Come on everyone - calm down
This is ALWAYS an emotive subject. Parents feel they have the 'right' to take their children out of school and, as someone has pointed out, it is a legal requirement of this country that children receive an education (be it in a school, at home or in the bottom of a bucket).
I look at this this from both sides.
One - I am a parent. I always
used to take Katie out of school when she was younger for a week either side of May or October half-terms for our family holidays. My DH has difficulty in getting time off during the summer months due to the nature of his work. Family holidays are very important to us since he works away from home a lot. We are blessed with a gifted and talented child. However, that does not give us the right to take her out of school for a holiday. I always discussed time off with her teachers/head before we had even booked the holiday since this is both courteous and fair to everyone concerned.
Two - I work as an Admin Officer in a school. I don't get paid very much money so therefore we save hard to go on our family holidays since we have to pay top whack for the priviledge of travelling in school holidays - I can't take time off in term time. When I entered into a debate on this subject last year, I was told that it was my hard luck having to pay these prices since "I must have known this when I applied for the job". I thought I'd calmed down about this but can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it
. Actually, it was the furthest thing in my mind when I took the job, having been made redundant as a PR Manager for a large high street bank some 18 months previously. I didn't want to go back to work fulltime because of my family so this job was heaven sent for me
The debate of the education children receive out of the classroom is an extremely valid one. However, flameproof suit on, I don't agree with this if children are taken to the same place each year (like Florida on holiday every year for example). Once is ok, perhaps twice if different things are seen.
The same can be said with regards not being able to afford to go. This is an acceptable excuse once, may be twice. But not every year. If we can't afford to go somewhere, we don't go.
Look - at the end of the day, people are never going to agree on this subject. All I ask is that 'education workers' full stop don't get blamed for the actions of the LEA. Rules and guidelines are set in place for a reason. We just follow them to the best of our ability.
Happy holidays, everyone, whenever you go