What's the general consensus on taking kids out of school for holidays?

[RobertT]

In many cases the fines are still less costly than taking kids on holidays during the holiday periods.  We took our daughter out quite a few times, she flew through her GCSE's and I would pay the fine if I felt it was the right thing for our family.  For a Govt so inclined to push personal choice in education, it seems odd to then support such bizarre system.  I would imagine the original intent was to target truancy - the kids who are not getting a good education and whose parents are not invested in supporting that education either.  Now it has clearly become a tax gathering process.

Oddly enough, I'm just about to do the same over here in the USA - we are taking the kids back to the UK for a week over Easter, but the Spring Break was this week (trip planned before we were able to even know which school district they would be in).  The rule over here is simple - don't hit the grades, go back a year and repeat - so the risk is on us.  Fortunately my little one seems to work well under their education system and has made great strides this year, we are also taking much of the work he would be doing in class with us.

[@mwooly63]

I like to think I'm a better judge of my children's education than some council bureaucrat who reads statistics off a screen.

It's the school that's flags the absences and fine, not the council.
Once it's passed to the council however the school no longer has any input and all costs fall to the council.
Mrs sends the fines out for council.

[Reg Smeeton]

The Supreme Court ruling was not about the rights and wrongs of taking holidays in term time...but rather whether it was legally right for authority to take action. This now means it is....

[herthab]

I'd be more than happy if all kids were either in school, or on holiday abroad. Don't really mind which one.

[RobertT]

The Supreme Court ruling was not about the rights and wrongs of taking holidays in term time...but rather whether it was legally right for authority to take action. This now means it is....

It ruled that a School has the authority to set the limits for what constitutes regular attendance.  It doesn't mean you can never take kids out of school, it merely ratifies the schools ability to determine that a fine is reasonable if a child exceeds the time off that is acceptable in that school.

In many instances this means parents would still be right to challenge fines if say their children missed a few days.  What it does clarify is that taking a 2 week holiday mid term is probably going to get you a fine - but that may still be worth it to parents.  What the parents won't be able to do is avoid paying the fine if evidence shows their child went below the absence threshold.

[Arriba]

Nice to see common sense prevailing. There is more than ample opportunity to go away during the generous holidays schools give to children.

Some of the excuses I've read of people whining(in the adver) when they get fined should see their penalties increased.
School's have it hard enough as it is without having to deal with selfish parents.

[Honkytonk]

I don't have kids so probably shouldn't care, but aside from the government dictating when you can do stuff with your child, the fact lots of companies will have parents trying to take time off at similar times has surely got to have knock on issues with the wider economy. And the fact holiday companies are rubbing their hands with glee as they can increase the prices during those periods as much as they want.

[Wobbly Bob]

I go taken out of school for a family holiday before the end of a summer term once (long before the possibility of a fine).
Preference would have been to see out the term then go on holiday, but as today probably, the ones affected most are not consulted.

Much depends on the nature of the holiday as well, a lot of trips can have an educational benefit over and above the potential loss of a few days of schooling.

Being dragged along to laze by a poolside with mum and dad for a couple of weeks is maybe worthy of a raised eyebrow as far as the school is concerned.

[pauld]

School's have it hard enough as it is without having to deal with selfish parents.

Quite right, they've got enough of a job on their hands trying to educate people that apostrophes are used to indicate possession or elision, not a plural.

[Tails]

Damn. Arriba just got schooled.

No holidays for him.

[Arriba]

Quite right, they've got enough of a job on their hands trying to educate people that apostrophes are used to indicate possession or elision, not a plural.

It was predictive text from my phone which I didn't check but admittedly my English isn't brilliant. If that error makes my point less valid then well done for correcting me.

[Arriba]

Damn. Arriba just got schooled.

No holidays for him.

Not being schooled is the problem i think. I did go to Greendown after all.

[pauld]

It was predictive text from my phone which I didn't check but admittedly my English isn't brilliant. If that error makes my point less valid then well done for correcting me.

Of course it doesn't, don't be so touchy. TBF, I should have added a smiley, but thought it was pretty obvious I was taking the piss.

[pauld]

Not being schooled is the problem I think. I did go to Greendown after all.