Term time school holidays

[Guest]

13 hours ago, Chekhov said:

We are going to NZ and AUS next winter. It's the obvious time to go, only an idiot would go there in their winter and our summer.

Additionally you don't go all that way for a week, so we're going for three weeks.

Our lad has a close to 100% attendance record since he started school 5 years ago.

Despite the fact we expect to be fined, so it makes no difference if we take our 10 year old out for one week or three, we have arranged to go over one of the holidays so he will only miss two weeks of school.

 

As I have said it makes me mad they are fining us when the kids have already missed about 8 days through teachers strikes and they didn't get fined did they ? Plus, of course, far worse, they thought it acceptable to close the schools for seven bleedin' months during Covid.

Bearing the latter in mind, the school have told us the government are "going to get more more severe with school absence after September".

I don't know how they can keep a straight face doing that, I really do not. If it's so important that a child does not even miss one weeks schooling, why did they close the schools for seven months for something none of the kids was at any risk from  (and nor the great majority of the parents or teachers at that much risk from it either) ?

Steaming hypocrites.

 

When Australians are always going on about Whingeing Poms,  do you think it's wise for you to visit them,  and reinforce the stereotype?

[Prettytom]

13 hours ago, Chekhov said:

We are going to NZ and AUS next winter. It's the obvious time to go, only an idiot would go there in their winter and our summer.

Additionally you don't go all that way for a week, so we're going for three weeks.

Our lad has a close to 100% attendance record since he started school 5 years ago.

Despite the fact we expect to be fined, so it makes no difference if we take our 10 year old out for one week or three, we have arranged to go over one of the holidays so he will only miss two weeks of school.

 

As I have said it makes me mad they are fining us when the kids have already missed about 8 days through teachers strikes and they didn't get fined did they ? Plus, of course, far worse, they thought it acceptable to close the schools for seven bleedin' months during Covid.

Bearing the latter in mind, the school have told us the government are "going to get more more severe with school absence after September".

I don't know how they can keep a straight face doing that, I really do not. If it's so important that a child does not even miss one weeks schooling, why did they close the schools for seven months for something none of the kids was at any risk from  (and nor the great majority of the parents or teachers at that much risk from it either) ?

Steaming hypocrites.

 

How are you going to make sure that your lad catches up on the work he misses?

[hackey lad]

14 hours ago, Chekhov said:

We are going to NZ and AUS next winter. It's the obvious time to go, only an idiot would go there in their winter and our summer.

Additionally you don't go all that way for a week, so we're going for three weeks.

Our lad has a close to 100% attendance record since he started school 5 years ago.

Despite the fact we expect to be fined, so it makes no difference if we take our 10 year old out for one week or three, we have arranged to go over one of the holidays so he will only miss two weeks of school.

 

As I have said it makes me mad they are fining us when the kids have already missed about 8 days through teachers strikes and they didn't get fined did they ? Plus, of course, far worse, they thought it acceptable to close the schools for seven bleedin' months during Covid.

Bearing the latter in mind, the school have told us the government are "going to get more more severe with school absence after September".

I don't know how they can keep a straight face doing that, I really do not. If it's so important that a child does not even miss one weeks schooling, why did they close the schools for seven months for something none of the kids was at any risk from  (and nor the great majority of the parents or teachers at that much risk from it either) ?

Steaming hypocrites.

 

Is there nothing in your world that you don’t moan about  ?

[Anna B]

Travel broadens the mind, and there's plenty that can be learned on a holiday like this if you make it so. Ask his teacher for ideas if you can't think of how to make the most of the opportunities it affords.

But don't forget your child will be missing out on a chunk of school education in his final Sats year at Junior school and these tests are often used by the Secondary school he goes to, to place him in the most appropriate groups for subjects.

So I would advise you to work with the school to find out what he will be missing, and make sure he puts the work in to cover it / catch up. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Anna B

[spilldig]

23 hours ago, Chekhov said:

We are going to NZ and AUS next winter. It's the obvious time to go, only an idiot would go there in their winter and our summer.

Additionally you don't go all that way for a week, so we're going for three weeks.

Our lad has a close to 100% attendance record since he started school 5 years ago.

Despite the fact we expect to be fined, so it makes no difference if we take our 10 year old out for one week or three, we have arranged to go over one of the holidays so he will only miss two weeks of school.

 

As I have said it makes me mad they are fining us when the kids have already missed about 8 days through teachers strikes and they didn't get fined did they ? Plus, of course, far worse, they thought it acceptable to close the schools for seven bleedin' months during Covid.

