Thinking ahead to term time holidays…

Schools break up for 2 weeks at Easter and Christmas, maybe the weather would be more comfortable on those school breaks if you find you can't go during term time

My daughter's school has lots of children who disappear for weeks at a time. They aren't usually mixed but both parents are from abroad. I don't know if they get fined or if it's allowed. My children are half Finnish but we only take them in the summer during school holidays.

@Natalie well I’m English and Christmas would be spent with my family here so Christmas is out of the question. We also run a restaurant and Easter time is too busy for us to take that time off.

I am in the same situation, my partner is from Iraq. And you are making a good point about the weather over there. 👌 I don't like a hot weather personally, it can give me a headache easy , especially with my high blood pressure...I been there just once for now from 20th of march till 20th of April, and when we were leaving the heat season just started there....also I understand what you mean about expensive tickets and not worth for that price going for a short time...

@Nastia hopefully the UK introduce direct flights again but for the time being it’s at least 2 😭 if they did a direct flight for a reasonable price I would consider going during October half term. I’d even consider sending my children to an Iraqi school for the duration of our stay as I’d like them to learn to read Arabic and if we were to go for a longer stay it’s definitely something to consider! I just don’t want my kids missing out on family time with my in-laws and being immersed in their dad culture. They’re also learning a second language being there so surely it’s educational 😭 I think the fees/penalties aren’t taking into consideration certain circumstances and every case should be looked at individually.

Schools decide it on a case by case basis and will authorise absence in exceptional circumstances. Each school can decide what they judge as exceptional circumstances but its usually things like funerals of loved ones back home, religious pilgrimage etc. If it is unauthorised they will decide whether to fine u or let you off with a warning (usually just a written letter saying don't make a habit of it) if it became a regular thing then you'd probably start getting fined. Always better to request time off than just to go without saying as this is when they might fine you.

@Jo thank you! Didn’t realise it was still decided case by case, that’s good news.

My kids have had chickenpox a couple of times, shingles too, impetigo a while array of illnesses that take them away from school during term time 😤

@Anita do you have issues with the school despite them being legitimate illnesses?

There are one week half terms in Feb and October, I know you said you wanted two weeks and it’s more pricey, just thinking if you left a few days or week before and returned during it will prob be cheaper plus your kids only miss one week off school

@Lizzie oh no I mean I've fabricated illness to take them out of school on holiday during school terms historically but tbh the cost of the fine and term time holiday is cheaper than a holiday during peak school holidays.

@Anita did you need any proof of illness?

@Nastia absolutely not I just followed the reporting process of absence with a recorded message

@Chloe yes totally taking this into consideration and likely will use the half terms eventually but they’re still 100% going to be missing at least a week each year if not twice a year 🫣

@Anita love this 🥲 yes I’m thinking it’ll be worth taking the hit with the fines as like you say prices can be double/triple so we may just have to budget for the fine as well 😂

@Lizzie beware there's new stipulations that the fine increases the 2nd time within a certain time frame. *Cough cough* seasonal flu incoming😉 and it's per parent!

@Lizzie if you’re ok with it then it’s ok. Well apart from the fine you might receive. But honestly I think everyone would agree missing a week or two a year off primary school is not a big deal. What gets me is if they had a sickness the whole week then what, they still missed a week off

@Chloe I think in the grand scheme of things even a couple of weeks a year isn’t going to harm my child’s education. I wouldn’t be taking them to Disney land for example, it’s to immerse them in their dads culture, they’ll be among a different language that they’re learning, exploring new foods and spending quality time with their family members that otherwise they’d never see. If my mum ever took me out of school on holiday my teachers would all agree that holidays can be extremely educational and I would take worksheets away with me to complete. I think if a child is falling behind then it’s a different matter and maybe they need to be forced into a classroom setting more, but if you have a child that is doing well in school honestly those few days they’re missing are a drop in the ocean.