Child Day Off From School. Am I Wrong?
Discussion
Sheepshanks said:
That's a new angle that I haven't seen mentioned so far - how come it's OK for the rich kids in the class to miss a week or so for the annual school skiing trip?
I remember when I was at school a bunch of kids went on a cruise!
My kids just brought home a leaflet saying 'you are not paying this dad' as its terrible value - a term time holiday for skiing in Austria at £850 each on a b bus! I can make £850 x 2 go a lot further, and I mean why choose uber expensive Austria anyway if its about learning to ski during term time I remember when I was at school a bunch of kids went on a cruise!
? The inconsistency on so many levels on this subject is quite ridiculous.
Simond S said:
The whole case stinks of controlling the populace and assuming that parents are inept and unable to put their childrens future as a priority.
It puts the decision exactly where it should be; with the parents and the school and in the context of a specific pupil and a specific absence.I don't know as much about my car as a qualified mechanic does. Similarly I'd defer to the school when it comes to my son's education. If I didn't feel the school had more expertise than me, my son wouldn't be there in the first place. Same with medicine, same with the law.
It would be bizarre to think that parents know more about education than schools. Accepting that they know less is not the same thing as thinking then inept.
sc0tt said:
I'm being a bit thick here. Why don't you just say the kid is ill?
Because they'll blab at school to someone..... without a doubt. It's the same reason you can't get them to lie about their age to get cheaper entry into places 
Children (at least mine) will swear blind that it wasn't them that broke the window (even though you saw them do it) but will become paragons of truth and virtue if it's going to cost dad money, get him in trouble or make him look like a tit.Astacus said:
Can't agree with the Good decision brigade.
There is far far far too much over reach on the part of petty beaurocrats in this country, and the teaching profession are the same. They should focus on the day job i.e. Teaching. It should not be their right to dictate to other people under normal circumstances how they should live their life.
They're trying to. It's a bit tricky when different kids are continually missing for a week or two at a time, just so's the parents can get a cheaper holiday. There is far far far too much over reach on the part of petty beaurocrats in this country, and the teaching profession are the same. They should focus on the day job i.e. Teaching. It should not be their right to dictate to other people under normal circumstances how they should live their life.
Sadly people are stupid, so we need these laws.
Nanook said:
I don't have kids, so naturally, my opinion in this thread is null and void.
But there's more to life than education. I haven't seen anyone suggesting they know what's best when it comes to education for their child.
But don't you think you know what's best for your child's life? More so than their teacher?
My mechanic can adjust the wheel alignment on my car quicker than I can.
But I'm the one that lives with it every day, I'm the one that tells him about the understeer at high speed that needs sorted
Do you honestly think some pleb taking his kid to Disneyworld is doing it because he 'knows best when it come to the education of his child'? But there's more to life than education. I haven't seen anyone suggesting they know what's best when it comes to education for their child.
But don't you think you know what's best for your child's life? More so than their teacher?
My mechanic can adjust the wheel alignment on my car quicker than I can.
But I'm the one that lives with it every day, I'm the one that tells him about the understeer at high speed that needs sorted
It is cheaper in term time. Allow it, and you'll have masses of kids disappearing from classrooms at random times for a week or more so mum and dad can get that cheap break to Lanzagrotty.
f
k me, there are what, 13 weeks of school holiday a year? If you've got kids, have your holiday during the holidays! It's really not rocket science.People bleat that it's cheaper in term time. Of course it is! But tough s
t, you made that decision when you had children. Go camping instead, or don't have holidays at all if you're that hard up. Ari said:
Do you honestly think some pleb taking his kid to Disneyworld is doing it because he 'knows best when it come to the education of his child'?
Your contempt for an intelligent and articulate father whose view differs from yours is clear. I wish you all the best, as I do Andrew Mitchell - and it didn't end well for him cockily calling decent people plebs...Ari said:
Nanook said:
I don't have kids, so naturally, my opinion in this thread is null and void.
But there's more to life than education. I haven't seen anyone suggesting they know what's best when it comes to education for their child.
But don't you think you know what's best for your child's life? More so than their teacher?
My mechanic can adjust the wheel alignment on my car quicker than I can.
But I'm the one that lives with it every day, I'm the one that tells him about the understeer at high speed that needs sorted
Do you honestly think some pleb taking his kid to Disneyworld is doing it because he 'knows best when it come to the education of his child'? But there's more to life than education. I haven't seen anyone suggesting they know what's best when it comes to education for their child.
But don't you think you know what's best for your child's life? More so than their teacher?
My mechanic can adjust the wheel alignment on my car quicker than I can.
But I'm the one that lives with it every day, I'm the one that tells him about the understeer at high speed that needs sorted
It is cheaper in term time. Allow it, and you'll have masses of kids disappearing from classrooms at random times for a week or more so mum and dad can get that cheap break to Lanzagrotty.
f
k me, there are what, 13 weeks of school holiday a year? If you've got kids, have your holiday during the holidays! It's really not rocket science.People bleat that it's cheaper in term time. Of course it is! But tough s
t, you made that decision when you had children. Go camping instead, or don't have holidays at all if you're that hard up. I'm quite astonished at the simpleminded folk swallowing whatever they are told....
Saw an interesting post last night, from someone who works at a private school. Their kids are authorised pretty much whenever the parents demands. They don't see negative result as a result of allowing holidays.
surveyor said:
It might not be in the childs best education interest. But might still be in the better interest of the child.
