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

[Colleen27]

Call Bull all you like, and explain to me how we could have gotten around this scenario:

DH works in a Union Shop. They get "X" number of weeks of vacation, depending on how long they've been with the company. They choose ALL their vacations for the upcoming year in November. The guys with the most seniority go first. There are some who have 6 weeks vacation, and take them all back to back. There are only 3 drivers allowed on vacation per week.

DH started at this company 17 years ago. DS is 18 and has just graduated high school. It is only in the past 4 years that DH has had enough seniority to choose a vacation week during a school vacation, Christmas week, or high summer. And by the way, here in MA, we do NOT have a week at Easter. We do have a week in February. and a week in April, but again, those are prime time, and snapped up quickly.

Your circumstances are not necessarily the same as everyone else's, so before calling Bull, and painting with that broad brush, stop and think.

When he was younger, we pulled DS from school for vacations with absolutely no qualms whatsoever, but we were also prepared to take whatever consequences came our way.

I think people whose "world" is primarily white collar/professional have a hard time identifying with these types of situations and with the realities of highly seasonal jobs that quite simply don't allow for vacationing during the summer.

My DH has been in construction for a long time. And in Michigan, that's a seasonal industry. You can't just take vacation in the summer when you've got customers lined up waiting and the weather is ripe for working. You take your vacations in the winter when jobs are few and far between. And to those who imagine it is just so wonderful vacationing during the school year, I would trade it in a heartbeat for the ability to travel during the summer when the weather is good in more than a handful of destinations. I'm beyond excited that DH took a new job that offers some flexibility so we'll have a chance to travel in August for a change, because frankly I'd like to take the kids to the beach, the mountains, the national parks, and all those other places that just aren't suitable for visiting in Jan or Feb.

 

[Annadesu]

I really don't like this growing trend of schools policing how you live with your children outside of school. I understand if they put rules into place saying you can't miss x-number of days. I get it, it's important for kids to be there. But you can't make blanket rules like this, and expect it to work for everyone.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The transport companies deliberately increase their prices during school holidays as they know people have no choice in when to go on holiday.

Same as the United States, and probably every other country.

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 situations are entirely different, but because low-income Joe with the alcoholic single parent fails after missing a lot of school obviously we need to make sure middle-class Jane doesn't miss a week to go to Hawaii with her loving parents.

I think both these statements are presumptuous and even offensive. Many, even most, if not all, do realize Great Britain is an island country (we learned that in school - at least those of us who weren't away on vacation did ).
Income is no indication of behavior. Alcoholics come in all classes. Single parents span income levels. Married parents aren't necessarily loving parents. Taking one's family to Hawaii on vacation doesn't make one a better or worse, or more or less, caring or loving parent.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Sigh. I miss cyber school. We were on the self-study track; basically, they gave us curriculum for free, I taught the lessons, my son did his paperwork-which had to be turned in to the school for grades. The fact that, when my son was in cyber school, we only needed a three day school week, 4 hours or less per day, to cover all the lessons and do all the work and tests, says to me that public school is mostly busy work. I loved the flexibility of cyber school; unfortunately my son hated being away from his friends all day, isolated at home. I keep hoping he'll change his mind and choose to go back to cyber school, but I won't force him. Let's face it, the majority of Americans use public school as free daycare and that's about all the value it carries with them. I have no problem with parents taking kids out of school for vacation at any age, my family has done it.

 

[tcufrog]

Why is it okay for band, choir and orchestra to take school time off to compete in a competition but it's not okay for my parents to pull me out a few days early before Thanksgiving (we just got Wednesday- Friday off) to take us to Europe? I guarantee we learned a lot more visiting Versailles and the Louvre than the music students did partying on the beach. Luckily our schools supported the trips and our school work didn't suffer. If we couldn't keep up academically my parents wouldn't have let us go.

 

[bethy]

I really feel like this is truly a to each their own issue. I don't understand why it's another parent's concern whether I take my child out. Nor do I think it's my concern when they choose not to take their children out.

Seriously, what's it to you?

