Fined for taking kids on holiday..

NoNameNoNumber

Don't start insulting people.

People plan their weddings around things the best they can, selfish does not come into it.

Locky said:
Really? He booked it knowing kids would be off at that time, it's just my stupid council wanted to be 1 week different to every one else.
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Don't rise to him :)
 
I must say I think the whole idea is a disgrace tbh just a way of funding schools I guess

When we got married in may my nephew was out of school for a week, it was OK'd by the teachers and he was given some reading and a few bits of homework for while he was away.

Really think this stupid idea needs done away wiht
 
~Divine~Wind~ said:
I must say I think the whole idea is a disgrace tbh just a way of funding schools I guess

When we got married in may my nephew was out of school for a week, it was OK'd by the teachers and he was given some reading and a few bits of homework for while he was away.

Really think this stupid idea needs done away wiht
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Agreed.

Furthermore, we went to museums in foreign places, experienced culture, and other things (swimming, skiing, etc...).

Plus we still had some work to do that my parents ensured we did as children.

I find it quite amusing those who are so indignant at the thought of taking your children out of school for a handful of days, once in a blue moon. If it's a regular occurrence I may start to sympathise a little - but frankly it's quite funny getting so excited over something so daft.
 
The parents should get together and send the school an invoice when the teachers go on strike.

£6.50 an hour.
7 hours.
800 children for example...

That's £36k...
 
So do school's actually do anything about disruptive pupils?? There are much more important things to worry about but a kid going on holiday is super serious business.
 
Well, you can certainly tell who has kids and who doesn't in this thread.

I'm a father, i'm off to NZ in 3 weeks to get married, i can't take my kids with me because it'll be 'detrimental' to their education. I get back on 6th Jan, i will have not seen my children for over 6 weeks. Do i keep my kids off on 7th and 8th so they can see their father? Or is their education more important than family? (I go back to work on 9th Jan).

I'm a chef who works away, i cannot get school holidays off work due to the nature of the business. Therefore i cannot take my children on holiday, therefore, they are missing out on the cultural side of education. Is this fair?

However, the teachers can strike as and when they please, have 'teacher training days', when they like, yet this is not detrimental to the childrens education.

The whole system is a joke.
 
I think the hidden issue is not well to do parents taking educated children on cultural holidays during term time, it's deprived council estate chaps whose kids probably don't go to school anyway, taking them 'on Holliday' to nans house whilst they go down wetherspoons.

The heart of the policy is in the right place but like so many policies, tragically poorly implemented.
 
amigafan2003 said:
In that case, teachers should be able to take time off "outside peak periods" as well, as currently, any family that has a parent in the teaching profession are "locked in" to peak time holidays.
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Really?

Seems not in this case...

A headteacher has furthered inflamed debate around term time holidays after it emerged he has been given permission to take a break from school to compete in a duathlon - for the second time.
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/parents-fury-after-headteacher-allowed-6648993
 
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Freefaller said:
I certainly had time off during term time, but my parents got the work in was missing and made sure I read, did the work I needed to do so I didn't completely miss out. And we're talking about what? A few days once in a blue moon. Hardly a big deal especially if your child is doing well and you are willing to continue the work out of school.

A bit of perspective here. The authoritarian black and white just is not the way to do things
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They already have flexibility at my sons school. You get fined and pay the fine unless you are a 'traveller'. Like most hard working law abiding people I just pay the fine and avoid any form of trouble I can. I take my son out the last 3 days before the summer holidays and factor in the fine. I still win and he loses 3 days of dvd watching that he can catch up with on the plane.

At the age my son has been when we have taken him out 4-6 we teach him better than the school do. My wifes efforts have him as one of the best readers and writers in the class and my efforts have him as by far the best with maths. Not that either of us are that intelligent, it just isn't that difficult at that stage to keep them pushed and challenged. When the inevitable time comes and we can't keep pace with what the school can anymore, we will stop removing him from class.

I do at least a full day per week in my sons class so I know full well what he's learning and what pace. The pace at age 6 is so slow if he missed a week I could have him back on track in half a day. I ask for his books once per week and I photograph the pages with my phone so we can structure anything we may do around that.

I don't like the fine but I suck it up as part of the holiday cost.
 
