Anyone who has school age kids will love this guy

[Bleep1673]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-36277940

 

He took his daughter out of school in term time, got fined, refused to pay it & won in the high court.

 

So if your child has an exemplary attendance & you want to take them on holiday, then get fined, state this case. We are off to Turkey at the end of June for a wedding that has already been refused by the Headknob.

[Bedford Roughyed]

One of those times I don't believe either sides argument.

 

I don't believe missing a few days of school will ruin a child's education.

 

And I don't believe this guys pious claims of the holiday being a wonderful education event.

 

You wanted a cheaper week at disney land, just say it.

[tim2]

One of those times I don't believe either sides argument.

 

I don't believe missing a few days of school will ruin a child's education.

 

And I don't believe this guys pious claims of the holiday being a wonderful education event.

 

You wanted a cheaper week at disney land, just say it.

 

Ultimately that particular reason wasn't why he won. It was a simple matter of the law being written to prevent people regularly taking their children out of school, not for one-offs. I can see a change in the wording coming soon.

[gingerjon]

Ultimately that particular reason wasn't why he won. It was a simple matter of the law being written to prevent people regularly taking their children out of school, not for one-offs. I can see a change in the wording coming soon.

Yup. There will be a change in wording to clarify what is meant by regular attendance and what period/absences are to be included.

[Phil]

They should tackle the holiday companies who's prices rice extortionately during the school hols.

[chuffer]

On the radio a uk hol rep was saying that you can't blame hoteliers for making hay while the sun shines as they're often losing money for the rest if the year when demand is low. Apparently in Germany they stagger the summer hols across 3mths which allows families to sometimes take their hols in June or Sept, seems a sensible approach

[shrek]

I have school aged kids and I don't "love this guy".

 

My kids go to school in term time and holiday during there alloted holidays.  I don't think missing a week would wreck there education, but I also don't want to show them an example of them being able to pick and choose when they go to school.

 

We're not minted and can't afford the high prices charged to go abroad most years, so this coming half term we'll be freezing our bits off on the west coast of Scotland camping and the kids will be learning the important life lesson that its never the wrong weather if you have the right clothes!

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Absolutely spot on Shrek, I'm not a fan of teaching kids that regardless of the headteachers decision we're doing it anyway. Terrible message.

 

It irks me that6 I have to pay a lot during summer hols but I also accept it. I have much bigger concerns on my plate to be fair

[Robin Evans]

My kids never mist skoowel an thev got a proper edjukashun n that n got desant jobz

Me mam used t'tek uz all art o skoowel all time an it nivver did me any arm....

[Kenilworth Tiger]

My kids never mist skoowel an thev got a proper edjukashun n that n got desant jobz

Me mam used t'tek uz all art o skoowel all time an it nivver did me any arm....

 

ah now I see why you support fev ;-)

[Robin Evans]

In all seriousness, my kids rarely missed school.

But I did used to take them out on the Thursday prior to spring bank holiday if there was no testing/assessments happening for those two days and I found that if I took them out for the last week of school in July I could save a small fortune on the cost of a holiday in france just a week later.

The last week of school was never a demanding week educationally and it still isn't.

Comparing the benefits of a holiday in france.... particularly as both my kids were studying french - one eventually to degree level... to not going because of the fiscal restraints, I made an informed decision.

Looking back I still maintain my kids got a better deal and have maintained their love for France ever since....

[Niels]

I have mixed feelings also. Some of the Headteachers are too inflexible and attention seeking.

However, it is not fair on children who holiday in the summer vacation, or those who can't afford a holiday at all.

[Maximus Decimus]

As somebody who works in education I can see both arguments. You'd be hard pressed to suggest that missing 1 week of school will have disastrous affects.

That said I didn't like the idea that 90% was given as good attendance. There's a difference between missing 1 week (less than 3%) and 10%. When I've taught, children with low attendance do tend to struggle more than those that don't and 90% is very low compared to the average. There'd be maybe 1 or 2 children in a class with a percentage like that.

Timing is important too. My dad took us out for a week every year but it was the week before we broke up. Whilst we missed the end of year celebrations, it wasn't the same as missing the first week of a new term

[Maximus Decimus]

I have mixed feelings also. Some of the Headteachers are too inflexible and attention seeking.

However, it is not fair on children who holiday in the summer vacation, or those who can't afford a holiday at all.

I wouldn't blame Headteachers. They are put under external pressure to make sure that attendance is a certain level. There are obviously different ways to do this but zero tolerance is probably the most effective.

[Futtocks]

At one of the schools I went to, they doubled the length of the Summer half term holiday and finished that term later. It proved very popular with the families who wanted to take a holiday abroad but not get stiffed quite so much by the travel companies.

