The recent ruling in the High Court which granted parents the right to take children away during term time if the children had a good record of attendance at school, has been met with a renewed determination by the government who now want to close a loophole in the law which made this decision possible.
The Department of Education has released a formal statement saying term time attendance at school was ‘non negotiable’, and that the government would be looking at the legislation as well as issuing guidance to schools on the issue.
Cracking down on attendance has been seen as a way to improve pupil performance at school – fines are now involved and parents can also be prosecuted if they don’t ensure their children get an education. In order to justify their stance on school attendance, the government has consistently looked to research and data to bolster their view that attendance is at the heart of attainment.
But not everyone agrees. A recent article by a lecturer in education at Keele University points out that the government’s take on attendance is not supported by definitive evidence. Peter Jones explains that the data used is not complete, lumps too many variables together without looking to see what other factors impact performance and that the government itself fails to make any distinctions between types of attendance.
Other arguments against banning term time holidays include the ever rising cost of holidays during peak times which parents are finding harder and harder to afford, the right to a family life in law and a view that it should be parents, and not the state, who decide what is in their child’s best interests.
We happen to agree that taking children out of school occasionally is not a bad thing, and this was something we chatted about with Sky News back in 2012 when Michael Gove first announced his decision to try to ban all term time holidays.
What do you think? Should children be able to miss school or do you think there should be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to attendance?
Researching Reform 
Children miss school if they get flu or or childish ailments that are still around like chicken pox.There is no evidence that their schoolworrk suffers lastingly from such interruptions;Parents should therefore be free to notify the school once a year that their children will be absent for a two week holiday during term time when holidays are more affordable;
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Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3617352/Historic-abuse-inquiry-examine-claims-Kincora-Boys-Home.html
In all of my years campaigning life has always been fated, just as I was in Spain Dec 2015 and a man told me of all of the chemicals in the baby milk, in 2014 at different times 2 ex teachers told me how children just disappeared from school and no one was allowed to ask why or where are they not even the headmaster was allowed to know, and these kids moved around are from the care system, any one reading this info may say NO it cannot happen well there is much more I was told, as for the 2 teachers who spoke to me on different days and was not aware of each other it is amazing that both told me they had taken early retirement because they were fed up with the education system and the kids from care going missing but it all continues same as in the link of the KINCORA kids abused, did they ever go to school and what of the 700 abused kids from Wales and now we have the Goddard enquiry and the rest of them and what of the 10.000 kids who run away from the care then we have throughout this country untold thousands of kids abused in care and god knows how many kids have been abused since this so called Great British Empire started to use kids in care as their little dollies or toys, my god so many MPs Lords and the rest of them all named with cover ups, so is it any wonder the untold kids from care who I have met and spoken to live on the streets because who in Governments gave or gives a shit for the education of kids in care, did the so called governments stop legal aid for parents so that they cannot fight for their kids, oh sorry the toys, and what of Cambridge University to name just one that promotes the paedophiles
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=toolbar-instant&hl=en&ion=2&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4PLXB_enGB650GB652#hl=en&q=cambridge+university+and+paedophiles
But then Cambridge is not the only University promoting paedophiles as can be read in the links, the education system was originally set up for kids to learn the THREE Rs then via dear Mr Cameron in comes the teaching of the sex education for 5 year olds to learn how to use condoms and have sex
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315185/Five-year-olds-Germany-given-sex-education-book-achieve-orgasms-condom.html
this is all part of the follow on from PIE known as the PAEDOPHILE INFORMATION EXCHANGE. The Nation needs to start to join the dots and then know the education system in this so called Great British Empire is all part of sex for kids along with learning about homosexuality is ok. The truth will never be told it can be reported but where can any one go to complain, oh yes term time more time to abuse kids. As for the parents who do have their kids living with them where are their voices if their child is absent from school well in comes the fines, Jack Strew in 2009 tried to make a law that no kid in care is allowed to report being abused, well I can tell all that the law did not go through but IT IS TRUE kids in care are not allowed to report being abused. And when kids in care do have contact they are told what to say and not say, and that goes for the education that was to teach kids the three Rs
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A child who is educated only at school is an uneducated child. Lucky the child who can explore beyond the classroom!
If the government really wanted to stop parents taking their children on holiday during the school term, they coul. Simply by stopping the travel agencies/ transport putting up their prices in the holidays!
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Surely the solution would be in having a blanket cost throughout the year for flights/ holiday companies?
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