Schools and taking kids on holidays during school time

[Pebble]

We live in Busselton WA and our kids currently go to public primary school. Most schools seem to have a big thing about discouraging kids to take days off from school (apart from school holidays etc). It even states in the school info booklets that teachers will not prepare work that kids can do if you happen to be going away.

Personally I find this rather annoying, I think going on big trips would add to their learning and life experience. Also in my case my Husband works in mining and I work as a cleaner locally. So in my case the busiest time at work is summer holidays (caravan park) and it makes sense that we would go on our big trips during the winter (not to mention Hubbys time off doesn't always coincide with school hols, and longer trips require time beyond 2 weeks).
Next year for example we're planning to go for 5 weeks and drive to Alice, Darwin and through the Kimberley then back home. We hope to do a significant trip like that every couple of years (and otherwise try to have some short trips during school holidays or weekenders only).

I was just wondering if other people come across this and how you deal with it? I imagine perhaps it's not as big a deal when kids are in high school? Our kids are 10 and 8, well soon to be 11 and 9 I guess. I realize it looks bad for schools if they don't have high attendance rates. And I realize it's not a good thing to let kids have a day off whenever suits. But I would have thought holidays and quality family time would be an exception.
I just really get annoyed at the attitude that seems to come across quite often in newsletters etc. I must admit we haven't personally spoken to the school as yet and explained our situatin  (which I'm sure isn't unique these days), that would be the next step.

It just seems like the schools try to make you feel like a bad parent for taking your kids on these big trips! I don't think home schooling would be an option for me, well not unless it was available only for the short periods of time we spend away.

[WilSurf]

Our daughters are going to a private school and every time we go away for a period, the teacher are giving them homework.
Even for the 9-day cruise we did a few weeks ago!

[jetcrew]

I had this conversation with my sons principle.

I pointed out I pay tax
My son is entitled to be educated
I would notify the education department that my public funded school refused to provide education material.
I would submit to enrol my son  in home based learning at a cost to the education depart . Then after all the cost involved in that after 4 weeks I would simply cancel my home school set up and return my son to school. And I was forced to do this as my school would not provide 4 weeks school material for a  grade 2 student.

School supplied materials

They just can't be bothered ..IMHO and 80% of people would just accept it.

Jet

[MDS69]

We took the kids out of school for a week either side of the 2 week school holidays for a 4 week central Australia trip last year (then in year 4 and year 2). We made the kids do a journal to which we inserted photos to go with the activity or site they were describing. The teachers thought this was a good idea.

I have mentioned this previously but in 2010 we were in Birdsville and went out to Big Red, the edge of the desert etc and a few months after we got back the teacher talked to the class about deserts and the Simpson came up. Well my daughter put her hand up and said I've been there and the next day took in her journal and some extra photos. Teacher was well impressed. The only one in her class that could say that.

The kids get to experience so much more than what they will ever get in the class room but it is also not a substitute for the class room environment and needs to be balanced.

[elle.mac]

We are lucky that due to our location that the school is lenient if you have to pull the kids out for a day to do shopping (its a 6-8hour round trip) or other appointments so long as we let them know so far homework hasn't arisen as the kids are only in kindy and pre-primary but going by the school i'm confident that I could get it if they were older and time-off was going to be longer.

Exploring the natural wonders of Australia enhances a child's learning so the school should be encouraging it.

[Kris]

Admittedly my kids are only prep and grade 2, but our school couldn't be more supportive of us going away.  Our 2 will only miss 2 weeks of school, the rest being holidays.  They are getting together some worksheets for those 2 weeks- they suggested it!  They said themselves the kids will learn more on a trip!  When my neighbour took their grade 6 girl out of school for 3mths, the school was in contact via email sending work back and forth.

Guess it all depends on the school's mentality.

[Azz]

You are not alone with this. We have four kids, we have pulled them out of school for entire terms while we spent winter at Mount Hotham / Dinner Plain.

We have found this is a policy from the department, rather than the schools themselves. If you talk to your kids teachers, they will most likely agree with you 100%.

I believe this policy is in place for the lowest common denominator.

On our last winter on snow, we took the high school  kids back to school for one day a week so they could catch up with their teachers and get more work etc etc.
All of the kids, passed all of their classes no problems. 

We did strike problems when year 11 & 12 subjects became involved, all three started those in year 10. In Vic you have to be in attendance 90% of classes or FAIL in years 11 & 12. So that put a stop to long times away
Only two more years and we are over that for a few more years.

The little one is in grade four. We recently took her to Tassie for a week. Had a quick chat with her teacher before hand and included things on the itinerary that reflected what was happening in the curriculum at school for that time and coming up.
What do you know? She is well ahead of her class mates on those topics. Amazing what some 'real life' experience will do.

I say DO IT, you & your kids will be better off for. There is no way they could ever learn what that trip will teach them in a classroom.

