Taking your children for holidays during school is illegal in the UK

[bsblady01]

where I teach here in the states all vacations are unexcused and all grades go in as a zero. and no makeup work is allowed.

 

[sam_gordon]

Let me just say, parents of course can do what they want with their kids. If they want to take them out of school for vacation or just as a "skip day", that's fine. However, they need to accept any consequences of doing so. If that's 0's on all tests and homework, or findings of truancy, or nothing, they should simply accept it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I think that is crazy. Until they are paying for your child to live (food, clothes, housing ect) they should have NO say. They are your kids. You should be making the decisions.
Our vacationing as a family can only happen when my DH can get off work. If it's not when they have off from school then we take them out (every year we have actually).
Not only that children learn a lot when on vacation. A lot more usually than they would that week of school.

The learning on vacation thing is a copout & weakens your arguement. How so? Let me demonstrate:

Child A attends all 200 days of class & takes a 2-week educational vacation during Summer.

Child B attends 190 days of school & takes a 2-week educational vacation during the school year.


Now I ask you, which child received more education in that year? Quite obviously, Child A.



The rest of your argument has some validity, so stick to that IMO

 

[ashley0139]

The learning on vacation thing is a copout & weakens your arguement. How so? Let me demonstrate:

Child A attends all 200 days of class & takes a 2-week educational vacation during Summer.

Child B attends 190 days of school & takes a 2-week educational vacation during the school year.


Now I ask you, which child received more education in that year? Quite obviously, Child A.



The rest of your argument has some validity, so stick to that IMO

That's only if the education that matters to you is having your child's butt in a chair in a school for 7 hours. There are lots of other types of education that don't require a classroom.

I actually don't agree with the "vacations are just as educational" argument. Call it what it is and say it's cheaper/more convenient/whatever to take your child out of school. I have no problem with it. You're the parent. But calling it educational sounds like reaching. Unless of course you're going to a place that is actually meant to be educational. Disney World is not educational.

That doesn't mean that the only place you can get education is a classroom, though.

 

[MIGrandma]

Parents no longer have the discretion, nor do the teachers. Absences are considered unexcused and teachers are required to give students a big fat zero. It has been this way in our system for YEARS.

Glad it's not that way here in Michigan, it's one thing that hasn't changed since I was a kid.

Yes and many schools still excuse absences due to travel.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Is there some kind of policy for excused absences (sickness, death in the family, etc)?

Yes. A doctor's note is required, after a consecutive 3 day absence. Travel is unexcused, unless it's a school sponsored event. Funerals....for immediate family. Doctor, dentist, etc. appointments are considered unexcused, until the child bring a signed note by the medical professional.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes. A doctor's note is required, after a consecutive 3 day absence. Travel is unexcused, unless it's a school sponsored event. Funerals....for immediate family. Doctor, dentist, etc. appointments are considered unexcused, until the child bring a signed note by the medical professional.

So in theory, a family could take the kid(s) out of school for Thursday and Friday and not need a doctor's note for the four day weekend?

 

[bethy]

Now I ask you, which child received more education in that year? Quite obviously, Child A.

"Received more education"?!?!?!

Hilarious and most definitely not obvious. You must be joking?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

That's only if the education that matters to you is having your child's butt in a chair in a school for 7 hours. There are lots of other types of education that don't require a classroom.

I actually don't agree with the "vacations are just as educational" argument. Call it what it is and say it's cheaper/more convenient/whatever to take your child out of school. I have no problem with it. You're the parent. But calling it educational sounds like reaching. Unless of course you're going to a place that is actually meant to be educational. Disney World is not educational.

That doesn't mean that the only place you can get education is a classroom, though.

My point is simply this: there are a finite # of school days and for MOST People, a finite # of vacation days. Pulling kids from school doesn't increase the amount of time I spend with them. It only decreases the amount of time they spend in school.

Obviously, the exception would be people who are unable to use their finite # of vacation days during school breaks.

And I didn't say the classroom was the only place one could get an education. I said that if 2 kids receive an equal amount of education OUTSIDE the classroom, but an unequal amount of education INSIDE the classroom, the total education each receive is not the same.

 

[BadPinkTink]

one thing that many may not realise. The UK is an island country. To leave the country and get onto mainland Europe, requires flying or Eurostar Train, ferry or driving through Eurotunnel. The airlines, ferry companies and Eurostar increase their prices during school holidays. Its a vicious circle. Its against the law to take kids on holiday during term but transport prices during term time are lower than in school holidays. The transport companies deliberately increase their prices during school holidays as they know people have no choice in when to go on holiday.

UK people traditionally go on family holidays to Spain and Portugal and islands like Ibiza and Lanzarotte. The travel companies deliberately increase the price of package holidays during school holidays.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

"Received more education"?!?!?!