 

And a Summer holiday that was a bit shorter didn't really feel much different to us kids. Time moves subjectively slower at that age, anyway. 

[chuffer]

As somebody who works in education I can see both arguments. You'd be hard pressed to suggest that missing 1 week of school will have disastrous affects.

That said I didn't like the idea that 90% was given as good attendance.

Yeh I thought the same when I heard that on the news, seems a bit whack....i also thought the guy in question sounded like a bit of a twerp who didn't like the idea of not getting his own way

[WearyRhino]

I listened to this guy on the Today programme yesterday and he came across as a particularly arrogant bully who just wanted to get his ow way. Frankly, if I were one of his kids I would dread coming home to him from school let alone having to spend 2 weeks on holiday with him.

 

I also noted that 2 of his 3 kids go to a fee paying school and only one daughter is in a state school. I wonder if taking his daughter out of school has anything to do with going on holiday when the kids whose education he pays for are on a break from school when it differs (as it often does) from the school and education his daughter receives that everyone else pays for.

 

It is also an extremely selfish act, as the time his daughter misses school will require teaching resources to be diverted to her away from the rest of the class in order for her to catch up.

 

Finally, the best solution to this seems to me to better regulate the travel industry and stop them engaging in what is taking advantage of unavoidable circumstances to increases their prices, I believe it used to be called profiteering.

[chuffer]

Yes round here the private schools break up for summer weeks before state schools. Brilliant isn't it? The ones who can afford to fork out for more expensive hols don't need to as their kids schools break up earlier anyway!

[C H Calthrop]

In all seriousness, my kids rarely missed school.

But I did used to take them out on the Thursday prior to spring bank holiday if there was no testing/assessments happening for those two days and I found that if I took them out for the last week of school in July I could save a small fortune on the cost of a holiday in france just a week later.

The last week of school was never a demanding week educationally and it still isn't.

Comparing the benefits of a holiday in france.... particularly as both my kids were studying french - one eventually to degree level... to not going because of the fiscal restraints, I made an informed decision.

Looking back I still maintain my kids got a better deal and have maintained their love for France ever since....

Absolutely correct. This idea that a parent making a decision that overides school policy is only a bad example is astonishing to me.

[chuffer]

Finally, the best solution to this seems to me to better regulate the travel industry and stop them engaging in what is taking advantage of unavoidable circumstances to increases their prices, I believe it used to be called profiteering.

See my earlier comments re making hay while the sun shines, its a seasonal business so they will drop prices when nobody wants to go over there in the off season....the solution is to spread the demand by staggering hols like germany or the example futtocks gave

[Maximus Decimus]

The only issue with staggered holidays is the link between secondary and primary schools. It can really inconvenient to parents of multiple children for those not wanting to go away if the holidays are at different times.

[WearyRhino]

See my earlier comments re making hay while the sun shines, its a seasonal business so they will drop prices when nobody wants to go over there in the off season....the solution is to spread the demand by staggering hols like germany or the example futtocks gave

 

 

Staggering holidays works well if there's only one child in a family. Families with multiple children often have kids at different schools - some at primary, some at secondary and increasingly these days as schools offer different 'specialisms' one or more children at different secondary schools. Therefore staggering holidays presents a problem if you have kids at 2 or more schools with different holiday breaks. I guess it could work if the staggering was done by LEA rather than schools but even then some families are 'split' between different LEAs too and a holiday is often the only extended quality time a parent/step family can get with their children/step siblings they don't have living with them.

[Futtocks]

The only issue with staggered holidays is the link between secondary and primary schools. It can really inconvenient to parents of multiple children for those not wanting to go away if the holidays are at different times.

There are always snags, but if staggered holidays were consistent across a whole local authority's area, that might lessen the impact. If, for instance, my local council introduced a longer Summer half term across all the schools (primary and secondary) in their area, then the inconveniences would be minimised.

 

Yes, there would still be some families with one child in one borough's school and another in a neighbouring one, but these would be a minority. 

 

However, the example I mentioned was from a long time ago, and I don't know how much authority councils have these days to change holidays.

[Bearman]

We get caught for extra costs every year on family holidays.

We like to go with my Daughter and her family.

She's a teacher so there is no chance of her bunking off.

According to a piece in today's paper, holiday firms will increase prices for in term time holidays. Everyone loses except the holiday companies.

[WearyRhino]

We get caught for extra costs every year on family holidays.

We like to go with my Daughter and her family.

She's a teacher so there is no chance of her bunking off.

According to a piece in today's paper, holiday firms will increase prices for in term time holidays. Everyone loses except the holiday companies.

 

 

Indeed, the plight of teachers is another reason why staggering school holidays is not the solution. The solution has to be relation of the travel industry to ensure they are not allowed to profiteer.