Jon Platt Term Time Holidays

[jal123]

I think the government should privatise schools. Make the ungrateful parents pay tuition fees then and only then will some realise how good the british education is. I am not a teacher but I live with one and the work they do is non stop. It must be soul destroying to hear that your students' parents only really value the teacher as cheap child care.

All that will happen is underprivileged kids get even less opportunities than they already do. Sounds a bit Tory to me, that.

 

[carlos21]

All that will happen is underprivileged kids get even less opportunities than they already do. Sounds a bit Tory to me, that.

Hi jal.

 

[chrismpw]

I think the government should privatise schools. Make the ungrateful parents pay tuition fees then and only then will some realise how good the british education is. I am not a teacher but I live with one and the work they do is non stop. It must be soul destroying to hear that your students' parents only really value the teacher as cheap child care.

They are privatising them! That's what the academy process is about. Private schools publicly funded. The assets and land handed over to their mates who run the chains.

 

[Caolam]

They are privatising them! That's what the academy process is about. Private schools publicly funded. The assets and land handed over to their mates who run the chains.

Absolutely and keep the supply of monied kids getting into Oxbridge and keep the supply of the poor to work for minimum wages or below to sustain unsustainable businesses

 

[Khalekan]

I'm a teacher and I just don't agree with Jon Platt thinking it's fine to take children out off school for a holiday (unless exceptional circumstances). I understand prices are ridiculous during the summer holidays but that's not the schools fault. I can't just tell my head teacher that I am not paying the over priced amount for a holiday so won't be coming in for a week or two during term time. The government should be telling the travel agents they can't put prices up and set up a law to stop all this.

I have had kids in my class before who have taken holidays and I can say they miss out on important work and it can be difficult to catch them back up with the rest of the class who have moved on to something else. It means teachers have to use their own time to help these children with the work they have missed.

I don't understand the high court ruling in his favour as it's just allowing parents to do what they want now. This will mean more and more kids will be off making it increasing difficult for teachers when it's hard enough as it is with the demands in place.

I do totally understanding parents being annoyed about the prices, it does my head in as well but they should be getting the government to address it with travel agents not making it more difficult for hard working teachers.

+1

This ruling has opened the way to mayhem in the schools.

Imagine people taking their children out on holiday willy nilly.

Then when they return, the rest of the pupils are held back by the need to help the returnees catch up on what they missed out on whilst away.

 

[dandydan]

If kids missing days in school is such a big deal then why do teachers go on strike during term time?

 

[l4toffee]

You're right mate if that was the case. The problem is this Jon Platt who was saying the same as you took his child to Disneyland or world if I am not mistaken.

Orlando is boss though tbf .

 

[ianefc]

I'm of the opinion that it's a nonsense fine. First off it's £60 per parent per holiday, regardless of holiday length as long as it's longer than 4 school days. So worse case £120 per holiday. It's not even a deterrent when considering school holiday prices.

Secondly there are parents up and down the country who take their children out of school, not to save money, but because their jobs only allow holidays at certain time of the year.

I fall into the second point, I work on a golf course and it really isn't practical for me to be taking 2 weeks off in the middle of the golfing season. Their will be parents with even stronger reasons why they can't take time off, for example those serving in the armed forces and the my too have fell victim of this fine, from the research I've done.

My final point is that I have 2 kids, one 5 the other 9 months, the five year old in particular is at a brilliant age, she's so entertaining, funny and clever (unlike me) and the thought of me giving up the opportunity to take her to see Mikey Mouse (Orlando is our annual holiday destination) because of this rule is something I already know/knew I'd grow to regret. I could be diagnosed with terminal cancer tomorrow or hit by a bus the day after and I'm taking every opportunity I can to enjoy my 'family time' (that's what we call it anyway)

You only get one life and your kids will only be young and interested in going on holiday with you for a certain time, don't give that opportunity up.

 

[ianefc]

Orlando is boss though tbf .

100%

 

[malfosse]

Don't have kids and don't become a teacher, sorted.


Some more wisdom i share to you, youre welcome

Stay behind after class and see me please.

 

[ianefc]

You're right mate if that was the case. The problem is this Jon Platt who was saying the same as you took his child to Disneyland or world if I am not mistaken.

And I guarentee kids will learn more there than in the two weeks they miss from school, without doubt.

Just to clarify I do mean in that 2 week period and not that I feel my kids should be schooled in Walt Disney World.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

This isn't a rant .... just putting a point of view to rectify a few points mentioned by others in this thread as it's a subject close to my heart.

I've spent nearly 30 years being pathetically grateful for the summer break. It isn't just a big a break break, as many people think. All the teachers I know spend at least half of it de-stressing and becoming human again. Then you get a fortnight to go away with your family as a normal human, then you spend the last week re-stressing getting ready for the term ahead. What's more there is zero flexibility to have a break when there's a cheap holiday on offer, when the weather's good or have a day off to watch a test match, or go to the world cup etc.

So the factory worker, the policeman etc
The Engineer that has to make components to 0.001" or 0.01mm consistently on shifts with a boss that treats them like a rag out of the bin
the poor sod on a zero hour contract for minimum wage & all those that live their working life with the threat of being made redundant constantly hanging over their heads

do they not have to deal with stress in the workplace ?

The absolute worse case I've ever seen put forward to justify the amount of holidays that the profession gets, what about the parents that have to use up their holiday allowance for the 'training' days etc.

Teachers have always provided an essential service to every child that's ever grown up in this country, but having Educated us please don't then take us for fools.

As far as I'm concerned you can't argue about the none flexibility of your holidays when you get so many.

There are also many workplaces where only a certain percentage of the workers may be on leave & in those cases if you don't get your holidays in quickest then they get turned down, I know of a case involving a mate where they all stuck their holiday forms in and he put in for 2 weeks in the summer, others did as well & he was told that it was too many & theirs got approved because of their length of service, then because in all the other weeks of the summer holidays the numbers allowed off had already been filled up he was told that it wasn't possible for him to book any during that period (it's only 3 sets of fortnights don't forget) he was told that there were odd 'long weekends' where he could be off where the numbers were in work. Many places also have folk that only work 'term time' hours so they're short staffed and its hard for full time staff to get time off in the holidays.


1 other thing that gets me is giving kids homework to do over the holidays, and my lad got a LOT of it when we were going away for a week, when he mentioned that we were going away & he wouldnt be able to do it he was told that he could just do the detention for not completing it then ... I made sure that wasn't happening straight away.

 

[ianefc]

Stay behind after class and see me please.

If you're the teacher then I'm upset that you're so accepting of the 'i' as apposed to 'I' being used. Once you've disciplined him, pop into my office.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Let's pull out the 'sickie' records as well if we are going to go on about being unable to take a day off cos I'll tell you what there's plenty of times that my kids say their teacher wasn't in that day.
They might not have floating days to book off but it appears to me that it's not a problem when they ring in.

 

[malfosse]

If you're the teacher then I'm upset that you're so accepting of the 'i' as apposed to 'I' being used. Once you've disciplined him, pop into my office.

Oh ffs I missed that.