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Sea, sand and fines: parents who take children out of school in term time are facing tougher penalties&Photo: Alamy
Cui bono? I keep asking myself about the new regulations on school attendance. Who gets the benefit from the “Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013”? Especially the part of it that says parents should be fined ?60 for taking children out of school during term-time unless there are “exceptional circumstances” (which is a step up from the “special circumstances” of heretofore).
Fined. For heaven’s sake! And the fine doubled to ?120 if the parent doesn’t pay up promptly? Stop it! This is the Department for Education we’re talking about, not a council car park. The more the radio burbled on, the crazier it became.
One woman wailing out of it is in hock for thousands of pounds for refu she’s fighting against having to pay it in the first place. The excuse she gave to the school for taking her child out sounded fair enough to me. Who does she owe the money to? The local authority that took her to court. But who benefits? Only the local authority (the people managing and processing and collecting her fines). And news editors on the Today programme. If she sets up a website, I’ll contribute to her fighting fund.
Before the first of September last, head teachers used only the powers of their persuasion to prevent classrooms emptying in the spring as families flew away to get some sun after a godawful winter. Now they have the Government’s newly tweaked Pupil Registration Act to back them up.
I bet they don’t want it. A while back, I was a school governor for the little local primary down our lane for two or three years. I was persuaded by a neighbour, a stalwart member of our small village, that it would be A Good Thing, and I could see (from how tired the governors looked as they came out after meetings) that it would be a good thing, communitywise, to help carry the burden. The more hands, the lighter work.
It was the most onerous thing I’ they were the worst meetings I’ve ever attended. The reams and reams of paper from Ed Balls that I had to print out before scooting across the road were laughable. (I counted the words on one of the policy documents &#x odd. They were all marked with a little rainbow, and headed “Department for (not of, but “for”) Children, Schools and Families.”
I had no idea what was involved in governing a small primary school, and people came (“from the County”) to explain what was what and what to do, but they spoke in a language I never got to grips with. After a whole term, I finally understood that the work of a governor was to 1) Challenge the head teacher about what he or she was doing on a daily or – at least – weekly basis and 2) Ensure that the school follows the precepts of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The poor head teacher had enough on his plate from Ed B we didn’t do much challenging.
In our village school, we didn’t have naggy parents with a keenly honed and very modern sense of entitlement (not to mention a glowing tan) who importuned their children’s class teachers on the family’s return from foreign parts, or asked them for worksheets they could take to Corsica with them. We had parents who worried about whether or not their children would get good enough grades.
My as-it-were goddaughter from north Oxford (her ma is my oldest best friend and my daughter’ if we were Greek there’d be a word for the relationship between her and me and between our daughters) took her two children out of school this year for a fortnight’s holiday in June. (The summer holiday was from July 23 to September 1.) The “exceptional reasons” she prayed in aid were on medical advice and pregnancy-related: she’s due to give birth in mid August and they didn’t want a repetition of last time, when she was told to bed-rest for the last two months.
The headmistress of her children’s school accepted her reasons. I hope neither of them get fined.
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Advertisement英语阅读American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday.There are two te the first term is from September to January,and the second is from February to June.Most American children begin to go to school when they are five years old.Most chi_百度作业帮
英语阅读American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday.There are two te the first term is from September to January,and the second is from February to June.Most American children begin to go to school when they are five years old.Most children are seventeen or eighteen years old when they finish high school.High school students take only five or six subjects each term.They usually go to the same class every day,and they have homework for every class.After class,they do a lot of interesting things.After high school,many students go to colleges.They usually have to pay a lot of money.So many college students work after class to get money for their studies.( )51.In America,summer holidays begin in .A.September B.July C.May D.February( )52.When a boy is six years old,he .A.has to stay at home B.can go to high schoolC.is old enough to go to school D.always plays at home( )53.In American high school students after class .A.do the homework B.go to work C.play basketball D.do many interesting things( )54.In order to(为了) ,many American college students work after class .A.help their parents B.get money for their studiesC.help others D.learn some useful things( )55.Which is right?A.American students usually have a two - month holiday.B.American students have three terms in a year.C.A ten -year -old child usually has six subjects at school.D.American students don't like to go to school第一个好像是A..用得着想这么长时间吗..
B有两个学期,一个学期从九月到一月,另外一个从2月到六月,所以暑假开始于7月,暑假两个月C孩子五岁上学D高中学生课后做很多有趣的事,原文有B工作是为了挣学费,A第一题已经说了
您可能关注的推广回答者：阅读理解American schools begin again in September after a long summer holiday.There are two terms in a school year.　　The first is from September to January,and the second is from February to June.Most American children begin school when they are five years old.Most studen_百度作业帮
阅读理解American schools begin again in September after a long summer holiday.There are two terms in a school year.　　The first is from September to January,and the second is from February to June.Most American children begin school when they are five years old.Most students are seventeen or eighteen years old when they finish middle school.　　Middle school students take only four or five subjects each term.They usually have homework for every class.After class they do many interesting things.　　After middle school,many students go to college.They can go to a small one or a large one.They usually have to pay a lot of money for their studies.So they have to get part time jobs.What do many of the high school students do after they graduate according to(根据) this passage?A.Many of them stay at home.B.Many of them go to work.C.Many of them go to college.D.We don't know.( ) 35 What do many college students do after class in America?A.Many of them read books after class.B.Many of them go to work to get money for their studies.C.Many of them go to parties.D.Many of them go out with their friends.()36According to the passage,which of the following is right?A.American high school students have three or four subjects every term B.American students don't have any homework every day.C.American students do many interesting things after class D.American students don't go to the same class every day
　　34,C解析根据原文括号为答案“After middle school, （many students go to college）. They can go to a small one or a large one. They usually have to pay a lot of money for their studies. So they have to get part time jobs.”35,B 解析为原文They can go to a small one or a large one. They usually have to pay a lot of money for their studies. So they have to get part time jobs.36
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