UK Parents offered bribes by Gov.

[chicagolosina]

I don`t think taking your kids out of school for a week or two makes much difference....especially when you make sure they have extra homework so they don`t miss much.

Besides, I think kids get a lot out of a trip..history, geography, life skills, language skills, thirst for travel and knowledge, etc.

I have taken my kids out of school for a week here and there, spring break for instance...3x the price to go anywhere! Two weeks after any holiday is the time to go. (best deal, hardly any other tourists anywhere)

We went to Chile a couple years ago after Christmas ( summer there!) We looked into the price in December and airfare was unbelieveable...about $8000 for all of us! We choose a flight January 4th and paid about $3000 total for five of us!!

[smithy87]

We took our kids out of school for one week out of a two week break. It was their last week until the big summer holidays so in reality they were winding down and the last day they were allowed non-uniform and able to take a game in.

When we informed the teachers we were told we could face a 'fine' of upto £100 if we did this.

So I politely told the teacher where Tony Blair and his Government could shove the fine and that I'd rather pay an extra £100 than another £500 on top of my holiday :-5

[pink princess]

i think the cost of a holiday is outrageous, its way too expensive to go in the summer holidays and even at half term the costs go up, ill bet tony blair doesnt need to worry about that though so i doubt hell really make any serious considerations over it..... i see from the post that at least there may be some discount but £100 isnt that much of a discount when i saw on GMTV last summer that some holidays get the cost put up by 100%.... some cost an extra £1000 easily....... that leaves £900 to find and thats more than most people can save to even put towards a holiday....

[TMC]

Why do some people feel the need to whinge when they are given something, I have the feeling that if these people were given a holiday for free, they would complain that they have to find their own spending money.

[pink princess]

dont get me wrong i think its great that some effort is being made but its not really that much.... ure right tho at least something is being done

[vampress.rozz]

My oldest is going to secondary school in September (AAAHHH)

At the new parents meeting the headmaster said that as far as holiday in school time is concerned we would need to give a very detailed reason for it. He would then look at the child's attendance record for the time before the holiday and if it was less than 93% he would refuse permission no matter what the reason.

[chonsigirl]

As a middle school teacher, many parents take vacations during the year. They dutifully write notes requesting all their children's work-up to 3 weeks worth! Out of the maybe 15 I prepared last year, only 1 child turned in partial work. The rest went in the gradebook as zeros. Students grades very definitely are affected by this.

[annabelle]

It absolutely infuriates me that schools have the ordacity to try to dictate when I may or maynot take my main annual vacation.

In my opinion they are overstepping the mark. They are there to teach, NOT dictate to me how I choose to run my life. My children NEVER suffered from the odd week or two away from school during term time. In fact, they are both doing extremely well.

[vampress.rozz]

I must admit it made me feel really annoyed. Even though we have made the conscious decision not to take the kids out of school now that he will be starting secondary school I felt like requesting a holiday form there and then to make a point. Even the law says we're allowed up to 14 days a year out of school time.

[Nomad]

Those bastards !

[suzycreamcheese]

I live in the England and ive never heard of this bribe, although id take them up on it if they were offering it!

do you have a link please