 

[jevs]

I think they were trying to bring in similar laws in NSW in Australia, from memory even funerals were not excused I'm not in NSW so not 100%.

Anyway, I take my children out of school due to the cost and distance to travel. We have not had an issue with schools and teachers being inflexible about this as they have the same issue. I don't really know why other parents (and non parents) worry so much about this.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

As others have said, parents can do whatever they want as long as they accept the consequences. However, it's important to remember that education is mandated by law. By the age of 6, children must be enrolled in and regularly attending some type of educational program - whether it be public, private or home-based. Luckily, though, we have choices. Before enrolling their students, parents need to be fully aware of the rules, policies, and requirements of the program they are choosing. Vacation days not excused? Make-up work not allowed? You are free to evaluate another school or program. And yes, public schools rely on attendance to receive state funding. That's the way it works and it's not necessarily the fault of the school. Of course they want their students in their seats as many days as possible. If parents don't like the policies, they can look into a private school that might be more lenient. Or choose to home school and have a much more flexible schedule.

 

[ashley0139]

It's funny everyone thinks the rules (in the US) are about education, when in reality they are 100% about funding. Schools get money for every kid in school each day. That's the ONLY reason the rules exist.

 

[Dina]

Our school district gives up to 5 days excused for family vacation (as long as you write a letter beforehand explaining how the trip benefits the child, and the parents must be accompanying the child on the trip )The first few years after I was working as a nurse I was low on the totem poll and couldn't get a week in the summer, so I was grateful for the option of taking the kids out of school. We almost always go in the summer now, It has been years since I have taken them out of school, but I am running the WDW half marathon with some of my husband's family and all of his family is going--grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins....that's once in a lifetime (our trips have always been just our immediate family)...so we are taking them out for 3 days, it will be the last time though, as they are getting older. I was just going to go for marathon weekend with my husband (take the kids for a week in the summer) and have my parents stay with the kids for the weekend in January---but when we realized it was turning into a huge family trip--- I think its worth the missed days. a big family together is priceless. I sometimes stress about taking them out on this upcoming trip, but before I was a nurse, I was a high school teacher, and I had many kids miss for disney (more among my 9th graders than my 12th graders--- this year my oldes will be in 9th grade), and I don't remember any of my students having real trouble when they returned....so I'm gonna do it one last time. I'm stressed about the missed work, but I truly believe these memories will be priceless. However, I have alreayd booked our summer 2016 trip (we skippped this year because we are going in January)---so we will definitely be back to summer trips Luckily I can now get a week approved in the summer since i've been working for quite a few years at this point. I understand that some work in jobs where they don't realize that many of us work in positions that getting time off while kids are off of school is extremely difficult (actually impossible-- nursing was a second career for me, so I was a brand new nurse with school age children---I was not getting a week in the summer)... Forget winter holidays--- we are not allowed more than 2 days off from thanksgiving through new years. It's not just military families.

 

[mommasita]

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.

Not that it is illegal here (as far as I know), but the whole world does not work sas YOUR school does, or geographical area.

Not everyone is a teacher, not everyone CAN get any time in the summer, or high times. It is perhaps easy to forget when one has many weeks to choose from, that not everyone can just pull them randomly from a hat, hey boss I am taking those off, and deal with it. Try that in in the aviation industry at Xmas..

In this province, we don't get a week at Easter, four days for Thanksgiving. We get a long weekend for those. We get the two weeks at Christmas. One week Spring Break, aside from the summer. It can take years at a job to be able to get any of those weeks.

You should research before calling bull. My husband and myself worked for MANY years in the airline industry and ALL of those times were blacked out, not only from vacation as he was management (not me), but from traveling. I was fortunate that teachers were accomadating, and not one called bull on me. . I always spoke to the teacher far in advance, and never expected special treatment, and my children either did the work in advance (if possible), or when they returned.

 

[Minniesgal]

School

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.

Are you serious? I work in a department of 8 people. We have a minimum requirement of 3 people in the office so we have to juggle holidays and there are simply not enough weeks in the year for all 8 of us to take our leave when the kids are off school. Operational requirements come over kids being on holiday. I have taken 4 weeks leave this year when my kids were in school as it was use it or lose it.