Bearing the latter in mind, the school have told us the government are "going to get more more severe with school absence after September".

I don't know how they can keep a straight face doing that, I really do not. If it's so important that a child does not even miss one weeks schooling, why did they close the schools for seven months for something none of the kids was at any risk from  (and nor the great majority of the parents or teachers at that much risk from it either) ?

Steaming hypocrites.

 

As I see it they will learn far more from 3 weeks like that than they would learn at school and I agree with you entirely.

[Chekhov]

10 hours ago, Organgrinder said:

When Australians are always going on about Whingeing Poms,  do you think it's wise for you to visit them,  and reinforce the stereotype?

Trolling : "to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content"

Antagonistic ?  Yes
Inflammatory ?  Yes
Irrelevant ?  Yes
Offensive ?  Mildly so
Disruptive ?  Yes

 

4.5 out of 5

[steve68]

Just now, Chekhov said:

Trolling : "to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content"

Antagonistic ?  Yes
Inflammatory ?  Yes
Irrelevant ?  Yes
Offensive ?  Mildly so
Disruptive ?  Yes

 

4.5 out of 5

Offensive ?  Mildly so  

 

 

offended  .......you never! 🤣

 

you should be up on stage, preferably standing just over a trapdoor  😂

[Chekhov]

10 hours ago, Prettytom said:

How are you going to make sure that your lad catches up on the work he misses?

Good question.

Firstly my lad does way over 2 weeks worth of extra school work at home every year and is comfortably in the top half of his class in most subjects, so "catching up" is possibly the wrong term.

But, even having said that, if the school / education authorities had a more positive attitude and engaged with parents they could give us a resume of what extra work he should be doing whilst away. I would not be averse to insisting he did some homework whilst on holiday because we are very bothered about his education. In fact it is the implication we are not that is the most infuriating aspect of this. Sorry, it was teh most infuriating aspect (before the seven month school shutdown for Covid), now it's the steaming hypocrisy.

 

1 hour ago, spilldig said:

As I see it they will learn far more from 3 weeks like that than they would learn at school and I agree with you entirely.

I agree with you 100%, even more so as we're calling into Seoul for a couple of days on the way out. Pity it'll be soddin' freezing there as it's in the northern hemisphere!

Note that the trip is three weeks, but he's only actually missing two weeks of school as it is over one of the holidays.

 

9 hours ago, hackey lad said:

Is there nothing in your world that you don’t moan about  ?

There is a soddin' lot to moan about in this hypocritical authoritarian world we live in.

And the alternative is even worse, just accepting all this BS without a murmur ?

Edited May 20, 2023 by Chekhov

[Prettytom]

13 minutes ago, Chekhov said:

Good question.

Firstly my lad does way over 2 weeks worth of extra school work at home every year and is comfortably in the top half of his class in most subjects, so "catching up" is possibly the wrong term.

But, even having said that, if the school / education authorities had a more positive attitude and engaged with parents they could give us a resume of what extra work he should be doing whilst away. I would not be averse to insisting he did some homework whilst on holiday because we are very bothered about his education. In fact it is the implication we are not that is the most infuriating aspect of this. 

So, you want the school and the teachers, to do more work, in order to accommodate your holiday?

 

Is that not a little selfish?

[Chekhov]

5 hours ago, Prettytom said:

So, you want the school and the teachers, to do more work, in order to accommodate your holiday?

Is that not a little selfish?

Sorry, what work am I asking them to do ?

If they think it's too much work to give us a quick note as to what to get him to study I shan't be that bothered as I got used to having to home school him during the 7 months schools were shut, for something that was of no risk to  the kids.....But it also shows the schools up to be even more hypocritical.  They apparently think it's so vital kids miss no education (apart from, err, those seven months, and the teachers strikes...) that they want to fine parents, but they can't be arsed to spend a few minutes trying to ensure the kids miss as little as poss.

BTW, have you (or Ms Nikki) got any kids at school ? I only ask because, in my experience, parents with school age kids rarely take your (and Ms Nikki's) attitude.

 

Apart from the broadening of the mind and other educational positives, we have family on both NZ and AUS so when do you expect us to go to NZ and AUS ? :

 

1 - Go in our summer and their winter ?

2 - Only go for 2 weeks during the Xmas hols ? Have you any idea how expensive that would be, and how far it is go for a total of only two weeks ?

3 - Not go at all ?

Edited May 20, 2023 by Chekhov