im very tempted to book 2015 already!

[Mummy Minnie]

Thanks Kizzabel. Not sure will do much good but we can try. Saw news item today with one couple being taken to court as they refused to pay their fine of £360 for 3 kids as they say their holiday was booked before new rules came in.
At least Ireland still have some sense!!

 

[MickeysFavouriteGirl]

Our holiday was booked before the new rules came in, if we get fined we'll just pay it - still cheaper than paying school holiday prices. This is the nanny state gone mad, what makes the government think its up to them to decide when my family holiday? It makes me so angry, this fine business is just the way of the government/councils having a new method of income. My sons attendance is 100% apart from the 5 days due off for dlp, he is working at year 5 level in year 3 and our headmaster has made no secret he thinks the new rules are a load of rubbish.

 

[Mummy Minnie]

Our holiday was booked before the new rules came in, if we get fined we'll just pay it - still cheaper than paying school holiday prices. This is the nanny state gone mad, what makes the government think its up to them to decide when my family holiday? It makes me so angry, this fine business is just the way of the government/councils having a new method of income. My sons attendance is 100% apart from the 5 days due off for dlp, he is working at year 5 level in year 3 and our headmaster has made no secret he thinks the new rules are a load of rubbish.

I know it makes me so cross. The schools should be looking at the children that are persistently absent not penalising the families that take their children out for 5 days to spend family time together. We are going to book WDW in 2015 & I don't want to take my children in the hurricane season so I will be paying the fine. My DD is only in year R but I already do lots of extra practice with her at home. My parents took me out when I was younger & that did not stop me going to uni & getting a degree! Am not sure what our headmaster thinks - guess I will find out!

 

[markpsych]

If you disagree with this new policy, please sign the petition below & share
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reverse-the-changes-to-school-term-time-family-holiday-rules#

Signed

 

[kizzabel]

I signed too

 

[cdsmiler81]

So have I!

C x

 

[Mummy Minnie]

Thank you all - the petition is now up to 191,941 signatures!! Let's hope the government listen for once.

 

[RoseBug]

I know it makes me so cross. The schools should be looking at the children that are persistently absent not penalising the families that take their children out for 5 days to spend family time together. We are going to book WDW in 2015 & I don't want to take my children in the hurricane season so I will be paying the fine. My DD is only in year R but I already do lots of extra practice with her at home. My parents took me out when I was younger & that did not stop me going to uni & getting a degree! Am not sure what our headmaster thinks - guess I will find out!

It isn't the schools though. It is the government. The head CAN authorise in exceptional circumstances BUT these will be checked on by council, so he/she can't just authorise anything, they have to follow the guidelines.

Seriously though - I think as parents there are MUCH bigger things you should be petitioning the government about regarding education than the term time fines. Gove is currently waiting for the okay to lengthen school days and shorten the holidays...as well as having destroyed much of the curriculum and getting rid of the right to be taught by a qualified teacher. He generally gets his way; so if you are complaining now imagine what it is going to be like when they have even fewer holidays to go away in; on top of term time fines!

 

[Mummy Minnie]

I know it's the government, in my haste I wrote schools in error!

I think 193,000 people might disagree with you and I'm sure there will be petitions for these other changes once more information is known. We all should be allowed to complain/petition when it's something that's personal to us & we disagree with.

Happy planning to all those booking in 2015!

 

[RoseBug]

I know it's the government, in my haste I wrote schools in error!

I think 193,000 people might disagree with you and I'm sure there will be petitions for these other changes once more information is known. We all should be allowed to complain/petition when it's something that's personal to us & we disagree with.

Happy planning to all those booking in 2015!

So they would all agree that term time fines are more important than changes to curriculum and longer school days for their kids?! Wow! I wasn't saying you shouldn't be allowed to complain about things/petition things that are important to you; I don't agree with the fines either (as a teacher) but like I said the changes to school holidays will have a FAR bigger impact on when you can go on holiday and how much they charge. These issues are well known; they have been in the papers; on TV; been protests and strikes about them. But sometimes we only see what we want to see! Let's just hope Gove doesn't get his way with this one - or we will never see our kids!

Enjoy your holidays - make the most of them!

 

[Lisa_C]

We're ok for holidays at our school. We're a Church run Academy and don't answer to the council - we even set our own term dates