July 19th 2024.
As I was reading the news, the story of Laura Melling's decision to take her two daughters on a holiday to Egypt caught my attention. I could understand why she saw it as a "no-brainer" - who wouldn't want to save money and have a memorable family vacation? However, I couldn't help but wince at the fact that she and her husband, Paul, were fined £240 for their children's absence from school.
Let me make it clear, I am not in favor of taking children out of school for vacations. My family and I are very strict about it. You see, my husband is a teacher and it's highly frowned upon for teachers to take leave during the school term. Can you imagine the chaos if a bunch of school staff decided to take a break whenever they wanted? So, even before our children Ella and Leo - who are now 11 and 7 - came along, we made sure to plan our vacations during school holidays. We've been to some amazing places like Kos, Corfu, Skiathos, Kefalonia, and Crete, all within our budget but still during school holidays.
One might argue that traveling during the school holidays can be hectic and expensive - with long airport queues, crowded flights, and high costs. In fact, according to a travel agent, it can be up to 40% more expensive to travel during this time. Due to these inflated prices, we haven't been able to go on an overseas vacation for the past few years. However, I still believe that it's unfair that some parents get to have a break whenever they want, while others like myself have to adhere to the rules and face the consequences.
But let's think about the children. Ultimately, the argument is about how being away from school can affect their learning. Some kids may struggle to readjust to their social circles after being away for a long time, some may feel like they've missed out on important lessons, and others may fall behind their peers. This is supported by the latest Government data in England, which shows that higher absences result in lower attainment levels.
Moreover, student absences also affect teachers, making it difficult for them to ensure that the students catch up on what they've missed. While some may argue that most kids will be just fine, I believe that it should be a level playing field for all students and staff in a school setting. I am not alone in this belief, as the Department for Education also stresses the importance of high attendance for giving every child the best start in life.
However, I do agree that children can thrive and have a successful future by spending as much time as possible in school. But whether a week-long holiday during the school term will have a negative impact on this largely depends on the child and how many holidays are taken overall during the term. In an attempt to crack down on this issue, school absence fines are set to increase from £60 to £80 in September, but I believe that more needs to be done to make holidays affordable for everyone.
Schools are under immense pressure from the Department for Education to ensure that all students attend lessons for as many days as possible. Many schools even reward children for high attendance at the end of the summer term. I am grateful that my children's school sends out reminders about absences, but sadly, some parents still choose to take their children out of school.
To make a real change, I believe that the Government should work towards making holidays more affordable for all families. Instead of penalizing parents with fines, perhaps they should set stricter regulations for airlines and travel agents to reduce costs during school holiday time. If the cost of a holiday remains the same throughout the summer season, more families will be encouraged to travel during term time, and this could help keep attendance scores high.
In the meantime, if you're looking for a last-minute gift for your child's teacher, why not consider giving them holiday vouchers? And if you have a story to share, I'd love to hear it. Feel free to email me at
[email protected]. Let's continue this discussion in the comments below.
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