family holiday

[johnscotland]

i want to take my child on holiday during school term but my ex husband says he will try stop me through the courts

[bednobs]

my husband has a 38" inside leg

[dot.hawkes]

unless he is paying it is nothing to do with him, i assume you have custody, and the child already has a passport? If you are going abroard and the father has already signed for the passport application then there is nothing he can do.

however, if the family Court ruled that your child would be spending the school holidays with the father, then you need to apply to the court for a temporary amendment to that order, i think.

[efc]

It sounds like your ex husband is concerned that your child is going to miss some important schooling. How old is your child?

[scruffscat]

what a miserable git!!! i dont know the age of your child, but so long as they re not taking o levels or gcse s i cant see the problem.so long as you dont make a habit of it,ive done it, and the school didnt seem to mind at all.

[gina32]

children get more than enough school holidays without taking them out even more, why cant you do it whilst the school is closed?

[johnscotland]

because of holiday scheduling at my work its difficult to get holidays during summer school break. iv never taken my child out of school term for holidays before but as she is only 12yrs old and teachers said theyd supplement things with homework i assumed my ex would be happy with this. id never consider it if she were about to sit any major exams in the future.

[johnny37]

Holidays in term time has always been a hot potato. It would be disastrous for the education system (regardless of the age of the child) if everyone did it. School holidays are long enought without having to take the child out of school. There are laws now to enable people to balance their work and home life, If you employer is being uncooperative you should politelyy refer this to your HR department in the first instance. With respect, are you doing it because the hols are cheaper?

[Pinklady@ald]

As an Education Welfare Officer we always support holidays being taken during school holidays, but there are times when this is difficult.

As long as you have sought permission from the Head Teacher at the school, there should be no problem. If the Head does not authorise the absence though, you could be faced with a fixed penalty notice though.

[johnny37]

Pink Lady,

what if even, say, 25% of parents did it? Also what do you think about teachers being able to take their 'holidays' in term time?

[johnscotland]

chill johnny37. you dont even know what i do for a living. im a crop farmer and june july august and september with respect are a no go period work wise for my family. as for it being cheaper at off peak time id sooner pay that little bit more for a holiday my family are going to enjoy than a cheaper compromise.

[johnny37]

Point taken!

It must be difficult arranging family holdays around your work. This is not unique to the farming industry but there is usually someone to hold the fort if you are away for a week.

ps I know many children who would love to spend six weeks in the country (lol)

[Pinklady@ald]

If 25% of parents took their children out of school then I am sure the Head Teacher would not allow any holidays. Obviously, each individual pupil would be considered ie. if a child was absent throughout the year, often, then most HT's would not approve additional time off, but if a child's attendance was good and there was an acceptable reason for the holiday, Heads are more likely to give permission unless the holiday fell between exams weeks (SAT's).

Teachers should not be allowed holidays in term-time. They are contracted to work within certain periods, and have enough holidays without the need for additional days. I doubt a Head Teacher would be happy if teachers were taking holidays when they should be teaching children, and would deal with appropriately.

[johnscotland]

pink lady i agree entirely with your views but this is a one off holiday abroad im pro education but unfortunately as iv previously stated this is our only opportunity to get abroad i vastly prefer holidaying closer to home for short weekend breaks.

[johnny37]

Pink Lady,

I think the arguments you put forward for children and teachers could equally apply to each other.

Further to my previous post, the list of jobs which cannot allow time off in summer is endless - travel and hospitality spring to mind. My wife works in a garage but cannot take time off during school hols because the other (male) staff have children and grandchildren. (The fact that we have a grandhchild doesnt come into it!)