Term Time Holidays WTF????

Gazzaputt

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sh ... e-25733272

Who the hell makes these stupid rules up????? Persecute where it's easy. Same old sodding local authorities do gooders not living in the real world.

I know of people who have knowingly kept children away from school for months with nothing being done. This is because she is a lone parent and it could be distressing for her.

I want to take my kid out of school for a week of family time without ripped off to the high nines and some sodding council official wants to fine me!

Sorry but when did our children belong to the state?

Wrong. Very wrong in my eyes.

Secteur

I blame Wiggle.




(do we still do that joke?)

tlw1

Secteur wrote:

I blame Wiggle.




(do we still do that joke?)

still works for me!

tim_wand

Couldn't agree more. I work for an Organisation (Royal Mail) where 16 of us on my group are entitled to up to 2 weeks holiday in the summer (so 32 weeks total as a group) the most senior in service member of staff gets to select their holiday first. By the time it gets around to me the whole of May to September has gone.

So not only do I not ever get Summer Holidays, I can only pick my entitlement during term time.

My Daughters 5, and they want to fine me for taking her out of School.

To add insult to injury , my daughters primary school always has 2 inset days (prior to the commencement of the summer break) . Last year my Daughters teacher was Sat in the Wife's Starbucks on both these Inset/Training days .

p.s (could someone also advice me if the way Royal Mail assigns holiday is actually legal?)

Frank the tank

Perhaps they ought to fine various businesses and travel firms for profiteering during school holidays.

arran77

It's a tricky one, we've been refused leave to take our 5 year old out of school for a special family holiday which is pretty annoying but what can you do, it's not the school making the decision, it's legislation cascading down from above.

I think it got to a point where something had to be done as people were doing it so much for no reason other than a cheaper holiday although I can sympathise with this as it really pisses me off when you look at the prices a week before and a week after school holidays and you see a significant drop in price :roll:

I know that the holiday companies want to make a profit but I think something needs to be done to stop them charging such inflated prices as soon as the school holidays start.

arran77

Frank the tank wrote:

Perhaps they ought to fine various businesses and travel firms for profiteering during school holidays.

You beet me to it frank

awallace

Its a joke considering old fatty bum bum says she wont be sending her children to school because she cant be bothered to get them there. Crazy that you can kill someone on a bike and get less of a fine!

Bozman

I have no choice but to go away during the school holidays and the cottage that we rent goes up from £595 to £975 in the first week of the holidays, pees you off but we're shafted because we have no choice.
Given a choice I'd do what a lot of folk are doing, before this new system was introduced they'd take one day to just to beat the rush, but now that you're getting a £60 fine you might as well take the week which will get you the same fine and get that cheap holiday.

I know that a lot of schools/councils in certain counties aren't fining at all because they know that folk will just extend the break.

markhewitt1978

Not looking forward to my daughter starting school as it basically means no more holidays in the UK or abroad as we just can't afford holiday time prices.

Frank the tank

When I was a child I used to get a week at Derbyshire miners holiday camp at Skeg whether I liked it or not.

Not saying it was bad, but the kids in our block had an escape committee.

sloppyschleckonds

Is this another thread about the middle classes paying more for their skiing holidays?

veronese68

My son's school has all of their inset days in the last week of the summer term so the kids finish a week early enabling cheaper holidays. At least it would if my daughter's school did the same thing. But then if all schools did this it wouldn't be any cheaper.

Bozman

It'll get worse soon. When counties/schools can pick their own school holiday dates you could quite easily have two children in the same family with different school holidays, you'll end up getting a fine for taking one out of school even though you have no other choice.

upperoilcan

Frank the tank wrote:

Perhaps they ought to fine various businesses and travel firms for profiteering during school holidays.

This ^^^^^ why this hasn't been looked into beggars belief as its a disgrace.

markhewitt1978

You can't legislate for supply and demand.

mrbrightside

Judging by the standard of teachers I meet these days my ethos is the children will learn far more on a foreign holiday then they will in school for one week, we're fortunate to have 'family' in Spain who have a wedding, party, funeral etc every July. This year is different however as it's my daughters stats.

Again we can't afford despite a good household income to go away in the holidays so have to adapt...

My sister in law is Cambridge graduate and head of year, she is thinking of leaving the education system as to much time is spent on trying to for fill what they think they should be doing as opposed to teaching.

All to typical of this country.

kingstonian

Veronese68 wrote:

My son's school has all of their inset days in the last week of the summer term so the kids finish a week early enabling cheaper holidays. At least it would if my daughter's school did the same thing. But then if all schools did this it wouldn't be any cheaper.

Don't get me started on bloody inset days. There is no need for inset days, teachers have 13 weeks a year when they are not physically teaching children so use that time for training etc.

finchy

Kingstonian wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

My son's school has all of their inset days in the last week of the summer term so the kids finish a week early enabling cheaper holidays. At least it would if my daughter's school did the same thing. But then if all schools did this it wouldn't be any cheaper.

Don't get me started on bloody inset days. There is no need for inset days, teachers have 13 weeks a year when they are not physically teaching children so use that time for training etc.

They spend a lot of that time preparing for the next term.

DeVlaeminck

You'd think it would be pretty simple, 2 weeks max in Primary, 1 week secondary, nothing during GCSE years all subject to circumstances.

napoleond

Sod the fine. Pittance compared to the savings. We always ask but if they said no (they never have) we'd just take them anyway.

