Holidays during term time

[TheGrahams]

How fussy are they in Aus?

Is it easy to take your child out of primary school for a holiday during term time?

[calNgary]

I have found that the schools are pretty easy going with days off/ holidays, although they do frown upon you pulling the kids out if its Exams such as Naplan testing etc..

Cal x

[Bob1]

They are much more relaxed here and it is common practice. It is too far to go to the UK for two weeks with young kids and we used to take an extra week before or after the school hols. I always got the response from the teachers that travel is a great educator and never heard a negative word. I know families that take their kids out for a week in Bali without any problems - think they become more concerned the further up the school you are though. In a country that has Long Service Leave which was developed so that people could travel back to the mother country - they understand the need to travel.

[LKC]

We've done it with our eldest a couple of times. They don't really worry, and when I asked her year 1 teacher for some extra homework for the holiday, she looked at me like I was mad! It is pretty normal practice to do so here. I think if it is over a certain number of days at once we have to speak to the principal, but for a week or so you just have to tell the teacher.

[fleabo]

Depends on how badly behaved your kids are really. It can be quite disheartening when you are telling the headmaster/mistress your intention to take the kids away for a fortnight during term time, and you hear the sigh of relief (and then the fireworks later in the evening above the school...)

How fussy are they in Aus?

Is it easy to take your child out of primary school for a holiday during term time?

[caramac]

I took our eldest out of school for 8 weeks when she was in year 1 (2 weeks was the schools holiday). No one batted an eyelid. We came to the UK for a holiday and my daughter went to school for four weeks here instead - her idea because she wanted to be with her old friends. Middle daughter also went to her old nursery. They had a brilliant time.

[TheGrahams]

They are much more relaxed here and it is common practice. It is too far to go to the UK for two weeks with young kids and we used to take an extra week before or after the school hols. I always got the response from the teachers that travel is a great educator and never heard a negative word. I know families that take their kids out for a week in Bali without any problems - think they become more concerned the further up the school you are though. In a country that has Long Service Leave which was developed so that people could travel back to the mother country - they understand the need to travel.

That is music to my ears

[Quoll]

They couldnt give a toss whether a kid is in school or not really. Gone are the days of the truant officers - schools can do very little to enforce attendance even when a kid is a chronic truant. They definitely dont care if you take them out for holidays

[Conniebygaslight]

I asked that question at our first parent evening when we lived there...they just looked at me blank, they didn't understand why I would even ask....didn't give a monkey's as long as they wore a hat to school (even in middle of winter and cloudy weather) nothing else really mattered-sod who was picking them up or anything else trivial...

[NickyNook]

Think you'll find that private schools have a slightly different attitude.
It was very much frowned upon at both my kids' schools (primary and high).

You could always tell when too many parents had done it because the warnings would appear
in the newsletters. They would make the point that the children had around 13 weeks of school
holidays in the year in which to go away and removing them during term time was not good
for them and not good for the teachers who had to try and fast-track the teaching they missed,
when they returned.

We did it twice with our kids, just took them out for a week in June so we could get four weeks
away in the UK. At the kids high school, we had to write a letter to the school requesting the extra
time off and providing a really good reason.

I don't think it's that big a deal in Primary school but no-one with any sense is going to take
kids out of school for extended periods when they are part-way through Years 11 and 12 at High
School. Even short periods away can impact exam results.