Quote Originally Posted by jaytip View Post
While I agree with a lot of what you have written, I think you have gone to extremes. Of course there has to be a cut off point re attendance, when the school says 'no, sorry, your child has had too much time off.
My 8 yr old daughter is excelling in school. She's in year 3 but for maths she studies with year 4, her handwriting is used as an example to other students, in how well you can do if you try hard. Her attendance is currently at 100% for the academic year, are you seriously suggesting that having a week/fortnight off in term time is going to disrupt her education THAT much?
If your child is very able, no, probably not. But then should only the smartest kids be allowed to have holidays in term time?

How would that work?

The difficulty here is you are (with the greatest respect) thinking only of your own situation, not the bigger implications. Many parents would, and could say the same as you, and give the same justification.

And then we would be back to exactly the scenario I described in my second point. How would you feel if your daughter's education was constantly being disrupted by the absence of her classmates?


Please don't think I am unsympathetic (because I really am not), but the problem is a systemic one, and while there may be exceptions to the rule, the bigger picture remains unchanged from what I outlined above.