Education continued

 Of course education does not mean just sitting in a classroom. It encompasses all sorts of learning and travel and holidays are without doubt part of this wider experience BUT the question of children being taken out of school particularly at the beginning of term(s) in order to go skiing or to foreign destinations requires deeper thought.

I realise that some people will immediately disagree - my children, my decision. There’s also the problem of higher costs during school holidays. But then travel agents, hotels, airlines etc have to make money while they can.

The difficulty arises especially at the start of the school year. Children who are not at school during the first couple of weeks miss out on a number of things eg perhaps a choice of where they sit and with whom; introduction to new concepts. Sometimes or even often these things are difficult for teachers to deal with and children feel left out or just baffled/confused by ideas they don’t recognise.

There’s been much discussion about whether there should be penalties for parents who take their children out of school for holidays.

What do people think?