But surely it's profiteering. Penalising people who can only travel at this time.
Overpriced Holidays In The School Holidays
- Thread starter albert
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But surely it's profiteering. Penalising people who can only travel at this time.
Obviously lol, they're in the business of profit lol.
Holidays are subject to demand just like anything else.
There is nothing wrong with taking you child out of school for a fortnight if you really can't afford to do it otherwise....to be honest a decent family holiday is probably a lot more beneficial to the child than a couple of weeks missed schooling.
You just need to be sensible and not do it at the critical periods in their education....so basically before they are 14 and begin their GCSEs and not around exam time etc.....
I think schools have gotten far too draconian on what they demand these days.....as long as the school has enough notice and the child is not going to miss something critical or can catch up on his return, then it is not as big a deal as schools make it out to be.
IF you follow some sensible rules then it has no more impact on your child's education than having a bout of the flu....in fact given the experiences and family time inherent in a family holiday it is probably beneficial to their education.
There is nothing wrong with taking you child out of school for a fortnight if you really can't afford to do it otherwise....to be honest a decent family holiday is probably a lot more beneficial to the child than a couple of weeks missed schooling.
You just need to be sensible and not do it at the critical periods in their education....so basically before they are 14 and begin their GCSEs and not around exam time etc.....
I think schools have gotten far too draconian on what they demand these days.....as long as the school has enough notice and the child is not going to miss something critical or can catch up on his return, then it is not as big a deal as schools make it out to be.
IF you follow some sensible rules then it has no more impact on your child's education than having a bout of the flu....in fact given the experiences and family time inherent in a family holiday it is probably beneficial to their education.
Yeah, we had to go face to face with the headmistress to tell her we were taking the kids out of school in March and November last year. We got written permission to say it was OK to do so.
Soldato
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Castiel, It's not a school rule - it's not a school being draconian.
The Education Authority, aka, THE GOVERNMENT, gives each child 10 days of discretionary leave - this is for illness, funerals, etc.
Headteachers can use their own discretion to grant holiday time using those 10 days. Our headteacher does grant permission for holidays, provided that the child's attendance is generally good.
The government plans to take that discretion away from headteachers, so that they will no longer be allowed to grant time off for holidays. Schools are also under massive scrutiny for their attendance figures.
You're right, a DECENT family holiday can be very beneficial to children. But sitting around a pool in Benidorm is not more educational than being in school.
To me, if I'm honest, I don't think that missing a week of school is detrimental to the majority of the children in my class. It's a ballache when they come back and have no idea what we've been doing, but I catch them up with the rest - that's my job.
I can't afford a holiday this year because I can't afford to go in the school holidays, but I'm not moaning about it. I get plenty of holiday time and I knew the score when I became a teacher.
The Education Authority, aka, THE GOVERNMENT, gives each child 10 days of discretionary leave - this is for illness, funerals, etc.
Headteachers can use their own discretion to grant holiday time using those 10 days. Our headteacher does grant permission for holidays, provided that the child's attendance is generally good.
The government plans to take that discretion away from headteachers, so that they will no longer be allowed to grant time off for holidays. Schools are also under massive scrutiny for their attendance figures.
You're right, a DECENT family holiday can be very beneficial to children. But sitting around a pool in Benidorm is not more educational than being in school.
To me, if I'm honest, I don't think that missing a week of school is detrimental to the majority of the children in my class. It's a ballache when they come back and have no idea what we've been doing, but I catch them up with the rest - that's my job.
I can't afford a holiday this year because I can't afford to go in the school holidays, but I'm not moaning about it. I get plenty of holiday time and I knew the score when I became a teacher.
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I totally agree with Castiel's opinion. My two kids have just returned from a month abroad, they took a week off extra before and after Easter holidays, with advance permission from the school.
The weeks prior to Xmas, Easter, and Summer are not really utilised for hardcore learning. They are wasted, killing time making Xmas/Easter cards, rehearsing Nativity plays, or Easter parades, etc. I've seen this from the class work and homework set during these periods for my children and from my own childhood.
