School Kids Taking Holidays

[faraway saint]

Seen an article earlier about taking kids out of school during term.

Outwith school term the cost of holidays go through the roof so a mother, who had written to the school and requested 2 weeks off to go to Florida and was refused, had priced the holiday outwith school term and was going to save £1500 decided to take her daughter and was fined by the local authority £350, a nice saving.

I'm of the view that each case should be treated on it's merit, mainly does the child have a good attendance record, is the child performing well and up to speed with the current work and these requests are not on a regular basis.

The real issue is that travel companies deliberately cash in on the school holiday periods instead of having a more steady price throughout the year.

[E=Mc2]

Wake up and smell the fish!

The prices are all about supply and demand.

[faraway saint]

Wake up and smell the fish!

The prices are all about supply and demand.

Not denying this point, so parents then look to seek a cheaper holiday and go through the procedure of asking if this is possible outwith the school holidays.

I doubt that a week or two from the school term would be make or break for a child, especially as the schools don't seem to worried about the amount of holidays that currently have.

[E=Mc2]

Not denying this point, so parents then look to seek a cheaper holiday and go through the procedure of asking if this is possible outwith the school holidays. I doubt that a week or two from the school term would be make or break for a child, especially as the schools don't seem to worried about the amount of holidays that currently have.

Elvis missed 2 weeks of schooling to go on holiday.

Where's yer argument now?

[faraway saint]

Elvis missed 12 years of schooling to go on holiday.

Where's yer argument now?

Wish he'd stayed on holiday.

Edited October 30, 2013 by faraway saint

[shull]

I feel the Holiday Companies are ripping the arse out of it.

Not many companies charge more when demand is higher.

Greggs was stowed at lunchtime today, supplies were running low but prices remained the same.

Our Taxi fares dinnae rise on a Saturday night when demand far exceeds supply.

[Seaside Nipper]

I feel the Holiday Companies are ripping the arse out of it.

Not many companies charge more when demand is higher.

Greggs was stowed at lunchtime today, supplies were running low but prices remained the same.

Our Taxi fares dinnae rise on a Saturday night when demand far exceeds supply.

...................offset of course by the outrageous valet costs levied on the unsuspecting and vulnerable

[oaksoft]

Seen an article earlier about taking kids out of school during term.

Outwith school term the cost of holidays go through the roof so a mother, who had written to the school and requested 2 weeks off to go to Florida and was refused, had priced the holiday outwith school term and was going to save £1500 decided to take her daughter and was fined by the local authority £350, a nice saving.

I'm of the view that each case should be treated on it's merit, mainly does the child have a good attendance record, is the child performing well and up to speed with the current work and these requests are not on a regular basis.

The real issue is that travel companies deliberately cash in on the school holiday periods instead of having a more steady price throughout the year.

Florida? FFS. Sign of the times we're living in TBH.

Kids should be in school and parents need to stop behaving as though their kids will fail in life if they don't get at least one exotic holiday.

Either take them during the school holidays or go camping if you can't afford it.

[salmonbuddie]

StuD'll have your guts for garters, making statements like that. Didn't you see he's just back from 3 weeks in 6 star luxury out there? You've brought it on yourself, help mend you, you'll be sorry.....

[faraway saint]

Florida? FFS. Sign of the times we're living in TBH.

Kids should be in school and parents need to stop behaving as though their kids will fail in life if they don't get at least one exotic holiday.

Either take them during the school holidays or go camping if you can't afford it.

Forgetting the fact you're tighter than a drum, the destination isn't important, it could be many reasons that parents can't always get holidays to suit the schools.

The days of the old "fare" holidays are all but gone so people have to take any chance they can, and the cost of most holidays, Florida or camping, are more expensive during these peak times.

I really doubt 1 or 2 weeks out of school will have any long lasting effect on kids and there's a lot to be said for seeing different countries and meeting different people. It can inspire kids to have an aim later in life.

[Stuart Dickson]

I have been taking my kids on holiday during school term since around 2006. I've never been fined - and for the first four years the kids holidays were actually registered as authorised absences by their schools. There is a booklet - really poorly written with some of the worst grammar and spelling I've seen in a long time - that is available from the Scottish Parliament which covers circumstances over which local authorities either mark holidays as authorised or unauthorised absences. Local education authorities will automatically mark holidays as unauthorised so you need to know the rules, and prove that your case fits but when you challenge their initial decision I have found it's usually reversed. The point I argue on is the availability of holidays. It's a clause written for the families of Armed Forces personnel but it can easily be adapted to cover anyone who does anti social shift work hours.

