General Chat

Lets get real. How many kids holidays are honestly for 'cultural' purposes? 2%? 5%? who knows, so forget that one as the main reason.

However there needs to be some flexibility and discretion, based on the particular circumstances such as timing within the school year and age of the child etc.

My concern is that parents will try to take their children out of Secondary School when missing lessons would leave them at a great disadvantage. From the end of Year 8 onwards, the majority are being taught the GCSE curriculum.

Miss one or two weeks teaching of a 'set book' or Math lessons and its very difficult to catch up. Not all children taken out of school have the parents with the ability or desire to help them with additional homework.

maggie ...............

I understand the reason that private schools have longer holidays is actually because they have longer school days during term time and this fulfills the schools' requirements under the Education Act.

OH taught at a private school in the mid-1960s that had both boarding and day students, and he had much longer days than I had in the state system, as well as teaching on Saturday mornings. The day students had to attend those as well.

He would get 1 or 2 days more at the beginning and end of the Christmas and Spring breaks, and up to 1 week more at each end of the summer break.

BUT he was considered to be on duty for much longer than I was.


Over here, the Education requirement is stated in number of hours of schooling per school year, and most private day schools have teaching days that start at 8:30 am in the morning and got until 3:30 or 4:00 pm, while the State schools often start at 9:00 am and end at 3:00 or 3:30 pm. The private boarding schools seem to be like in the UK, with much longer days plus Saturday mornings.

Plus the private schools don't seem to take as many teacher PD days.

My daughter went to a private day school and usually got at least 1 more week off at Christmas and spring breaks, and 1-2 weeks more in the summer

I am all for kids attendance
But also feel they can benefit from learning First hand
about other Cultures :-D :-D

Yes I agree Joy :-)


Although I'm almost certain SATS have been scrapped in Wales

JemimaFawr
or their SATS they are important to

Maggie I never realised that thank you :-D

I've always wondered why Private schools have longer holidays - that start before/end after the 'holiday' price hike.

They don't think there's anything wrong with school "Educational" holidays during term time!

My then 13 year old Granddaughter went to France on one of these.
They were left to go about on their own in groups, and this was after the Charlie Hebdo attack. And teachers were drinking alcohol in the evening.

A bit hypocritical of them, imo. :-0

I see nothing wrong with children having a small family holiday as long as their attendance is good the rest of the year. But not in the GCSE years.

To be honest I have always felt 6 weeks
is way to long to be off school at one stretch
So maybe 4 weeks in the Summer
and two weeks off at the parents request

But not during exam times :-D :-D

Jon Platt took his seven-year-old daughter on holiday to US last April
Family went to Lapland this year because of her good class attendance
Isle of Wight magistrates ended prosecution but council went to High Court
Senior judges agreed that if a child is rarely absent a holiday is not criminal
Mr Platt said: 'It's parents who should decide what's best for their children'
Lawyers believe ruling could stop fines and lead to thousands of appeals


Officials are racing to close a legal loophole that lets families take children on holiday during term after a father prosecuted for taking his daughter to Florida won a landmark High Court case today. 
In a landmark case, the High Court said parents would not break the law if their child’s attendance over the rest of the academic year was sufficiently ‘regular’.
The ruling could lead to a rush of families trying to find cheaper flights and hotels outside the school holidays.
It is also a big blow to the Government’s crackdown on unapproved absences. Amid warnings of chaos in schools:
Councils were braced for claims from parents who have paid fines for unauthorised absences;
School leaders begged parents not to take advantage of the ruling;
Holiday companies were expected to respond by hiking prices in term time