My 2p worth, as a teacher and long time attendee (23 yrs this year), and the parent of two young children:
1. Teachers generally hate pupils being out during term time. It makes it very difficult for yp to catch up work. Only some of the work can be caught up at home - a lot of the learning takes place inbetween the written work.
2. Schools are legally responsible for ensuring yp attend. They have to involve other authorites if yp don't. They can't just write it off as a holiday anymore (not that they ever liked doing that).
3. Yes, GB is a learning experience, but any good teacher will tell you that walking down a street is a learning experience. You don't just learn in school, but you have to realise that teachers work to the national Curriculum and have targets to meet in terms of levels for YOUR child. These are not targets that get the teacher promotion or better pay - everything is for the children.
4. Your child's abcence will be disruptive to the learning of the rest of the class. You may wish not to believe this but it's true.
5. GB is an excellent experience for all ages. My 5 yr old has been 5 times (first time aged 3 mths) and he loves it. My 2 year old has also been and will go again this year. There's plenty to for all to experience. Most people are delightful and the bad bits of GB from decades ago have mostly gone (I won't dredge up what I class as the 'bad bits', but let's just say that anyone who thinks GB is too commercial or has lost it's edge probably hasn't been attending for many years).
6. Where's Sonic Youth, Cat Stevens, CSN&Y and Simon and Garfunkel on the bill this year?
Letter of permission from Schools
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My 2p worth, as a teacher and long time attendee (23 yrs this year), and the parent of two young children:
1. Teachers generally hate pupils being out during term time. It makes it very difficult for yp to catch up work. Only some of the work can be caught up at home - a lot of the learning takes place inbetween the written work.
2. Schools are legally responsible for ensuring yp attend. They have to involve other authorites if yp don't. They can't just write it off as a holiday anymore (not that they ever liked doing that).
3. Yes, GB is a learning experience, but any good teacher will tell you that walking down a street is a learning experience. You don't just learn in school, but you have to realise that teachers work to the national Curriculum and have targets to meet in terms of levels for YOUR child. These are not targets that get the teacher promotion or better pay - everything is for the children.
4. Your child's abcence will be disruptive to the learning of the rest of the class. You may wish not to believe this but it's true.
5. GB is an excellent experience for all ages. My 5 yr old has been 5 times (first time aged 3 mths) and he loves it. My 2 year old has also been and will go again this year. There's plenty to for all to experience. Most people are delightful and the bad bits of GB from decades ago have mostly gone (I won't dredge up what I class as the 'bad bits', but let's just say that anyone who thinks GB is too commercial or has lost it's edge probably hasn't been attending for many years).
6. Where's Sonic Youth, Cat Stevens, CSN&Y and Simon and Garfunkel on the bill this year?