I found out about it when I contacted my local MSP - Jack McConnell - who was First Minister at the time. I put to him a suggestion that school holidays should be scrapped and instead teachers and pupils should be allowed to take a set number of holidays over the year - as works in every work place in the UK right now. There would be set school holidays - like the Christmas week, the Easter week, a week in July / August and a week in October but parents and teachers would be allowed to apply for three weeks worth of holidays per annum on a more flexible basis. Jack McConnell as an ex teacher liked some of the idea and he copied me into communication he had with his then Education Secretary who's name I forget. Anyway like all good politicians the communications basically followed down a path of not doing anything about it cause that's difficult, but finding a solution to our problems with regard to getting holidays at work during our busiest time so we could go on holiday during school holidays and in the end it was agreed that my situation was covered by the clause and I was sent a letter to produce to Head teachers explaining that any request we made should go down as an authorised absence. When the administration changed I contacted Fiona Hyslop who had taken over as Education Secretary. Her response was less helpful - she simply sent me another copy of the booklet with the relevant section highlighted and signed. The ambiguity meant that at my eldest sons school his absence was taken as authorised by my youngest son was marked as unauthorised by the local authority for the same holiday.

I firmly believe that schools should be open and teachers should be working for at least 5 days per week, 48 weeks of the year. This would allow children to learn at their own pace and afford teachers far more time to teach those children.

[Stuart Dickson]

Florida? FFS. Sign of the times we're living in TBH.

Kids should be in school and parents need to stop behaving as though their kids will fail in life if they don't get at least one exotic holiday.

Either take them during the school holidays or go camping if you can't afford it.

Oaksoft - my kids have learned a huge amount from our trips to Florida. Epcot in particular handles education in a superb, fun manner, whilst teaching kids important science lessons. If a parent cares about their childs education they really SHOULD take them to Orlando at least once during their childhood.

[oaksoft]

Forgetting the fact you're tighter than a drum, the destination isn't important, it could be many reasons that parents can't always get holidays to suit the schools.

The days of the old "fare" holidays are all but gone so people have to take any chance they can, and the cost of most holidays, Florida or camping, are more expensive during these peak times.

I really doubt 1 or 2 weeks out of school will have any long lasting effect on kids and there's a lot to be said for seeing different countries and meeting different people. It can inspire kids to have an aim later in life.

Pish! Sorry but all of that is pish. This should be about the kids. You are making it about the adults. As for seeing different countries and meeting people? There's a long life ahead of these kids. They need to be at school. And BTW 2 weeks out makes a big difference. Apart from anything else, allowing 1 kid to do it encourages more to do it and then 2 weeks becomes 3. Focus on the kids.

[oaksoft]

Oaksoft - my kids have learned a huge amount from our trips to Florida. Epcot in particular handles education in a superb, fun manner, whilst teaching kids important science lessons. If a parent cares about their childs education they really SHOULD take them to Orlando at least once during their childhood.

Aye but not during school terms.

Stop justifying.

[faraway saint]

Pish! Sorry but all of that is pish. This should be about the kids. You are making it about the adults. As for seeing different countries and meeting people? There's a long life ahead of these kids. They need to be at school. And BTW 2 weeks out makes a big difference. Apart from anything else, allowing 1 kid to do it encourages more to do it and then 2 weeks becomes 3. Focus on the kids.

Sorry but that is all pish.........................

Why do the need to be at school, what do you think would happen if they missed a week or two?

As for the highlighted part, you seem to think that it's impossible for schools to make a decision on each pupils merit?

Focus on the kids? So you fail to see some people, for many reasons, can't always work around the school holidays? You also think that kids won't get anything from a family holiday?

Of course you fail to see any of the above as you run your family like the gestapo and the benefits of a family holiday are beyond your comprehension.

Never mind, not be long till Christmas, Ho Ho Ho.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

School kids get enough holidays in the year without taking extra time out so they can learn how big Mickey Mousse ears are in Florida. If you can’t afford the holiday book a holiday you can afford during the school break

Like the work place school rules are there to be followed setting a standard and understanding for future years when children join the work place.

[Bud the Baker]

I work within a squad and our holidays are on a rota - you move forward 2 weeks per year. I always tried to swap my work holidays to school holidays with guys who didn't have families or who whose children had left school.

Twice however when I couldn't get swaps I explained the situation politely & humbly to the school (ever so 'umbly) and on both occasions was permitted to take my children on holiday without any fuss.

[faraway saint]

I work within a squad and our holidays are on a rota - you move forward 2 weeks per year. I always tried to swap my work holidays to school holidays with guys who didn't have families or who whose children had left school.

Twice however when I couldn't get swaps I explained the situation politely & humbly to the school (ever so 'umbly) and on both occasions was permitted to take my children on holiday without any fuss.

Everything, in simpletown, is black and white.

I think there's plenty of scope for parents to be civilised, like you have been, and ask, in plenty of notice, for a child to get a holiday with the family.

We've arranged to take our granddaughter away late November for a week. Her mother wrote a polite letter to the school, and volunteered any additional work would be covered and, if the school wanted, she would keep a diary to tell the class about her trip on her return.

