Term-time holiday father wins at High Court

[sparkeh]

Interestingly, it appears that our LA is telling its schools to carry on as before. We've questioned the wisdom of the LA pursuing court action after the High Court ruling but hey-ho, its not our call.

[elsiegee40]

Maybe more schools should try this approach

 

Primary school develops inventive approach to help parents afford cheaper holidays

 

It only works because so few schools are doing it. The independents are doing this already. If two weeks half terms become the norm then there will simply be a different peak period.

[elsiegee40]

Interestingly, it appears that our LA is telling its schools to carry on as before. We've questioned the wisdom of the LA pursuing court action after the High Court ruling but hey-ho, its not our call.

 

Our LA has barely been issuing any fines in the first place. It has been driving my governor school nuts.

 

The new principal has come from a school in a neighbouring LA where he got holiday application forms with a £60 cheque stapled to them anticipating the refusal.

[JJonas]

It only works because so few schools are doing it. The independents are doing this already. If two weeks half terms become the norm then there will simply be a different peak period.

 

Only if all the schools put their extra two weeks in the same place on the calendar. If as a school you are agreeing to extend your school day to make an extra two weeks holiday, you should be able to put that holiday anywhere you want on the calendar.

[LeMarchand]

Only if all the schools put their extra two weeks in the same place on the calendar. If as a school you are agreeing to extend your school day to make an extra two weeks holiday, you should be able to put that holiday anywhere you want on the calendar.

 

Won't most choose to add it to an existing break, though? Which will limit the possibilities.

[elsiegee40]

Only if all the schools put their extra two weeks in the same place on the calendar. If as a school you are agreeing to extend your school day to make an extra two weeks holiday, you should be able to put that holiday anywhere you want on the calendar.

 

Won't most choose to add it to an existing break, though? Which will limit the possibilities.

 

The others issue if schools go it alone is that the school holiday dates for the children of the staff and for siblings of the pupils in other schools are not necessarily the same. And that causes an even bigger problem.

 

Our secondaries are almost all single sex here, so splitting families between schools in inevitable for many families.

 

Families living close to county borders frequently have this problem already.

[LeMarchand]

In a new wrinkle: Father who won legal case for term-time holiday absences starts company to help other parents recover fines | Home News | News | The Independent

 

Hmmmm...

[ZeroC001]

I can see the two sides of it.

 

Truancy was a problem so they've put a "zero tolerance" rule in place.

 

However I do think it would be better if it was dealt with on a case by case basis. Me and my wife spend a good hour and a half reading with our 4 year old son every night(him to us and us to him). We also do any maths homework or whatever with him. The school has given him good reports and say he's doing well for his age.

 

Personally I think the part me and my wife spend with him probably educates him better than the time in school. I think most of school at that age is more about getting you used to the atmosphere and conforming to the rules(not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, it is necessary to be educated in the school system). So I think he'd probably learn more if we took him on holiday somewhere nice than he would in school.

 

However the school probably hasn't got the time or money to deal with these things case by case hence the blanket ruling.