either way, but unless you've got a dog in the fight, it's a view that is a complete irrelevance.

 

[Hacker Khan]

So the fines are a little money spinner for local council who then may well give the school a bit of extra funding ?

When on the way back from golf a couple weeks back they had stories of parents who had recieved fines - one took their son out of school to attend a family funeral because they wouldn't authorise absence , another wouldn't allow a child to attend their own mothers wedding ,also a couple of stories of families being fined when taking their child out of school so they could spend a week with their military father who had been away for months - it all seemed a lack of understand and compassion for family life from the head teachers

In all these cases these would be classed as exceptional circumstances. If these stories are true and not urban myth as many of these things are, then the head teacher and governing body has not interpreted the rules correctly. In those cases then it's not the fault of the rules, but the people that misinterpreted them.