LaughingCow Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 No I wouldn't. I don't think it's fair on the child that they miss some of their work for the sake of a couple of weeks in the sun. But I do think something needs to be done about the differences in price between term time and non term time. It would reduce both authorised and unauthorised absences in schools at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumayyah Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 i take my daughter in september. cant afford to take her in the holidays when the same holiday can cost 3 - 4 times the amount ( we holiday in the uk ) shes also special needs so needs it a little quieter unless holiday makers want to see her if full melt down mode school doesnt mind as they use the time to get the other kids settled and do any training with her TA that needs to be done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss K Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 For some families, they simply have no choice, I know myself I have taken my children out in term time, but only if I knew it wouldn't affect their school work, so obviously not when they're about to take exams etc... But when it is a choice between a holiday or no holiday I think it is important that all children experience visiting different places, trying new things etc. It is educational in itself. Last year I was teaching so I had to go in the summer holidays but then I could afford it as I was working but the price difference is ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 For less well off families the options quite often boil down to holidaying in term time or no holiday so I think that provided the little uns aren't missing anything vital then go for.But how do you know whether what they are missing is vital or not? Most often, this only comes to light much later in the child's academic development. For this lesson not attended, and that principle not understood then, this eventually snowballs into entire tracts of academia not grasped by the child. Granted, if the kid is only going to miss sportsday or RE, it's a lesser issue than maths or science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I would say no because it harms the schools overall attendance figures. I think there could be a case for legislating or at least regulating the travel industry so prices in High Season can only go up by a set limit as a % of the Low Season price. But price is usually set by supply and demand, it would take a brave government to interfere with basic market forces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 But price is usually set by supply and demandI don't disagree with this elementary principle, of course, however for the holiday market, there is undeniably a 'captive market' bias or effect (reinforced by the Gvt's recent measures to pro-actively curb this practice) so we are not talking about a purely-free market. Particularly not when late deals with substantially similar prices can still be had during both types of seasons. All the same, you're right. I'm not holding my breath for any kind of legislative measure in this field yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCow Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I think that provided the little uns aren't missing anything vital then go for. How do you know what's vital and what isn't? Does anyone know? Will they catch up at any time or will it be something they missed and afterwards never properly understood? but only if I knew it wouldn't affect their school work, so obviously not when they're about to take exams etc... How can their being absent not affect their school work? But how do you know whether what they are missing is vital or not? Granted, if the kid is only going to miss sportsday or RE, it's a lesser issue than maths or science. Exactly. Although I'd argue making them miss sportsday is also not on! Especially if instead they're going to be sat bored out of their skull baking next to a pool whilst their mum gets a nice tan and their dad drinks beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willman Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I can't take my daughter on holiday during term time. She's a teacher and all the parents just moan and bitch about it. You know you shouldn't when you have kids, if you can't afford the holiday boom don't have kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss K Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 How do you know what's vital and what isn't? Does anyone know? Will they catch up at any time or will it be something they missed and afterwards never properly understood? How can their being absent not affect their school work? Exactly. Although I'd argue making them miss sportsday is also not on! Especially if instead they're going to be sat bored out of their skull baking next to a pool whilst their mum gets a nice tan and their dad drinks beer. I think you're generalising there about peoples holidays, I've never sat sunbathing at the side of a pool in my life and my husband certainly doesn't sit drinking beer! And if you want an example of holidaying in term time and results, my eldest leaves school next week and already has an A in maths which she took a year early last year and predicted A's in the ones she has taken and is just about to take. Having a week off a year in term time has not affected her school work in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laineyiow Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 As I have previously mentioned on SF my father had to have his holidays at the beginning of September (no choice) so I was never in school for the first week of term - even when moving from primary to secondary I missed the first week of school. And I don't feel that it harmed me in making friends or academically. I still managed to make lots of friends during the first week back at school. I left school at 15 through my own choice. I could have stayed on to take exams if I had wanted to but I just wanted to leave school and start working so got out of school as soon as I was able to. The qualifications I now have, I got AFTER I left school (taken at evening classes) and they are all qualifications I wanted to take in subjects I was actually interested in. I have always been employed (43 years!) and have never been out of a job for any significant length of time. In fact the couple of times I have been unemployed I've always managed to get another job again within a matter of months. However, where my own daughter was concerned holidays were only taken during official holiday breaks and she was never taken out of school during term time for holidays. Well, only on one occassion and that was for just a day when I got married to my second husband (now ex-husband!). But apart from that one day the only other time she was away from school was if she was unwell. But I do appreciate that many families cannot afford to take children on holiday during school holidays as they are far too expensive and I really do think that it is about time that something was done about the rip-off prices that are charged purely and simply because it is "school holidays". I wonder what would happen if enough people stopped having their holidays during the school holiday period, took their children out of school during the cheaper periods thereby having a cheaper holiday. Would it make tour operators and organisations bring their charges down? Don't suppose it would do really - they'd only I suspect put the prices up all year round instead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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