O/T - Petition to stop parents getting fined for taking holidays in term time

[bpeacock]

Interesting reply but after the recent announcement that from September 2015 all schools can choose their own school holidays, how do they inforce this if you have children at different schools that have different school holiday dates.

 

[Iain Chapman]

Well, it's spoilt my planning.

I was thinking about going to DLP the week before Christmas (based on price, availability of employer holiday etc), but this looks like that's damaged that idea.

Not sure what my plans look like now.

Iain

 

[HFJohnson]

What are they going to do if you do take your children out of school though? Our school previously had absence forms we had to complete and the head would decide whether or not to authorise the holiday or whatever. When we took our two on holiday in term time (only once a year for no more than three days at a time FWIW) it was never authorised but we took them anyway. The only thing that ever happened was the absences were noted on their end of year report. I can't see that it will be much different under the new system.

 

[DLPdaft]

for a short trip to DLP, I doubt anyone is going to be fined. Here are the stipulations from the new regulations, which have to be considered before issuing a fine -

"Penalty Notices for term time holidays can be issued if
 There have been 10 sessions (5 consecutive days) or more of
unauthorised absence due to a holiday taken during an academic
year; and
 Attendance is below 90% during the preceding 12 school weeks
before the holiday was taken; or
 The holiday was taken during the month of September; or
 The holiday was taken during tests or examinations; or
 It is the second holiday taken in any one academic year; or
 The pupil is in Year 6 or Year 11"

 

[rachbelle]

The schools are clamping down as this is something ofsted looks at very closely. I never have taken mine out of school and don't agree with it.

 

[HappyPanda]

I'm a bit on the fence on this one. I've taken DD out of school for two DLP trips, once when she was in Reception and once when she was in Year 1. Now that she's going into Year 2 and the serious learning is starting I'm going to try and make any future holidays during holidays.

It's tough though, for instance - for us to go away for 7nights the week before half term in May we can get a holiday to Lanzarote for the 3 of us for £1000 for us to the SAME holiday in Half Term week it's £2300... those sorts of prices mean we'll probably end up taking a holiday every 2/3 years.. meaning DD might not miss any school but she'll also miss out on the holidays.

I think the new changes proposed for schools to choose their own holiday dates is flawed (for the reasons mentioned above) but if it could be extended to each County Council chooses their own holidays (and these must be the same for all the schools within it) then this could greatly help keep the prices down and mean that children are in school when they need to be.

 

[Lolsmum]

Well, mine are being taken out for two weeks in November 2014 and if we have to pay a fine, we have to pay a fine. My kids are American as well as British and we have been waiting to do a proper American Thanksgiving with them when they are old enough to remember it. My parents are divorced and we will be spending time with both. They live on opposite coasts and we cannot do that in a weekend or even a week really. We will be visiting WDW while we're at it though, with grandparents. I cannot talk the US into changing the date for Thanksgiving to coincide with UK holidays, so it has to be pulling my kids out of school.