Should parents be punished

bignev23 · February 7, 2017

Ernie said:
Then pay for it in the school holidays like most other parents, What a poor example you are setting your kids

Nice one, they'll be buzzing when I show them that. I smoke, drink and swear in front of them too, call the cops.

it never affected my GCSE results and they're a piece off piss these days aren't they ? doesn't every new government wants to look better than the last so they make them easier. they give old grade C's out just for turning up near enough it seems, A*s all over the gaff. The kids that fail there exams don't fail because they went on holiday there are an array of reasons which can be much more complex than that like family issues or other personal issues but most of the kids I know that failed just didn't like school they weren't 'Classroom' people and didn't pay attention or put the effort in because they weren't bothered at the time or couldn't be afforded the standard of teaching required at the time or others were just thick as pig [Poor language removed] nothing more than that really, lots of the higher graded kids parents were wealthier than the lower graded kids and used to regularly take their kids on holiday in term time whilst poorer kids with lower grades never went on holiday.

It always seems to be people in the teaching community who're most outraged when parents do this so I suspect that somehow it's detrimental to themselves when kids are taken out of class during term time and some then blame parents for whatever that reason that is.

Tree13 said:
Alternatively, when you start paying the entire cost of your child's education then maybe you get to set the rules about attendance. Until then, if you take them out of school so you can go to Tenerife for a week on the cheap, you'll pay a fine. Just like you should.

I've never been to Tenerife or been fined though and I set my own rules for attendance, So the balls in my court.

What's your problem? Maybe when your paying the entire cost of a child's education you should be allowed to be a trouble causing busy body and interfere with other peoples lives and criminalise otherwise law abiding citizens in order to acquire a few extra £££s in the Governments coffers. I would never try impose my beliefs on others unless serious issues were prominent, how people run their own families is upto them and if that involves keeping kids off school for a short while I couldn't care less.

lancs blue · February 7, 2017

if teachers take time off term time do they get fined? system needs overhauling

Seanjd · February 7, 2017

lancs blue said:
if teachers take time off term time do they get fined? system needs overhauling

What to go on holiday? They'd be sacked, mate.

Seanjd · February 7, 2017

I see it both ways. My school doesn't fine parents for taking their children out of school for a holiday, and I agree with that. The time off may or may not be to the detriment of the child's education, though. It often depends what time of year it is or what is going on.

Something needs to be done about companies who can hike their prices by many multiples for 6 weeks in the summer though.

dannyboy · February 7, 2017

As a teacher it means a few less books for me to mark every night so I'm all for it.

Seriously though, I can completely understand why parents do it- especially in a deprived area like the one I teach in. Schools just need to be sensible. If a child with impeccable attendance jets off to Spain for his/her first time abroad and misses a week of school then I don't see an issue. Better to target and address the issue of children with poor attendance in general.