School Gives Pakistani Children Two Weeks Off During A School Term.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533095/School-85-pupils-Asian-gives-children-two-week-October-half-term-visit-Pakistan-families.html

How do you feel about this, when you yourself are penalised for wishing to take your children on holiday during a school term, when that is the only time it becomes affordable?

[gness]

In October?....When they may have children of their own needing care to accommodate the earlier September start and not having the two week break in October.

Wish my mother had thought of this one when the turf needed cutting and footing.

[Ric.ror]

You can bet your christmas presents that if all schools follow suit the prices of tickets for those weeks will rise steeply

[jomifl]

Ric.ror, so they save money by not sending them in the summer holidays when the air fares are much higher?

[Sqad]

Can you must imagine, the parent of a Pakistani pupil at Eton, Harrow or Winchester! saying that Islamabad is a bit too hot for my darling could he have different term times than the rest?

[bazwillrun]

""If 85% of parents requested a change in the school year, would the head of any school agree" - I'd like to think they would. "

dream on.....we all know how much bending over backwards for ethnics goes on, if these where non-ethnics do you realy think they would have been so accomodating..yeah right course they would

[Ellipsis]

> Can you must imagine, the parent of a Pakistani pupil at Eton, Harrow or Winchester! saying that Islamabad is a bit too hot for my darling could he have different term times than the rest?

But they're not different than the rest. The school has changed its term times, that's all.

Many schools have different term times. My own children go to an academy that has no half terms. Instead, it has five eight week terms punctuated by one four week holiday in Summer and four two week holidays through the rest of the year.

(Unfortunately my wife is a teacher at a different school that has normal holidays so we don't get to benefit from the unusual holidays that our children have.)

[anotheoldgit]

mushroom25

/// if the time is made up elsewhere in the year (as the headlines at the top of the article suggests) then what is the issue? ///

No not an issue if all parents were allowed to let their children make the time up at another time of the year, but I wonder how many teachers are prepared to work an extra two weeks in ther year.

/// you're surely not suggesting that parents should be forced to take their UK-acclimatized youngsters to the subcontinent at the hottest/most humid time of year? ///

There are many 'UK-acclimatized youngsters' who are taken to hot sunny climes, isn't that all part of a holiday abroad?

[Ellipsis]

> I wonder how many teachers are prepared to work an extra two weeks in their year.

They are not doing that. Their term times have changed, that's all.

[anotheoldgit]

triggerhippy

/// How do i feel? - not bothered. ///

But bothered enough to make that meagre contribution it seems.

[pixie373]

As ricror says, if the school year changes, ticket prices will rise accordingly. However, when my children were younger, i was authorised to take them to France in school time, because my dad lived there and it was too expensive in the holidays. Maybe all children should be allowed two weeks off for a holiday. Imo, it was just as educational. They all learnt quite a lot of French and taught themselves to swim.

[tamborine]

After 70+y of immigration brit kids dont have english as their first language ? They cant afford to miss any schooling.

[gness]

A slight aside....but didn't I hear an airline chief say recently that fares don't go up in school holidays.....that is the normal fare and they are reduced during term time......☺☺☺

[pixie373]

Lol. "normal" would be whatever it is the majority of the time (termtime).

[Gromit]

The six week summer break is a bit daft in this day and age. It is a huge disruption for working parents who are forced to use their holiday entitlement all at once.

They should have two weeks in August and let the schools take the other 4 weeks were they like in the year.

That would stuff the greedy airlines as well

[2sp_]

Gormit ,the problem with schools taking holidays when they like is that some families have children in different schools.

Therefore, if the kids have holidays at different times parents will have a nightmare trying to organise childcare, holidays away etc.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// That would stuff the greedy airlines as well ///

Do you really think so Gromit?

Almost like saying that the energy companies lose out during the summer moths.

[anotheoldgit]

That should read 'Months'.

[Gromit]

2sp

I see your point. Most children in different schools are usually in the same borough or LEA. Perhaps all schools in a borough could have the same holidays. But boroughs be flexible and not necessarily have them at the same time as their neighbours.

Don't understand your energy company analogy AOG?