Schools cracking down on mid term holidays, afternoon early marks

As NSW students return from their winter break, a crackdown on holiday leave and early marks is underway with one Sydney school even trying to claw back 15 minutes of class time.

As the nearly 800,000 public school students in New South Wales head back to school a campaign is underway to keep them there, with schools cracking down on midterm family holidays and afternoon early marks.

Parents across the state have been on the receiving end of strongly worded reminders from principals that every minute of every day matters, including at Waverley Public School in Sydney’s east where the afternoon pick-up now starts no sooner than 3PM on the dot.

In a letter to families, principal Jillian Mudford explained the ‘car line’ which previously saw students walked from their classroom at 2:45pm would now be pushed back until after the final bell has rung.

“It is important that we are maximising every minute of every day,” she wrote.

“While we understand and appreciate that this may cause inconvenience for some families who may race to after school activities, we hope you will value the commitment and priory we are placing on your child’s education.”

Waverley Public School, where an internal ‘car line’ will help crack down on early pick-ups. Picture: John Appleyard

Ms Mudford also noted the “significant increase” in demand to take kids out of school in recent months, and said leave would only be approved if conditions of significance and duration were met.

“From Term 3, I will be reviewing applications for extended leave more closely,” she wrote.

Waverley is one of many schools seeing an increased demand for extended leave outside of scheduled school holidays. Picture: John Appleyard

“We understand that families are eager to see and reconnect with loved one and take a well-deserved break, but please remember that planned travel should only be taken during scheduled school holidays.”

Elsewhere, schools are using carrots as well as sticks – Muswellbrook South Public School sends a pop music-thumping bus out each morning to pick up kids, while Punchbowl Boys High has introduced tickets to the footy as a reward for above 90 per cent attendance.

Secondary Principals’ Council president Craig Peterson said parents are increasingly requesting non-essential leave and holidays during the school term, particularly since the rebound of international travel post-Covid.

“What we’re seeing is parents timing holidays so that they can avoid the peak periods when it’s harder to get flights or accommodation, or more expensive,” he said.

Lachlan Boa, 8, with his mum Caroline Boa, in Pymble. The Boa family took their trip took New Zealand during the winter break despite the cost, so that their Year 3 student son can stay in class. Picture: Justin Lloyd

They’re also frequently requesting weeks and up to a month of schoolwork prepared in advance for the child to take on holiday, Mr Peterson said.

“The reality is if you’re holidaying in Vanuatu, how much school work do you think your child is really going to do?”

Education Minister Prue Car has flagged restoring attendance as one of her top priorities, with Covid-era habits “proving hard to break”.

“When the schoolgates finally reopened, it became common for students to skip the odd day,” she said.

“Full classrooms are a shared responsibility … by working together we can ensure children are only away from school when they are unwell, and holidays are kept to school breaks.”

Turramurra mum Caroline Boa her eight-year-old son recently returned from a week-long winter break visiting relatives and snowboarding in New Zealand, and said her family is willing to stump up the extra cash in order to keep Year 3 student Lachlan in class.

“Attending school is important, those missed school days do add up,” Ms Boa said.

“One or two days across each term really stacks up by end of the year.”