The school were more than in favour of this arrangement, and wished her ,and us, a very happy holiday.

Aye, families are great.

Edited October 30, 2013 by faraway saint

[Guest TPAFKATS]

I've yet to meet a Cabbie who struggles financially.

I'm sure they've all got a good accountant

[oaksoft]

Why do they need to be at school

Why do kids need to be at school?

I'm sorry but .

[faraway saint]

Why do kids need to be at school?

I'm sorry but .

Oh dear, partially quoting, you should be a politician right enough, they always show desperation.

[oaksoft]

Oh dear, partially quoting, you should be a politician right enough, they always show desperation.

OK well let's put it this way you'll be pleased to know that school's by and large do exactly as you want - they'll usually be fine with it.

On the other hand, I found out yesterday that one high school in Edinburgh has hired a recently failed chemistry undergraduate as a full time chemistry teacher. I know this because I was in his year and he was absolutely fecking useless, reading papers in class, disrupting labs and dry humping people who were carrying beakers of acid. His favourite "joke" was to rub his arse, sneak up behind someone and rub his hands all over their face and into their mouths. Within 2 years he's a teacher. It angers me that someone like this can have the futures of so many kids in his hands.

So.............just because teachers allow kids to take time off during term doesn't mean they aren't incompetent twats.

Edited October 30, 2013 by oaksoft

[faraway saint]

OK well let's put it this way you'll be pleased to know that school's by and large do exactly as you want - they'll usually be fine with it.

On the other hand, I found out yesterday that one high school in Edinburgh has hired a recently failed chemistry undergraduate as a full time chemistry teacher. I know this because I was in his year and he was absolutely fecking useless, reading papers in class, disrupting labs and dry humping people who were carrying beakers of acid. His favourite "joke" was to rub his arse, sneak up behind someone and rub his hands all over their face and into their mouths. Within 2 years he's a teacher. It angers me that someone like this can have the futures of so many kids in his hands.

So.............just because teachers allow kids to take time off during term doesn't mean they aren't incompetent twats.

Start a thread.................

[insaintee]

Why do kids need to be at school?

I'm sorry but .

Actually that is good point you could "home school" for a couple of weeks.

But seriously too much of School is just glorified babysitting. At all age groups. I'm sure all of had to have RE. Social improvement, and other time table fillers when we were at school.

[Stuart Dickson]

Aye but not during school terms.

Stop justifying.

Why not?

We went in October for three weeks. My son missed the week before the October holiday - that's the week when teachers put on DVD's and let the kids do f**k all - the week of the October holiday, and the week after when the kids did the same past papers in preparation for their SAT's and pre-lims that my son was doing on the flights to and from Orlando.

At Epcot my son was able to design his own car learning in a fair bit of detail about the various different types of engine, fuel, aerodynamics, and the effect different sizes of wheels and tyres can have on the performance of the car. He was then able to test his car on a Test Track - like every other kids that visits. From there he visited Space, learning what the gravitational forces feel like on your body during the launching of a rocket. On the next "ride" he got a basic lesson in energy covering everything from fossil fuels to those silly wind turbines you get a stiffy over. Then he learned about the scientific advances in food production that amongst a huge amount of other things, see's tomato plants being grown without the need for soil and genetically modified 9lb Lemons growing in trees onsite. He also learned about TV and Film production, toured the world speaking to people from many different cultures whilst sampling their produce, learned about Mantees, sharks and dolphins and learned about the history of communication and how important it has been for the development in civilisation. He learned about cuts of beef from one of the top celebrity American chefs, and was then given a demonstration on how to cook it - as we all were - by another top American chef - before rounding the day off by watching either Sugar Ray or the Pointer Sisters in concert and that was just one of the 8 major theme parks all of which are done to deliver education in a far more interesting manner than teachers in school deliver their lessons. Even at night at our hotel we could learn. One of the Cast Members taught my son how to speak a few sentences in Xhosa as he learned about life as a Zulu.

Even better - because it was October the parks were fairly quiet so we were able to spend more time on the rides learning more and more about the topics covered with each visit.

I don't need to justify the trip - the value of trips to Hawaii, Florida and to San Francisco has shown in both my sons exam results over the years. It's enthused and inspired both of them in choosing their career paths and the trips were better placed to give them a desire to pass their exams and do well at a time much more relevant to them than July or August when the exams are a distant distraction.

However we shouldn't even be talking about a "term time". Education is a public service paid for by taxpayers. A more relevant question would be to ask if the public service is serving the needs of their consumers and when you put it in that context it's hard to claim that it is. Schools should remain open throughout the year. Teachers should work longer days and they shouldn't be having 10 - 11 weeks annual leave every year. And kids should be being better educated by teachers who are more capable of inspiring a group of kids to learn than the boring wage stealing drones our universities churn out.