School Fines - Discrimination Against The Family Unit

[abbeyedges]

We have had the 6 week holiday structure for generations. It needs changing.

 

Many in the tourism industry has to make the most of a 6 week window.

 

If the 6 week holiday (there is an argument to reduce it to 4) was spread over more weeks in tghe summer across the country then this would give the tourism industry a larger window in which to operate and offer more competitively prices accordingly. 

 

Alternatively reduce the 6 weeks holiday to 4 and then allow parents the opportunity of using 2 weeks in a given school year to take an affordable family holiday.  

[Andy_terrier]

it also affects parents who have split up if they have joint "responsibility" for the children as they could take the children to school if you are on holiday.  They would get fined too.

 

The whole school day needs shaking up - not just the holiday times.  I think schools should look at extending the days to closer to working times which would help working parents, get kids of secondary school age more used to working life and provide them with time to do their "home"work in the environment where they would be most productive - the school!

[El Cid]

2 hours ago, abbeyedges said:

We have had the 6 week holiday structure for generations. It needs changing.

 

Many in the tourism industry has to make the most of a 6 week window.

 

If the 6 week holiday (there is an argument to reduce it to 4) was spread over more weeks in tghe summer across the country then this would give the tourism industry a larger window in which to operate and offer more competitively prices accordingly. 

 

Alternatively reduce the 6 weeks holiday to 4 and then allow parents the opportunity of using 2 weeks in a given school year to take an affordable family holiday.  

Parents that send their kidsto privates school dont pay these fines, because private schools have much longer holidays. So Sunak and co. will be unaware of ordinary parents plight.

[RollingJ]

Just now, El Cid said:

Parents that send their kidsto privates school dont pay these fines, because private schools have much longer holidays. So Sunak and co. will be unaware of ordinary parents plight.

With due respect - cobblers. These decisions are made lower down the ladder, although I accept than they are theoretically 'signed off' by the top bod.

[El Cid]

34 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

With due respect - cobblers. These decisions are made lower down the ladder, although I accept than they are theoretically 'signed off' by the top bod.

This law was brought in by Michael Gove, not sure what you mean, of course cabinet minister decide what policies to persue.

[RollingJ]

4 minutes ago, El Cid said:

This law was brought in by Michael Gove, not sure what you mean, of course cabinet minister decide what policies to persue.

I apologise - I didn't read the Guardian article. I now realise it is another slightly out-of-touch Education Minister (NOT Michael Gove, BTW), trying to sound tough - and failing, although the response at the end of the story by the Oppositions 'equal' is, typically, of even less relevance.

[Resident]

3 hours ago, Andy_terrier said:

it also affects parents who have split up if they have joint "responsibility" for the children as they could take the children to school if you are on holiday.  They would get fined too.

 

The whole school day needs shaking up - not just the holiday times.  I think schools should look at extending the days to closer to working times which would help working parents, get kids of secondary school age more used to working life and provide them with time to do their "home"work in the environment where they would be most productive - the school!

Schools and the education dept need to remember they there to educate our kids, not parent them. 

 

I decide what's best for my child not them. It's overreaching and I'm highly tempted to send them a request for child support payments if they want to continue this overreach. 

[peak4]

I don't have kids myself, though I was one some time ago.
It was almost unheard of for classmates to miss lessons for a family holiday back then, close family funerals maybe, but that was about it.

Surely this is about providing education for all the pupils more than anything else.
e.g. What happens when a kid is taken out of school for 2-3 weeks when the fundamentals of differential calculus are being introduced?
Pupil arrives back in maths class with no idea what's being taught to their classmates, so who helps the child catch up?
If the parents aren't fluent in teaching the subject, then who does?

Is it the maths teacher, who then has to take time out from the rest of the class, because of one set of self entitled parents, who put a cheaper holiday above their kids education?

[RollingJ]

'Differential calculus' - in this day and age? They don't (apparently) even teach the 12 times tables.

[Chekhov]

5 hours ago, abbeyedges said:

Alternatively reduce the 6 weeks holiday to 4 and then allow parents the opportunity of using 2 weeks in a given school year to take an affordable family holiday.  

Excellent idea.