I'm quite astonished at the simpleminded folk swallowing whatever they are told....
Saw an interesting post last night, from someone who works at a private school. Their kids are authorised pretty much whenever the parents demands. They don't see negative result as a result of allowing holidays.
Going to Disneyland of all places might be in the best interests of the child? Really?I'm quite astonished at the simpleminded folk swallowing whatever they are told....
Saw an interesting post last night, from someone who works at a private school. Their kids are authorised pretty much whenever the parents demands. They don't see negative result as a result of allowing holidays.
Private schools have much higher teacher to pupil ratios than state schools so they are better able to cope with individual kids needing to catch up. They're also far less likely to have a wider attendance problem in the first place. And frankly they're more beholden to the parents.
ATG said:
surveyor said:
It might not be in the childs best education interest. But might still be in the better interest of the child.
I'm quite astonished at the simpleminded folk swallowing whatever they are told....
Saw an interesting post last night, from someone who works at a private school. Their kids are authorised pretty much whenever the parents demands. They don't see negative result as a result of allowing holidays.
Going to Disneyland of all places might be in the best interests of the child? Really?I'm quite astonished at the simpleminded folk swallowing whatever they are told....
Saw an interesting post last night, from someone who works at a private school. Their kids are authorised pretty much whenever the parents demands. They don't see negative result as a result of allowing holidays.
Private schools have much higher teacher to pupil ratios than state schools so they are better able to cope with individual kids needing to catch up. They're also far less likely to have a wider attendance problem in the first place. And frankly they're more beholden to the parents.
What if this the only opportunity to have a holiday is in term time? Should they never go on a holiday? If it's in GCSE time etc. I get it, but not at other ages.
surveyor said:
Perhaps the gubberment should fix the holiday companies.
There is no problem.Perfectly normal for businesses to charge more in periods of demand, go look at how a train ticket to London cost varies throughout the day.
No one is putting a gun to these parents heads and forcing them to book expensive holidays.
ATG said:
some would say we even collectively subsidise private education through tax exemptions.
They would be wrong!Imagine if all people educated through the private education system up to 18 were in fact in state education. The country couldn't educate that number of kids!
And those people don't get any reduction in taxes for doing that (in the same way I still paid the same amount of tax even though I had a private GP) and pay for the services anyway.
What is it, on average you are only a net contributor if your household earns around 40k? Everyone else leaches off the system.
berlintaxi said:
surveyor said:
Perhaps the gubberment should fix the holiday companies.
I'm quite astonished at simpleminded folk who don't understand how the principles of free market and the effect of supply and demand work.Imagine the reaction to a letter from Mrs May telling Disney they need to fix their prices
Not often a union speaks sense...
The National Union of Teachers agreed there were “better alternatives” to fining parents, and said there needed to be better flexibility on the issue.
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the union, said he had “some sympathy” for Mr Platt.
“Fining parents is entirely the wrong route to be going down,” he said. “Many parents will be able to afford the fine and it will not be a deterrent. This is yet another example of top down measures being imposed on schools causing unnecessary tensions between head teachers and families.
I have to say - I'd pay the £120 fine and go on holiday as long as my daughter was not missing anything vital.
Her school at present rarely fine anyone. It's a small community, and many parents put a lot of effort in. That would go if there were fines. It's divisive at best.
I get that controlling the holiday companies is difficult - and on today's world economy challenging. But I personally think the government should be doing something - rather than just issuing fines.
The National Union of Teachers agreed there were “better alternatives” to fining parents, and said there needed to be better flexibility on the issue.
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the union, said he had “some sympathy” for Mr Platt.
“Fining parents is entirely the wrong route to be going down,” he said. “Many parents will be able to afford the fine and it will not be a deterrent. This is yet another example of top down measures being imposed on schools causing unnecessary tensions between head teachers and families.
I have to say - I'd pay the £120 fine and go on holiday as long as my daughter was not missing anything vital.
Her school at present rarely fine anyone. It's a small community, and many parents put a lot of effort in. That would go if there were fines. It's divisive at best.
I get that controlling the holiday companies is difficult - and on today's world economy challenging. But I personally think the government should be doing something - rather than just issuing fines.
I'm in two camps here.
On the one hand:
- School is important. Really important. It's pretty hard to benefit from school if you don't turn up. Your child missing a week of school so you can have a cheaper holiday is not OK.
- On the other hand, schools often don't help themselves here. Academies are free to set their own term dates - a group locally could co-ordinate and arrange a couple of weeks of holiday in outside ultra-peak time.
Fining is not really a desirable solution - you build resentment with parents. And it's not really a deterrent - especially in more leafy areas. One school in Portsmouth used some of its Pupil Premium money to pay for a cheap lease car which the attendance officer could use to go round to the homes of those with attendance issues and (almost literally) drag them into school.
On the one hand:
- School is important. Really important. It's pretty hard to benefit from school if you don't turn up. Your child missing a week of school so you can have a cheaper holiday is not OK.
- On the other hand, schools often don't help themselves here. Academies are free to set their own term dates - a group locally could co-ordinate and arrange a couple of weeks of holiday in outside ultra-peak time.
Fining is not really a desirable solution - you build resentment with parents. And it's not really a deterrent - especially in more leafy areas. One school in Portsmouth used some of its Pupil Premium money to pay for a cheap lease car which the attendance officer could use to go round to the homes of those with attendance issues and (almost literally) drag them into school.
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