The weeks prior to Xmas, Easter, and Summer are not really utilised for hardcore learning. They are wasted, killing time making Xmas/Easter cards, rehearsing Nativity plays, or Easter parades, etc. I've seen this from the class work and homework set during these periods for my children and from my own childhood.
To be honest the child's future is already settled by the time they get to school. If they're doomed by uncaring parents then two weeks off will make no difference either way. If they're set to make it because they have good parents then it won't make a difference either way.
I suspect some idiot in public service somewhere has decided there's a correlation between holidays in term time and performance. I would also imagine the information on the leaflet was not obtained by any reputable scientific method. It looks to have been created by some well meaning **** stick.
I suspect some idiot in public service somewhere has decided there's a correlation between holidays in term time and performance. I would also imagine the information on the leaflet was not obtained by any reputable scientific method. It looks to have been created by some well meaning **** stick.
Soldato
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Indeed my girlfriend is in her final year of her primary education degree, and boy would I hate to do that job. The sheer amount of hours, thought and ability that goes into planning lessons to make sure all kids involved is amazing. Anyone that thinks primary education is just baby sitting might need to educate themselves a bit more... and rant over
1-2 weeks of school is something you can EASILY make up if you put the effort in.
I missed a couple of weeks during the start of Year 12 to go on holiday, much to the annoyance of my fast track maths teacher.
Did I feel I missed anything at school that I couldn't make up? No.
Was I utterly dumbfounded when I got back to find out one my mates had been diagnosed with a brain tuma and had had it surgically removed during those 2 weeks? Yes I was.
I missed a couple of weeks during the start of Year 12 to go on holiday, much to the annoyance of my fast track maths teacher.
Did I feel I missed anything at school that I couldn't make up? No.
Was I utterly dumbfounded when I got back to find out one my mates had been diagnosed with a brain tuma and had had it surgically removed during those 2 weeks? Yes I was.
If the few hundred pounds is the difference between having a family holiday or not, then you have to ask yourself whether the experience that the child will have on a holiday with their family will outweigh the missed week or two at school....in most cases it would seem pretty obvious that the former would be more beneficial especially in low income families where such things are very rare luxuries and the child may never have the opportunity again.
Never underestimate the value of a good, well planned and well though out family holiday, both for the dynamic of the family unit and the well being and education of the child.
And what on earth is "social fitting"?
The LEA is the school as far as I am concerned. I am not blaming individuals or head teachers, but the school system. It is however apparent that different schools interpret those guidelines in different ways, some far more draconian than others.
However, you earn a larger salary than the average and while you have a choice on how to budget your salary, a child does not. As was pointed out, this doesn't affect people like me who can afford to go on holiday during the school holidays....it affects those on low incomes who probably have to save for several years to have a single family holiday with their children.
I am sorry, but even if it is a week in benidorm, that single holiday is worth more to that child than the bellyache of catching up on a little school work.
Personally I am of the opinion the answer is in readdressing the way that school holidays are structured....the 6 weeks at summer is antiquated and unnecessary in the modern era. It would be better to form a school year in equal terms with shorter holidays, say of 2 week periods, rather than the big chunk in July-August. I understand that when ever this is mentioned the Teaching Unions go into apoplexy and start talking about strike action......I would have thought that the restructuring of the school year into a more manageable and forward thinking system, where children are not separated from their education for extended periods would have actually been something worth considering....but there you go.
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Soldato
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Summer holidays in Northern Ireland are ridiculous, almost 9 weeks.
As harsh as it is, I think you are correct. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds gain far more from school than a child from a privileged background who can catch up easily thanks to greater access to education and parenting outside of school.
its called economics 101, Large corporations operate the simple premise of something is worth what someone is prepared to pay. People are still prepared to pay extortionate prices during school holidays, so the operators are prepared to gouge them. The balance is reached when eventually they start losing money and then the prices are adjusted down until the happy medium is reached again
affording children does not = holidays abroad. What's wrong with going to butlins or England based breaks like they did in the 70's ?
Expectations are way to high in this day and age, entertainment does not necesarilly mean sitting on a sunny beach in spain, just as much fun can be had on a pebble beach in the UK with a little imagination and effort.