[Barry G]

My son, now year 12, had off the last term of year 8.  It was my daughter's 'gap' year before uni and My long service leave was available, so it was our one 'window of opportunity'.
Son's teachers attitudes were that he would learn more out there than in the classroom in that term and at that stage of his education.  I recon from year 9 onwards it would've been different.
Ours was a one-off, I can understand why schools would take a different attitude if it was a semi-regular occurrence.
Personally I can't see why it would be any sort of a big deal in junior primary, as the range of basic skills, reading, writing, counting and nature study / science can readily be worked into day to day activities by enthusiastic parents.

[Murph]

Make an appointment to see the teachers and the princable but have a written plan of the work you intend to do with  the children on the trip ! I'm sure if the kids are at least in the mid percenta of the class there would be no problems . But I have friends who tried to do this every year ehh that dint go down at all .

[Jason B]

Our school openly supports the trips we do with the kids. They teachers admit that the kids will learn more seeing the country than missing the odd week here and there of school. They are also more than happy to provide education material.

Jas

[WilSurf]

This all in comparison with the schools in Holland.
You have to attend every day, otherwise the school inspector will be on your door step.
No reason is valid (except sickness and death) for not showing up.
Friends went to Australia for a holiday and they had to go to the Dutch School, what has to be signed every day by the principel of the Dutch School.
They showed up and told the story. The principe asked them where he could sign for all the days now so the family had a nice holiday together.

[swanny]

Its an interesting point isn't it, my kids go to a catholic school in a small/mid size town (21000), I have struggled with my own moral attitude toward this myself, I didn't have the best education so I have decided that I will ensure my kids get one.

We also like to do a big trip each year (4-6 weeks) during some time over the winter/spring months, when ever we have spoken to the school they have been nothing but cooperative, which I think is a benefit to the school as well as the kids.

We try and be mindful of when we take our trip, and do our best to plan it either side of a holiday period so as not to impact to much on the kids and school. We all know that at times its not convenient, and you have do what you can for the kids with some type of school work.

I like the idea of the journal, my eldest is 7 so this will be something I think he will look forward to once we explain how it works.

In the end though, I think all schools should cooperate, as the only person who misses out is the child.

Regards Swanny

[CGS]

Every time we go camping my daughter and wife does her reading and writing and I do Maths with her.

She's 6 and in grade 1 and believe she will learn more out camping than in school.

[JCAT]

Our two children will be spending Term 3 away next year. Will be interesting to see the schools attitude to this. My daughter will be in Year 8 but they all have a laptop, supplied by the school, which they can get there work on. My son will be in Grade 4.

We did a 10 week trip a few years ago and the Primary School was more than accommodating. The diary of your travels is a great idea that we did use in 2009 for our daughter.

[shrek4]

Always an interesting topic this one. Both my wife and I are teachers (her early years and me, early years to High School). Currently I'm an Assistant Principal in a Prep-Year 12 school.

Our experience has shown us that kids on holidays will experience and learn so much about the world around them. We thoroughly support families doing this (and likely to do this with our own children).

The thing about working with teachers / schools is that frequency in which schools are asked to 'supply' alternative programs for families on holidays. I have on many occasions done this and almost as many occasions I've had the child return with less than 10% completed.

Can I suggest that you don't focus on formal education while you are away. Look at the opportunities in front of you and try to connect their learning to it. E.g. Look at nature books on plants, animals, habitats etc. at least they can make immediate connections to what they see and are experiencing.

It also frees you up from the 'guilt' of 'having' to do school work while you are away. I suspect when teachers do put a work pack together often it is a bunch of worksheets that are totally disconnected from the learning in the classroom anyway (really, what's the point?). If you want that go to any book shop and get some generic maths or literacy workbooks for them to work through. I'm sure this is less stressful for all concerned and likely to keep the conflict of 'doing' homework etc at bay.

A photo journal is good, one that can be emailed to the class would be great. Gives a real audience and purpose then. Plus makes the kid a bit of a rock star when they return (trust me on this).

Best I think is to take some trivia, general knowledge boardgames, books, magazines etc. and talk talk talk. The bulk of a child's education is in fact not from their formal schooling. It is from the interactions with families, communities and experiences out of school. Consider the holiday an investment in their education!

Have fun!

[JCOJ]

Our school openly supports the trips we do with the kids. They teachers admit that the kids will learn more seeing the country than missing the odd week here and there of school. They are also more than happy to provide education material.

This is the same as our school.  We went and spoke to the Principal about it and he said that they will get a better education out there is the wide world than what they would in the class room so he is al for it.  Our boys are going to Japan next January, then they will be doing the MySwag Red Centre trip, and for both occasions the school suggested for the boys to do research of where they are, then the class will have a Skype session with them while they are out and about.

