Term time holidays for kids & parents getting fined by schools...

[hamdogg]

Very interesting thread, me and my partner go on holiday with our little boy 10months, but we usually go with my sister and brother in law and there two kids 10,12, last year they took them out of term time and got the fine, but this year there not sure they can afford to pay the price of holidays in summer holidays, as its there eldest first year in high school!! If the government wants to solve the problem, they should fine the bloody holiday company's hiking the prices!!! It should be damn illegal!!!!

[Richard 1234]

Very interesting thread, me and my partner go on holiday with our little boy 10months, but we usually go with my sister and brother in law and there two kids 10,12, last year they took them out of term time and got the fine, but this year there not sure they can afford to pay the price of holidays in summer holidays, as its there eldest first year in high school!! If the government wants to solve the problem, they should fine the bloody holiday company's hiking the prices!!! It should be damn illegal!!!!

 

 

Supply and demand unfortunately.

My wife's a teacher so we have no other option. But if I did I would pay the fine!

[agrimog]

the questions that must be asked, have you, the parent actually signed a legal contract with the school, very doubtfull, and when did the school authourities gain the rights of a court to impose fines. I sugest you research the 1886 bill of rights act, which is still current in the UK, and is the legal document that sets out who can impose fines, most of these jumped education officers can be shut down by quoting a few simple legal rules that they must comply with, and should your community have a backbone, everytime the teachers are off for some pitifull excuse, every parent presents the education authority with a bill for the teachers failing to provide a contracted service, its been done, and very quickly any media coverage was blanked and the whole thing hushed up......remember in this country rules are by consent, not force

[Warners]

Isn't it against the law for children not to go to school? And a lot of this thread focuses on the cost. Perhaps if you don't like the high cost of out of term holidays then don't have children. You can't have your cake and eat it!

[Richard 1234]

What puzzles me is how going abroad on holiday became seen as a right.

When I was a kid we went away in a crappy caravan. Had 1 holiday in Spain when about 14.

But then we lived on a farm and you can't just bugger of at harvest time.

Dad used to drive the caravan somewhere stay overnight then go back home to work and then fetch us home at the end!

[Cheesy pete]

Isn't it against the law for children not to go to school? And a lot of this thread focuses on the cost. Perhaps if you don't like the high cost of out of term holidays then don't have children. You can't have your cake and eat it!

no it is not

 

 

 

 

home schooling for example in which they only have to do 15 hours per week (think this is the only example)

might be wrong on the hours but i know it is far less than school and they choose when to go on holiday

 

the law is about schooling not about when and where

and lets get this straight it's not cake as if it a luxury to have kids it's a fundamental human right !!!!!!!!!!! even for people who struggle with it it still there right to find and use ways in which to have children weather that's IVF or adoption

 

I personally can't afford the fine or afford a good hot holiday because that's what we are really talking about so i do neither (i do have holidays but they tend to be place few want to go to usually in winter ) and let get this straight just because someone make a rule doesn't mean its a good one

[Cheesy pete]

What puzzles me is how going abroad on holiday became seen as a right.

When I was a kid we went away in a crappy caravan. Had 1 holiday in Spain when about 14.

But then we lived on a farm and you can't just bugger of at harvest time.

Dad used to drive the caravan somewhere stay overnight then go back home to work and then fetch us home at the end!

yeah rather extreme that lol

[agrimog]

children can still be homeschooled in the uk, the quickest answer to the problem is actually very simple. dont book any holidays during school holidays, this would soon force the travell companys to bring there prices down,they work on pre-booking/buying so many thousand places knowing that they have a captive market, could you imagine the panic if these were left on there books, at there expense

[Richard 1234]

yeah rather extreme that lol

 

 

Don't get me wrong I loved the farm. Loads for a young lad to get up to. Driving tractors from 13 and all sorts of stuff!!

[armybloke]

If you ignore the wind-up merchants on here spinning a yarn, the point of this thread, albeit not specifically tree related (I took my children to see the giant redwoods to get my fine, so there is my link), is to relay an experience and air a grievance about the current rules of taking children out of school during term time.

 

Despite the previous references to old laws and legislation the fact remains that local authorities can impose a fine without direct redress or appeal. That is key, you can not refer a complaint or appeal to the council. You have to pay your way via a solicitor to make your case heard (in my case) and this becomes a risk.

 

The chap on the IoW took his case to the Magistrates and won. The trouble with that is whilst he gets his £120 slate wiped clean, the council are taking the 'relevant government body' to court to overrule this appeal at a cost of £10,000.s of taxpayers money - so where is the logic, standards and common sense!?

 

If I win my appeal it won't set a precedence. The IoW guy was on the One Show pre-Christmas having given another couple tips on how to beat the system. Only that failed and they were fined £600. No consistency so no precedence. The government need to take a long hard look at this and make it relative to each parents situation and needs.

 

There are only a couple of exceptions to the rule (that I have read about);

1. Service personnel returning from extended overseas tours can take their children on holiday during school hours.

2. Disablement to a child (but that is not elaborated upon).

 

I tried to pull the 'Elective Home Working' joker on the council and again this is very subjective and difficult to interpret. Needless to say that was rejected!

 

We need a petition to send to the Government. Any IT gurus know how to do that?