 

[Minniesgal]

I'm talking high school aged students. If you really think that 1-2 weeks of semestered bio, physics, calc etc. can just be self-taught & that a couple of worksheets takes the place of actual in-class learning, practice & disscussion, then I don't think we'll ever agree.

Of course it can. A good text book and an involved parent and structured study and 1-2 weeks in ny subject can be caught up.

Heck my daughter has such an awful Physics teacher at 15 that we basically taught her the whole course at home as the teaching and behaviour in class was so awful it almost wasn't worth going. And she did great.

I prefer not to take my kids out of school but to say that doing it can't be caught up is ridiculous. Otherwise what would happen when kids were off sick.

Also many people who do take kids out take them out the last week of term. Frankly my kids can live without carrying books to other classrooms, watching DVD and attending prize givings. Not all missed weeks are equal.

 

[sam_gordon]

But why? Why should I skip a year when I could take two vacations for the price of the one. That IMO is silly.
My kids have never had more than two hours of make up work on the 1-2 week holidays we have taken. They always get good grades.
If schools can spend this afternoon doing a bully free walk and another for cancer and another for track and field and another for a play etc. I feel quite within my rights as a parent to choose when we take our vacations.

Of course it is. But you don't have the right for your kids to not have to suffer the consequences. If the school allows it, fine. But if their policy is "all 0's", then accept it.

I really don't like this growing trend of schools policing how you live with your children outside of school. I understand if they put rules into place saying you can't miss x-number of days. I get it, it's important for kids to be there. But you can't make blanket rules like this, and expect it to work for everyone.

So you'd rather a school say "Timmy and Suzy can miss school for a week, but Eddie and Beth can't."? Um, yes, you can make blanket rules, because what's the alternative?

I really feel like this is truly a to each their own issue. I don't understand why it's another parent's concern whether I take my child out. Nor do I think it's my concern when they choose not to take their children out.

Seriously, what's it to you?

I don't really know why other parents (and non parents) worry so much about this.

Speaking for myself, I'm not worried about what you do with your child. That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to voice my opinion on the topic.

It's funny everyone thinks the rules (in the US) are about education, when in reality they are 100% about funding. Schools get money for every kid in school each day. That's the ONLY reason the rules exist.

I'm sure that's part of it. But I'm guessing part of the reason is not every student/family could academically handle missing a week's worth of school. Since you can't allow one family to take vacation and refuse another family, you get the blanket policy. Of course, every child on the Dis is academically talented enough that missing a week (or two or three) wouldn't phase them at all.

 

[kamik86]

Right. Because heaven forbid we teach kids at a young age what "real life" will be like when they get out of school. Here's a lesson for you... take an unexcused absence from your job and see what happens.

Actually real life has taught me that it is much more flexible then school. Some examples:
1) Two months before I was married when I was still in college my MIL got very sick. We lived several hours from her at the time (since DH and I were living where I was going to school) Luckily I was in the middle of an internship then and not in classes. I was able to go with him back home where we spent a total of 2 1/2 weeks between her being in the hospital, her passing, and her funeral. I would have failed all my classes just due to attendance (or if lucky been able to get an incomplete but probably not since she technically wasn't related to me yet since it was still before the wedding). Being in an internship and thus having a company instead of a school to deal with my boss told me to take the time I needed and just let them know what was going on... and still had no problem with the time I then missed for the wedding not to long after.

2) I did grad school remotely. So all my tests were proctored and classes online. I had to travel during a time where a test would be given. The school made me just through several hoops to get approval to have my test proctored in another location where I was going to be (note I didn't ask to take the test early or late, just to take it at a proctoring location where I was going to be instead of just having someone at work give me the test) I have never had even a tenth of that much hassle with having to get time off work.

