CHEAP SKI HOLIDAYS at half term

Take them out of school just so you can have a cheap holiday?

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Hamish Macbeth wrote:Take them out of school just so you can have a cheap holiday?

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what's wrong with that :?: :?:

Not everyone can afford to take a family away at half-term, skiing is still an expensive holiday you know :!: Personally we always went out of school and it didn't do either myself or my brother any harm, we both went on to get decent jobs so.......... :thumbup: is what I say

freezywater wrote:

Hamish Macbeth wrote:Take them out of school just so you can have a cheap holiday?

:thumbdown:

what's wrong with that :?: :?:

Not everyone can afford to take a family away at half-term, skiing is still an expensive holiday you know :!: Personally we always went out of school and it didn't do either myself or my brother any harm, we both went on to get decent jobs so.......... :thumbup: is what I say

As a teacher, I have to say that it shows a poor attitude to think that it's fine to remove your child from school for a week just to have a cheap holiday. However, I can perfectly understand why people do it. Everything is ridiculously priced during the two weeks. As someone who makes the decisions as to whether or not students are given permission to take a holiday, I look at their attendance first. Most of the time, those kids wanting time off have close to 100% attendance. The real problem are those who have days off every couple of weeks for different reasons. At the risk of sounding like a sad old git, I have the statistics to prove that attendance is directly linked to performance and results and that results are directly linked to earning potential......
Great forum by the way, I feel like such as miserable bugger, with this being my first post. :)
Sebby

Sebby - I agree that taking kids out of school is not ideal, we don't have kids yet so don't have that problem but I know that more and more parents are taking kids away on holiday during term because of the increasing cost of overseas holidays during school holidays. Surprisingly this attitude doesn't seem to apply to the teachers as our next door neighbour received a letter recently advising all parents that their daughter's teacher was going "away" to Australia for 3 weeks and so a temp would be covering :!:

What's good for the goose................... :twisted:

As I said earlier, what is the problem with 1 week out of school for a holiday, it's not as if the education system in this country is so great that a week away can't be caught up. It's not just for a "cheap" holiday either, for some families it may be the difference between a holiday in a different country experiencing a different language and culture or staying at home and wreaking havoc at home during half term etc etc

As someone who was raised by a single parent family it was the only way we got to go on holiday. There is far too much bureaurocracy and red tape in our schools and our country as a whole.

Anyway, back to the skiing.......half term here we come :-o

Freezywater...I'm going to have to go on the defensive I'm afraid.

There is very little wrong with the education system in this country. We could do with it being less of a politcal toy, but other than that it's very good.

As for the teacher of your neighbour's child....things are never that black and white!!

If that teacher can actually afford to have three weeks off unpaid, well good luck to them. There is also a chance that the trip is part of their professional development - to make us more like teachers in other countries (which clearly you are in favour of).

The final possibility is that your neighbours child goes to a very substandard school where the Board of Governors and the Head are so weak they allow staff to take time off at will during term-time. In which case (presuming it's a comprehensive school) you also live in the same catchment. You'd better move before you have children then!!

I hope I've miss understood the whole "what's good for the goose" comment, because here I was thinking(naively) that we were all on the same side!!!

:D,hi have you looked at www.optimumski.com "Chalet Tarentaise" or Ski Miquel, as both offer excellent accommadation,have friends who know the owner Martin at Chalet Tarentaise,and have used Ski Miquel several times myself and would reccommend them both. best of luck with your search and a safe enjoyable season :D

Sebby-In my 13 years at school in Scotland I must have been taken out of school for a week in each of those. Ended school with the Uni place of my choice, a good few A's and the odd advanced higher! I spent the 2 weeks at easter before my highers skiing and i achieved excellent grades-if your children are clever just go for it! (Excuse my grammar struggled for a B in English :wink: )

Edit to include following comment:-

What level do you teach at sebby?

All the best.

Ross

We all are on the same side! :mrgreen: