holiday from school

[eyore]

if it was wrong to take children out of scool to go on holiday then why are they allowed 10 days per year,it does not say they have to use 10 days all in one go,if my daughter never has time of sick never misses exams then i think she is entitled to a well earned break that i can afford,not stuck at home all holiday because i cant afford to pay the holiday prices when school breaks as i am a single parent.

[IggyB]

i do not think that pupils recieve 10 grace days to take off when they like throughout the year - if all children did this the school year would become unworkable, why do you think you are allowed 10 days leave?

[IggyB]

it is a shame that you cannot take advantage of the discounted holidays that are available within term time but unfortunately that is just one of those things that parents have to deal with, a holiday abroad is not a right it is a comsumer item that the richer can afford... there are plenty of great holidays to have at cheaper prices in the UK, maybe camping, it was good enough for me when i was a kid and i have still have my best holidays in the uk (camping in the isle of white last time, though i haven't been able to afford to do that for a couple of years)

[spudqueen]

I am sorry, but your daughter is not entitled to take any holidays during term time, other than at her Head Teachers discretion, see www.direct.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/SchoolLife/SchoolLifeArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4016103&chk=n2kG1O

for the official view.

[spudqueen]

I do feel sorry for you if you are unable to afford a holiday during school holiday time, and I suppose it's not much consolation to know that you're not on your own. I am married with two children and for years we've had cheap holidays, privately renting caravans (usually cheaper than going through a company) in Wales, sometimes with

[spudqueen]

friends as it's generally cheaper to pay for half the hire of a large caravan than the full hire of a cheap caravan, and I know of families who NEVER go on holiday as they just can't afford it. It is a fact of life that a holiday is a treat not a right.

[spudqueen]

Sorry about the lots of answers, for some reason I couldn't post it as one long answer!

[candybar]

it isnt meant to be allowed to take children out of school for holidays but everyone does it im sure! and as you say eyore f your daughter doesnt miss any exams or skip any days for no reason the rest of the year then why not give her a holiday? i used to go on holiday at school, and its very rare that missing 10 days will damage her education greatly!

[reinganum]

Best not to take your child out of school for holidays, but if you must, there are good times and bad times for doing this. It's all common sense, really. Unless your daughter is in an exam/test year, then avoid that term until exams/tests are over. Although she will not thank you for this, it's better to go at the end of the term (but she will miss some of the more enjoyable things which sometimes happen at the end of term, especially the summer term).

But try not to have your daughter miss the beginning of term, and never ever take her away if this means missing the start of the school year in September. This happened to me (through illness) two or three times in my school career, and I felt like a perpetual latecomer. School is a tough place, and again, your daughter will really not thank you if she is absent for the crucial "settling-in" phase which occurs at the start of every (school) year.