 

[sam_gordon]

Actually real life has taught me that it is much more flexible then school. Some examples:
1) Two months before I was married when I was still in college my MIL got very sick. We lived several hours from her at the time (since DH and I were living where I was going to school) Luckily I was in the middle of an internship then and not in classes. I was able to go with him back home where we spent a total of 2 1/2 weeks between her being in the hospital, her passing, and her funeral. I would have failed all my classes just due to attendance (or if lucky been able to get an incomplete but probably not since she technically wasn't related to me yet since it was still before the wedding). Being in an internship and thus having a company instead of a school to deal with my boss told me to take the time I needed and just let them know what was going on... and still had no problem with the time I then missed for the wedding not to long after.

I'm sorry, I don't see how that is the same as taking a week's vacation unexcused.

2) I did grad school remotely. So all my tests were proctored and classes online. I had to travel during a time where a test would be given. The school made me just through several hoops to get approval to have my test proctored in another location where I was going to be (note I didn't ask to take the test early or late, just to take it at a proctoring location where I was going to be instead of just having someone at work give me the test) I have never had even a tenth of that much hassle with having to get time off work.

My point is employers will generally work with you to get needed time off (those would be EXCUSED absences). However, you can't just take time off without getting permission ahead of time. Some schools don't give such permission for vacation.

 

[kamik86]

I'm sorry, I don't see how that is the same as taking a week's vacation unexcused.

My point is employers will generally work with you to get needed time off (those would be EXCUSED absences). However, you can't just take time off without getting permission ahead of time. Some schools don't give such permission for vacation.

And that right there is what I consider to be the problem. It shouldn't be that schools can say "Nope you can't take a vacation" It should be that you have to let the school know and that is IT.

As for my first scenario no its not the same as a vacation yet it still was an issue that would have been a HUGE problem at school because there way of working with me may have been to allow me an incomplete but at a company was no problem at all. It is completely ridiculous that schools have this much power.

If a student can't handle academically being out for a week and making up some of the work without failing then they will fail not because the school has a stupid policy but because they didn't learn the material. If a student can handle it either because the class is easy for them, their parents can teach the material at home, or they can just pick things up well enough from a book they shouldn't have to fail.

Oh and the fact that all these new truancy policies came out when funding started being tied to attendance on a day to day basis and not enrollment still makes me think that the people making these policies doesn't care one bit about how it affects education but only about how it affects school funding.

 

[Kellykins1218]

We take our kids out of school for trips every year. Our last trip was so spur of the moment, I told the school 30 minutes before the end of the day, on the last day before spring break, that they would be absent the week after break. Their abscences were all excused.

 

[alipink3]

After reading everyone's rants, opinions, and views all I can say is I am glad that I don't have deal with our school telling me I can not take my kids out for vacations. My son is in 7th grade this year, my daughters are in preschool. Every year since he had been old enough he misses at least one day in the fall to go hunting with my dad and husband. Last year we took our family to WDW the 1st week of March which part of that week was state standardized testing. The principal at his school excuses all of them if you give atleast a months notice. He always does his missed work before he returns. I would not be willing to pull my kids from school if they were not straight A students. My husband works for a power plant so his vacation is very limited and he works almost every holiday. I will also be pulling my kids out in Oct 2016 to once again go to WDW. Education is important put there is more to life than sitting in a chair. My son has learned so much from his vacations. He takes a 2 week vacation in the summer with my parents because my husband and I are unable to travel much during the summer. He has been to a lot of educational places and it drives him to read and learn more about the places he has seen. He went to Gettysburg this summer and is now wanting to read and learn as much as he can about the Civil War. Sorry but sitting in a classroom reading from a text book is not going to drive him to learn more, experiencing it will. I do not think of Disney as an educational vacation, yet while we were there occupations and careers became a major topic. Discussing the different types of engineers and what is required school wise to follow that career path. My husband and I do all that we can to help our children to succeed in life, somethings just are not taught in the classroom.

 

[alicat8]

Attendance policiea

It's funny everyone thinks the rules (in the US) are about education, when in reality they are 100% about funding. Schools get money for every kid in school each day. That's the ONLY reason the rules exist.

Yep. Totally true. Our "serious" attendance policy kicked in last year because of this.

Parents still took their kids out, but they were more careful about the number of days they missed. (10 is our magic number) We don't give zeroes because our grades are standards based.