Hilarious and most definitely not obvious. You must be joking?

Assuming the only variable is the # of days in school, yes of course I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be. It's really just simple math.

 

[bethy]

There is no such thing as "receiving an education". At least not that I've seen in my 14 years of parenting 3 kids. I'm sure there must be a case somewhere but it is such an odd concept to me.

 

[bsblady01]

and I call bull on people that say they can't take vacation when their kids are off. you have eight weeks during the summer, two weeks at Christmas, a week at easter and four days for thanksgiving. you have 11 weeks to pick from to take your kids on vacation.

 

[sam_gordon]

one thing that many may not realise. The UK is an island country. To leave the country and get onto mainland Europe, requires flying or Eurostar Train, ferry or driving through Eurotunnel. The airlines, ferry companies and Eurostar increase their prices during school holidays. Its a vicious circle. Its against the law to take kids on holiday during term but transport prices during term time are lower than in school holidays. The transport companies deliberately increase their prices during school holidays as they know people have no choice in when to go on holiday.

UK people traditionally go on family holidays to Spain and Portugal and islands like Ibiza and Lanzarotte. The travel companies deliberately increase the price of package holidays during school holidays.

That's not that unusual. Prices for vacations also increase in the US around the school calendar. Look at Disney... going in the summer months? More $$ Christmas break? More $$ The airlines do the same thing.

Again, IMO at least, cost is a cop out. No one says you have to take a family vacation every year. So skip a year and save that money and use it the following year.

 

[sam_gordon]

and I call bull on people that say they can't take vacation when their kids are off. you have eight weeks during the summer, two weeks at Christmas, a week at easter and four days for thanksgiving. you have 11 weeks to pick from to take your kids on vacation.

Nope, I easily believe there are jobs where they can't take vacation around that time. It could be seniority or it could be the busy season for whatever industry.

 

[BadPinkTink]

@bsblady01
actually in The UK, thats not the case. The school summer holidays are 6 weeks, and The UK does not have Thanksgiving.

Nope, I easily believe there are jobs where they can't take vacation around that time. It could be seniority or it could be the busy season for whatever industry.

EXACTLY, not everyone works in a 9 to 5 job or industry

 

[Gumbo4x4]

There is no such thing as "receiving an education". At least not that I've seen in my 14 years of parenting 3 kids. I'm sure there must be a case somewhere but it is such an odd concept to me.

Do you want to get hung up on terminology, or do you want to discuss the topic?

 

[bethy]

and I call bull on people that say they can't take vacation when their kids are off. you have eight weeks during the summer, two weeks at Christmas, a week at easter and four days for thanksgiving. you have 11 weeks to pick from to take your kids on vacation.

First responders
Emergency room workers
You know, those people who save lives everyday - they have to take their vacay based in seniority. Their kids go to school during the same weeks as everyone else's.

Then there are the military personal and people who run the power grid and monitor the nuclear weapons. And a host of other responsibilities thatake your life safer and allow you to go on vacation.

Then there are tax people and people who work in the tourist industry.

I'm sure there are hundreds of examples

 

[Madame]

Here they've removed the rules which required mandatory failure after a certain number of absences. I've seen students miss 50+ days in a semester, not a year, a semester & we still have to find a way for them to recover their credit.

I don't believe the 'we can't go at any other time' argument either. I was never pulled for vacation as a kid & today can only go on vacation when school is out. No personal vacation days are allowed outside vacation periods.

I look at it this way. One can argue 'my child & I'll do as I please.' Unless the children attend a private school, their education is being paid for by *everyone* (ie. taxpayers). My kids' education is being financed by my brother & sil who can't have children, my bil who does not want children, and my DM & DMIL who haven't had children in the system for 2 decades. They are paying for kids to have their butts in the seats .

 

[MSLRAC]

Here they've removed the rules which required mandatory failure after a certain number of absences. I've seen students miss 50+ days in a semester, not a year, a semester & we still have to find a way for them to recover their credit.

I don't believe the 'we can't go at any other time' argument either. I was never pulled for vacation as a kid & today can only go on vacation when school is out. No personal vacation days are allowed outside vacation periods.

I look at it this way. One can argue 'my child & I'll do as I please.' Unless the children attend a private school, their education is being paid for by *everyone* (ie. taxpayers). My kids' education is being financed by my brother & sil who can't have children, my bil who does not want children, and my DM & DMIL who haven't had children in the system for 2 decades. They are paying for kids to have their butts in the seats .

There are lots of families that can't go on vacation during school breaks. Just because vacationing during breaks works or worked for your family doesn't mean it works for everyone.