Taking holiday in term time

[Toky]

Rules like this rips my knitting!!!! How dare some unknown face sitting in an office tell me what I can and cant do with my child. I would be skint and bankrupt if that happened when my kids were young. We holidayed every May & September and my girls were none the worse, educationally for it.  My grandaughgter was recently taken out of school for a holiday by her father to spend his 40th birthday with his twin brother and his family in Nashville. En route, they had stopped in Amsterdam for 2 days for my grandaughter to learn about and see the Anne Frank house, and visit the Remrandt house museum. During their time in Nashville, they visited cultural places as part of keeping the visit part educational for her.  She also learnt to confidently drive a tractor on her uncle's land and visited the Tennessee Agricultural History museum. So it wasn't all yeehaa and country music. She learned a lot on that trip. So having just spent a long weekend with her and my other grand children, I was amazed at why she kept taking herself away. Turns out that she has been given a MEGA amount of school work to do during her school holidays in lieu of being off for 2 weeks during term time. Fortunately she is performimg well at school as her results prove , so feels that this chore given to her, is a result of a teacher is power crazy and hasn't looked at the bigger picture. 

[usedbustickets]

When I was at school most of the school trips to the South of France or skiing in Switzerland were timed to start a few days before the end of term or finish a few days after the start of the new term. That way the organisers could take advantage of the reduced costs and pass them on to pupil's parents. None of us suffered by missing a few lessons but we gained a lot by being involved in other cultures.

Luxury, bloody luxury.  At my School or 'ard Knocks the school trips consisted of The Commonwealth Institute and the Imperial War museum, and the nearest we got to skiing was when it snowed and we took a kitchen tray down various local hills, or roads with a bit of slope!!  Still mum saved all year so we did have a holiday in either Bognor Regis or Margate, and I do remember the first time we went for a fortnight.... wow that was living.  The holiday was always during term time in June, and I do not recall taking in a note advising that we would be absent either. And the whole experience never did me any harm.

[Colwyn]

And the whole experience never did me any harm.

How do you know?

[Saga Louts]

Its all to do with finance. It used to be that 10 school days could be taken off for holiday with permission. Permission was always needed for authorised leave.
Now any day taken outside term time even if by permission is classes as unauthorised and the school looses funding. Ufortunately in most schools this really matters.
I remenber my youngests head saying to me(when he was in reception) that he would learn lots on the holiday.Our reason for taking the end of sept/early october was that he suffered convulsions in hot waether and it was much cooler then.My profession (though not working at time) , a primary teacher. 

[KKOB]

And the whole experience never did me any harm.

Who told you that ?  

[usedbustickets]

And the whole experience never did me any harm.

How do you know? - Colwyn

Who told you that ?    - KKOB

You two are off my xmas card list and barred from the Official UBT Fan Club.

[JohnF]

the Official UBT Fan Club.

How interesting...  a club all about fans - speciality sections for ceiling mounted and free standing p'raps?

JF

[kevin3]

 So the Gypsies have a different set of rules to the rest of us. Well I am surprised.!

 Perhaps they're worried that if they upset them they won't keep returning to our

 green and open spaces.

 I wonder if there are other "groups" that have special exemptions.?

[kawasakikid]

You are not allowed to say the word "Gypsies" because that is racist and therefore you must be "travelerphobic".

[KKOB]

But there are Gypsies and there are Travellers. And yes, they both have different rules to the rest of us. Just like all the other minorities.