Stevo_666

Frank the tank wrote:

When I was a child I used to get a week at Derbyshire miners holiday camp at Skeg whether I liked it or not.

Not saying it was bad, but the kids in our block had an escape committee.

Ever seen that Monty Python sketch about the four Yorkshiremen?

pipipi

My bias is that I'm a teacher.

The holiday allocation at Royal Mail doesn't sound fair at all.. Isn't there rotation so one year you're last choice but the following year you get first choice, then second etc. certainly shouldn't always be you last.

Coffee shop on Inset days. Well, my school give us a 'day off' so instead of spending that time in school you could go to the coffee shop, but then that training time is used in shorter sessions after school for various training issues. And that's on top of the meetings and parents evenings I have to attend. I think it's better than doing a whole day of training in one go!

But in terms of family holidays I think it should be the head teachers discretion. If they know it's THE family holiday then I'm sure there will be no problem. But if it's another long weekend from someone who is often away then fine them.

Having said all that I had a kid fail to get GCSE Maths last year because they went on holiday. The student took the first exam (non calculator) but missed the second (calculator permitted) as they were at the airport jetting off.

And whilst I don't expect any sympathy....I only ever get to take my holiday at the most expensive and most crowded times. I couldn't do 13 weeks cos I couldn't afford it.
Most holidays I spend trying to get my voice back, getting some sleep and getting ready for next term ( especially when Mr Gove is changing things so often). But I think the summer holiday is far too long. Maybe just a month? But then there would be greater demand and less available, so even more expensive!

mamba80

These changes don't seem to effect Academy schools who can still use their discretion - we ve never had an issue for the odd day or 2 but there are parents who take their kids out for a 3 week break to Cyprus etc - this is just wrong, its not only the kids who suffer trying to catch up, its also the effect this has on the other kids.

Having said that, my sister who is a teacher wishes certain children spent even more time abroad.

im guessing regulation of the holiday industry might be difficult, if an overseas holiday complex puts their prices up for july/august, then these increases are just going to get on to the uk companies?

markhewitt1978

DeVlaeminck wrote:

You'd think it would be pretty simple, 2 weeks max in Primary, 1 week secondary, nothing during GCSE years all subject to circumstances.

There speaks the voice of reason! Indeed when I was at primary school you were allowed 2 weeks, I still remember the 'holiday form' you had to fill in. And the nice two week holiday in France that resulted, that trip was in 1986 but I still remember it well!

markhewitt1978

pipipi wrote:

Having said all that I had a kid fail to get GCSE Maths last year because they went on holiday. The student took the first exam (non calculator) but missed the second (calculator permitted) as they were at the airport jetting off.

Well that's just utter stupidity on the part of the parents!

I remember one girl in our school (in 1994) her parents had done the same, booked a holiday at the start of the year with no regard to exams, so she was to miss the entire GCSE exams period! Apparently taking the resits in September would be just the same. :shock:

BillyMansell

There are plenty of adults who enjoy the freedom of holidays in term times without the annoyance of families with children.

If people's primary complaint is the cost of taking children on holiday, don't have children then you're free of the added cost and free to travel when you want. For those who must take their children on holiday there are plenty of cheaper options to holidaying out of term time that will, thankfully, prevent the suggested regulation of the holiday industry and mean those without children aren't paying more during term time to subsidise holidays for families.

As for the guy in the story, he's a martyr to his own cause. He had a year to act to mitigate the situation but chose to bluff it out and lost. His stupidity appears to have been lost in the hysteria.

sloppyschleckonds

BillyMansell wrote:

There are plenty of adults who enjoy the freedom of holidays in term times without the annoyance of families with children.

This.

ballysmate

Frank the tank wrote:

Perhaps they ought to fine various businesses and travel firms for profiteering during school holidays.

Hello Frank, long time no speak.

If you had a bike for sale and you knew you could sell it for 500 quid, you would be a tad annoyed if I or anyone else told you that you must sell it for no more than 250.
Similarly if you had a room to rent out in a small hotel by the seaside, that you knew you could get 100 quid a night for, you wouldn't take to kindly to being told you could only charge 50 would you?
Yes there is a huge variance in pricing of holidays dependent on season. Would you suggest a harmonisation of pricing throughout the year? If so, would you fancy paying the same price for a holiday in dismal February as for one in sunnier August? Probably not. That is why hotels would be empty for most of the year and the business no longer viable.

ballysmate

No one ever said having kids was cheap.
You have kids and your lifestyle changes. If you can't afford your 2 weeks in the sun every year because you have had kids, well live with it.

badgerbeaver

tim wand wrote:

Couldn't agree more. I work for an Organisation (Royal Mail) where 16 of us on my group are entitled to up to 2 weeks holiday in the summer (so 32 weeks total as a group) the most senior in service member of staff gets to select their holiday first. By the time it gets around to me the whole of May to September has gone.

So not only do I not ever get Summer Holidays, I can only pick my entitlement during term time.

My Daughters 5, and they want to fine me for taking her out of School.

To add insult to injury , my daughters primary school always has 2 inset days (prior to the commencement of the summer break) . Last year my Daughters teacher was Sat in the Wife's Starbucks on both these Inset/Training days .

p.s (could someone also advice me if the way Royal Mail assigns holiday is actually legal?)

I have two suggestions for you, either

1) get promoted

or

2) find another job

It could be worse mate: personally, I don't get paid holiday. Every minute, every hour I am not working is revenue lost. I can't take holiday when I like without risking having no livelihood to come back to.