[AKB]

Can I suggest that you don't focus on formal education while you are away. Look at the opportunities in front of you and try to connect their learning to it. E.g. Look at nature books on plants, animals, habitats etc. at least they can make immediate connections to what they see and are experiencing.

I so agree with this - we use to try and get 'formalised work' while away but it really did just bring stress and guilt if we didn't complete it - these days I make sure he has books to read and it is far less stressful for all involved

[BigJules]

I grew up in some places without even another kid to throw a ball to, and so missed literally years of school in total. This did disadvantage me in some areas for a period, but I went on to finish high school, get a uni degree, army, half a post grad qualification so far and senior executive positions. School can be fantastic but it's not necessarily the only learning mechanism.

If you want to travel with your kids, do it.

[trevc]

This is the same as our school.  We went and spoke to the Principal about it and he said that they will get a better education out there is the wide world than what they would in the class room so he is al for it.  Our boys are going to Japan next January, then they will be doing the MySwag Red Centre trip, and for both occasions the school suggested for the boys to do research of where they are, then the class will have a Skype session with them while they are out and about.

x 1000

We're a little different as we are taking 12 months off but the school has in the past been supportive of a couple of weeks off and like MDS our kids have been able to relate directly to their experience back in the classroom.

This time we are 'home schooling' - we are purchasing the maths and English modules for their applicable grades, these are directly linked to the Australian curriculum.
If it becomes are drag or starts causing resentment for either teachers (us) or the kids and we'll review it.
There will be thousands of learning opportunities along the way.

Trev

[markpeh]

I'm with shrek4. I am a teaching principal in Queensland ( not far from carnarvon gorge) and I believe that trips with the kids are experiences that can not be replaced any other way.  Different schools have different systems and it not always easy to supply work, especially in the younger years when there is lots of hands on activities in the classroom.  I agree that most times that I have sent work away that it returns largely incomplete. I have a family that are about to take a 3 week trip to the USA and those kids will be doing a travel diary.
Schools get pressure from the department around attendance as there are many studies linking performance to attendance.  Sadly there are parents that don't place a high value on school and there kids that miss days each week.   In qld parents are required to apply for leave for trips if more than 2 weeks.  This part of process...
I am looking forward to the day I can take leave and pull my kids out for an extended trip.

[Socks]

Get them to keep a travel diary and have them write a recount each day or two of what they've done. (English)

Research the places you're going or have been (history, geography)

Have them help at the grocery store etc or with working out what you need or don't ( math)

Exercise daily (pdhpe)

Etc
Etc
Etc

A few weeks off school to explore the country and spend time with family won't hurt them. The life experiences are worth so much more! Don't stress about the school work. Let them be kids and enjoy the time away. Do encourage the travel diary tho


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Watty2975]

As a primary school Principal schools are placed in a difficult position. We have performance targets that we need to meet including attendance. Common sense dictates that these targets and processes are in place to pick up the students who attendance is generally poor, where families do not place a high priority on learning.

However the difficulty comes for Teachers and schools where we run a sequential learning program where one day builds on the next leading to assessment. Students missing chunks of this time make accurate judgements about progress difficult.

Having said that, if the parents are in touch with their child's teacher and the
School I would hope an agreement could be reached that suits your child's needs. At the end of the day we as a school will be judged on the children's learning outcomes, not that they had 4 weeks off to gain invaluable life experience.

When Travelling don't get locked into doing copious amounts of school work which as previously stated will generally be a collection of work sheets not tightly linked to what the class is doing anyway.

Your time will be better spent reading the information boards at places you visit, keeping a brief journal of facourite things each day. Taking lots of photos and later labeling them. Kids can create a photo story to share when they get back to school and email throughout if possible. Looking at maps and working out how far to the next camp site or how many liters of water left in the camper trailer are far more valuable life activities giving purpose to what they learn.

I have never discouraged any of our parents from exploring our country and think the experiences will be fantastic. A bit of common sense around the timing is all that is needed. Not all the best learning is done in a classroom.

Happy travels

[CGS]

Just load up the kids iPad with apps like this. If you do a search you can find heaps.


https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/grade-1-math-apptutor-common/id631361400?mt=8

[builder94]

Well said Watty, I agree 100%. As a fellow colleague I have read this thread through and you have said what I was thinking. So many great experiences can be shared with other students and teachers that may never get the opportunity to get out and amongst it all, for whatever reason.

[cruza driver]

We just got back from a 3 week trip outside school holidays, and the Principal said see you when you get back and don't rub it in about how much fun you had when you return either. 

We went to the Goldy, Longreach, Winton, Noccundra, Tibooburra, The Corner and home. They learnt from real not books and lasting memories too. They always talk about our past bigger trips which all makes it worth it.

They work out travel distances and times and map reading skills along with travel dairies that they always get to keep as a memory. There constantly reading info boards etc too.

There only young once and will thank you for it.