G J said:
So do school's actually do anything about disruptive pupils?? There are much more important things to worry about but a kid going on holiday is super serious business.
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Depends on the school but most have a behaviour for learning system to deal with disruptive behaviour. Unfortunately if not supported by the parents then it doesn't help, if it is then it works wonders.
 
dannyjo22 said:
They already have flexibility at my sons school. You get fined and pay the fine unless you are a 'traveller'. Like most hard working law abiding people I just pay the fine and avoid any form of trouble I can. I take my son out the last 3 days before the summer holidays and factor in the fine. I still win and he loses 3 days of dvd watching that he can catch up with on the plane.

At the age my son has been when we have taken him out 4-6 we teach him better than the school do. My wifes efforts have him as one of the best readers and writers in the class and my efforts have him as by far the best with maths. Not that either of us are that intelligent, it just isn't that difficult at that stage to keep them pushed and challenged. When the inevitable time comes and we can't keep pace with what the school can anymore, we will stop removing him from class.

I do at least a full day per week in my sons class so I know full well what he's learning and what pace. The pace at age 6 is so slow if he missed a week I could have him back on track in half a day. I ask for his books once per week and I photograph the pages with my phone so we can structure anything we may do around that.

I don't like the fine but I suck it up as part of the holiday cost.
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Very well said.
 
wez130 said:
However, the teachers can strike as and when they please, have 'teacher training days', when they like, yet this is not detrimental to the childrens education.

The whole system is a joke.
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There are five teacher training days a year, they don't reduce the amount of time the child is in school. They are generally done before or after holidays to make it easier for parents to plan rather than having them randomly during the term. Most schools inform parents of all the INSET days prior to the school year starting.
 
dannyjo22 said:
They already have flexibility at my sons school. You get fined and pay the fine unless you are a 'traveller'. Like most hard working law abiding people I just pay the fine and avoid any form of trouble I can. I take my son out the last 3 days before the summer holidays and factor in the fine. I still win and he loses 3 days of dvd watching that he can catch up with on the plane.

At the age my son has been when we have taken him out 4-6 we teach him better than the school do. My wifes efforts have him as one of the best readers and writers in the class and my efforts have him as by far the best with maths. Not that either of us are that intelligent, it just isn't that difficult at that stage to keep them pushed and challenged. When the inevitable time comes and we can't keep pace with what the school can anymore, we will stop removing him from class.

I do at least a full day per week in my sons class so I know full well what he's learning and what pace. The pace at age 6 is so slow if he missed a week I could have him back on track in half a day. I ask for his books once per week and I photograph the pages with my phone so we can structure anything we may do around that.

I don't like the fine but I suck it up as part of the holiday cost.
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It's a shame you're having to pay, but I think you've got the right attitude - but I don't think you should pay. It's clear you're not taking him out of school at a detriment to his schooling and you're paying attention to his education. But well done for doing what you do.
 
It's a shame that kids have to suffer by either not being able to go on holiday or by fining the parents which just means less money for the kids. Whoever implemented this law was a very nefarious individual. :(
 
RDM said:
There are five teacher training days a year, they don't reduce the amount of time the child is in school. They are generally done before or after holidays to make it easier for parents to plan rather than having them randomly during the term. Most schools inform parents of all the INSET days prior to the school year starting.
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Why not have them in the school holidays? Then the children aren't having their routine broken?
 
wez130 said:
Why not have them in the school holidays? Then the children aren't having their routine broken?
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They technically are, the five days training are not taken from teaching days. The number of days the kids aren't in wont change.
 
amigafan2003 said:
In that case, teachers should be able to take time off "outside peak periods" as well, as currently, any family that has a parent in the teaching profession are "locked in" to peak time holidays.
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:confused: Who forced the teacher to choose that profession? Anyone who becomes a teacher and doesn't realise that getting time off will be difficult, probably shouldn't be a teacher :D

This law has been forced upon parents, and is farcical in it's implementation as proven here:

Originally Posted by Locky
...I did it the correct way and said the real reason amd got burned for it. I could have got away with 3 days sick bug if I lied and wish I did now.
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Locky said:
...I did it the correct way and said the real reason amd got burned for it. I could have got away with 3 days sick bug if I lied and wish I did now.
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My partner is a primary school teacher (year 2) and whenever a parent says they're taking the children out for a holiday she advises them that she "didn't hear that" and to just record it as sickness.

It's a horrible thing to lie to the school, but then you've gone about it in the right way and got burned. It's pretty shocking that it was approved by the headteacher as clearly that means nothing. Challenge it!
 
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