Truants' Parents Face Docking Of Benefits

[Blasphemous]

Apparently the so-called truants also includes parents taking their kids on holiday - have you ever done that in term time?

No never. But I have no issue with those that do. Taking your kids out of school for two weeks holiday is nothing to do with truancy.

Well it's you that they are targeting.

I wouldn't be surprised if they are. Go for the soft targets, it makes their targets easier to achieve.

There have been reported cases of teachers, taking holidays during term time. Last year there was even a head teacher who took a fortnight's holiday during term time. So they ain't exactly holier than thou.

It's always happened in every industry/profession. When the old 'Factory Fortnight' holidays were the norm there were plenty of lads still taking holiday out of that time frame (unpaid of course), for family reasons, personal reasons etc.

Many years ago, both my children were missing school on odd days over a period of months. Was it my fault? NO! I was taking them to the gates and watching them go in the doors and then going off to work. The responsibility was then on the school to make sure they stayed in. They were not FERAL children, they had just lost their mother and didn't understand how to adjust.They did eventually sort themselves out(with a bit of help from an understanding teacher) and now have good jobs and families of their own. As to the question of working in the service sector, we have enough shop workers. What we need is workers in the manufacturing sector, or there will be no need for service workers.

That's a tragic story wingcoax and no one in their right mind would see you children as 'feral'. It's credit to you and all concerned that you all made it through what must have been the worst time of your lives. It is however an exceptional case rather than the norm. As for the manufacturing jobs, what are we going to manufacture that will compete with China in terms of cost and in a lot of cases, quality?

 

[handyman77]

Apparently the so-called truants also includes parents taking their kids on holiday - have you ever done that in term time?

I have taken two grandchildren abroad on holiday , during term time, With the school's permission. I had the foresight to ask their respective schools before the holiday was booked. Would the authorities class this as truancy? I don't think so.

I dont know when you took them, but if its now, supposedly they wont let you! My little boy starts full time school in September, so no term time holidays for us! We will now be limited to the sky high priced holiday at the same time as the hoy paloy! Goverment should regulate the holiday industry so its not so expensive to take your children away during there holidays!

 

[joe-90]

I heard it on the radio today - they clarified it with some official. Truancy was the wrong word - unauthorised absence was what they came back with.

 

[Blasphemous]

My little boy starts full time school in September, so no term time holidays for us! We will now be limited to the sky high priced holiday at the same time as the hoy paloy! Goverment should regulate the holiday industry so its not so expensive to take your children away during there holidays!

Couldn't agree more, it's a bloody monopoly and needs someone at a high level to stamp it out.

I heard it on the radio today - they clarified it with some official. Truancy was the wrong word - unauthorised absence was what they came back with.

Yep that's certainly true then Joe. From the involvement I have with my son's school I can confirm that 'Unauthorised Absence' is the new terminology.

 

[subman101]

Holidays are sometimes recorded with a code G (family holiday not agreed). Unauthorised absences are recorded with code "O".

It is partly up to the headteacher to decide whether to authorise a holiday of not, which is not a decision taken lightly since in can effect school funding, league tables (attendance figures) etc etc. Gove has indicated that he intends to remove this facility without then explaining how he intends to penalise those who take a couple of weeks holiday.

 

[joinerjohn]

A few years ago i went to a school in Scotland, the "witch" that took us for algebra was an evil sadistic old crone, i hope she died a horrible death and is rotting in her grave, .

My last teacher at Primary school in Scotland was a wicked vindictive bitch of a woman. During one maths session, she singled me out and told me if I hadn't finished sum number 10 by the time she walked round, I was getting "The Belt."
As she approached me I was busy scribbling down the answer to sum No 10. I swear I had 2 numbers to write in when she whacked a 12" wooden ruler over the back of my knuckles, before telling me to go to the front of the class. The lad next to me was in tears as he hadn't even finished No7. I still got 6 of the best on my hand for my troubles though. Yet I never missed a day of school ( I suppose that was my cross to bear)
I remember watching the film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and thinking, them kids had it easy, compared to me in Miss Drake's class.

 

[joinerjohn]

Holidays are sometimes recorded with a code G (family holiday not agreed). Unauthorised absences are recorded with code "O".

It is partly up to the headteacher to decide whether to authorise a holiday of not, which is not a decision taken lightly since in can effect school funding, league tables (attendance figures) etc etc. Gove has indicated that he intends to remove this facility without then explaining how he intends to penalise those who take a couple of weeks holiday.

Easy for Gove to remove this facility when he himself , enjoys around 80 days holiday every year from parliament.

 

[Micilin]

LIstend to this on R4 and the initial proposal was that schools cannot authorise absences.

Hoiday during term time, funerals, religious occasions . Treated the same as skiving kids.

Another headline grabbing idea that has not been fully thought through.

Better having this in the new than discussing us narrowly avoiding the second dip of the recession . It won't come to much but will have served its purpose in the same way that the false panic over fuel did. Can anyone remember what was the real news that was buried that week?

 

[conny]

As stated earlier in the thread a lot of it comes down to discipline.
This must start at home and be continued by the schools.
Trouble these days is if you are seen chastising your child in the supermarket or somewhere and some busy body reports you. You then get a visit from SS with a threat of legal action against you so a lot of parents are 'scared' to chastise. Same with teachers, they have been stripped of their powers of authority by governments and parents alike who don't want 'little Tommy' to be punished but 'rewarded' for being in the unfortunate position of not having a daddy/same daddy. FFS!!! Right is right and wrong is wrong no matter who/where your flaming daddy is!! When I went to school most kids came from a family of two parents but there were a few whose father had been killed in the likes of ADEN or died of some disease/accident etc. They were still disciplined in the same manner as the rest of us and grew up, in the vast majority, to be decent responsible adults. The whole problem of feral kids/uncaring parents stems from all the do-gooders in society who say we have been getting it wrong for the past couple of hundred years by instilling discipline rather than letting kids 'express their natural feelings'!!!
Take China or Japan for example. They have rigid discipline, OK, maybe too rigid, but it would be interesting to see if anyone knew what their school absenteeism rates are like. Better than this country I bet.

 

[wingcoax]

Hi Conny,long time no see. Yes you have hit the nail right on the head.

 

[conny]

Hi Wingy, yes mate, long time no see.
Good to hear from you again.

 

[Micilin]

"Trouble these days is if you are seen chastising your child in the supermarket or somewhere and some busy body reports you. You then get a visit from SS with a threat of legal action against you so a lot of parents are 'scared' to chastise"

Has this actually ever happened?

Would love an example of someone prosecuted for 'chastising' their child in a supermarket.

I think discipline and respect is lacking in schools and society in general - (We used to stand up when a teacher came in etc) but lets not pretend parenst can't tell their kids off for fear of social services.

 

[conny]

Parents do tell their kids off however, when I was small and mis-behaved a sharp smack on the back of the legs soon made me stop. Nowadays people are scared or doing it because the busy bodies say kid gloves treatment is the answer. Clearly it isn't or we wouldn't be in the position we are in today. Kids know they will not be physically punished in school so some just keep being arrogant little ****s all the time, thereby disrupting those that have been brought up to respect others.

 

[joe-90]

It's time to bring back Borstals with corporal punishment freely available.

 

[sooey]

The bottom line is that mating pigs give birth to piglets. It's just the same with human trash - and they are the ones that are 'breeding for benefits".

Was your auld feller a pig farmer joe? Is that where he met your mum?