On Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1, Clinical Psychologist, David Coleman, was asked for his take on the case. He didn't mince his words.
As any parent knows, bringing up children involves a lot of prioritisation. It’s a balancing act, between giving children what they need versus what they want, achieving the right work-life balance, juggling between essential school time and extracurricular activities.
Sometimes, parents don’t get priorities quite right. Sometimes, they get them very badly wrong.
And in the UK last week, one parent, Jon Platt, got a rap over the knuckles from the Supreme Court for just that. According to the ruling, he was wrong to take his child out of school during term time for a Disney World holiday in Florida, falling foul of a law which dictates that parents can be fined if their children do not attend school regularly.
Okay, the fine was just £120, but the case hit the headlines and sent a message that resonated across the country and over here too. Parents, it seems, don’t always know best.
On Today with Sean O’Rourke, Clinical Psychologist, David Coleman, was asked for his take on the case. He didn’t mince his words.
"To be honest, I am glad that they were found to have been wrong to take the child out of school. I’m a big fan of education. I think it sets children up for their future lives. If we take a haphazard, cavalier view of it, it just makes it harder."
So parents don’t always know what’s best for the kids?
"Going to Disneyland is not exactly an educational experience. If they were going trekking in the Amazon forest, that might be a different proposition."
According to David, who has examined this case, the initial High Court ruling, which found in favour of the father, led to a spike in parents taking their children out of school during term time for holidays.
Obviously, outside the months of June, July and August, holidays are cheaper. But does that justify disrupting your child’s term time?
Well, that’s back to the question at the top, about parenting being a balancing act, involving constant prioritisation.
"It becomes very hard if you have a 15-year-old who doesn’t care about the Junior cert if, all the way through primary school, you have taken them out of school for a week or two weeks, just because it suits you…
"You have shown them all along that really you don’t value school that much, you can take or leave it."
Just in case you’re wondering about the situation in the Republic, the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, dictates that parents are responsible for making sure their child receives an education. This applies to all children between the ages of 6 and 16, who must attend school or otherwise receive an education.
If you’d like any more information about your rights and obligations, check out www.education.ie or you could contact the Department of Education and they will put you in touch with an Educational Welfare Officer.
Apart from that particular case, David was, as always, on hand to answer queries from listeners, some of which were very challenging.
- A 15-year-old daughter, the eldest of four children, who craves attention, shows minimal appreciation and displays aggression towards her siblings at home.
- Another parent whose child has been accused of bullying another child in school.
- A 10-year-old who still comes into his parents’ bed at night time, behaviour normally associated with toddlers.
To listen to the full interview with David Coleman, click here.
