NSW School Holidays

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Bob1967

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23 September 2020
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HI in terms of court orders that state each parent has half the school holidays and there is a pupil free day on the friday. When do the school holidays start?
 

sammy01

Well-Known Member
27 September 2015
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Bob - I'm guessing you're the bloke? the non primary carer? the holidays start and finish when mum says so. That is why my second set of court orders clearly states according to the NSW gazetted school holidays as published on the nsw Dept of education website.

I'm a teacher. My ex used to love changing the rules. If i had the kids in the second half of holidays then the student free duay was mine - so a day I was meant to be at work and look after kids. If it was my turn to have the first half of the holidays, then the holidays started on the Monday after school breaks up. Not the Friday. Every fcuking time just to screw me out of a day here or there...

BUT - public schools dont have student free days for this set of holidays? if that is what you're referring to?
 

Tim W

Lawyer
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28 April 2014
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They start on the published date, which you can find here.
So, 25/9 is the "last day of school".
That 25/9 is a pupil free day doesn't make it a holiday day.
 

Bob1967

Member
23 September 2020
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Mum has sole PR, but my daughter goes to a catholic school. The last day of school is Thursday. The Friday is a pupil free day. I have half the school holidays and this year I have the first week. I have organised her birthday party on the weekend but my ex is insisting that the school holidays start on Monday as she wants to work off the public school system as it works to her advantage. Nowhere in the orders does it state that we are to follow the public school system. Is she right?
 

sammy01

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27 September 2015
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If the orders are not clear then you're stuffed.
While Tim is right, the problem is that the public school calendar also states the holidays start on the Monday. So if you go off this NSW Dept of education calendar - the term ends on the Friday - but the holidays start on the Monday.

Is she right - well maybe kinda technically. Is she morally right. Nope.
Friendly advice that isn't of legal nature. So I go back to my original post " the holidays start and finish when mum says so." Best advice I can give you is to be pissed off BUT for christ sake don't let her know you're pissed off. Given she has SPR you're on a hiding to nothing here mate. She is gonna deprive you of 3 days because she can. If you have second half of the holidays next year, I have no doubt she'll tell you the last weekend before school returns is a 'weekend' and not part of the holidays.

I feel for you mate, I really do. My ex used to play exactly the same sorta games. I'm thinking you're a bit early on in this madness. But I slowly learnt that I wasn't gonna win and she loved knowing it. So I stopped trying to have the fight. Trust me. You're not gonna win so when you learn to accept that things get better. Infact after a year or two my ex started offering extra time. I thought SWEET peace at last. BUT NO any additional time given was subtracted at a later date when it suited her...

Sorry my advice isn't any happier.
cheers
 

Bob1967

Member
23 September 2020
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I did speak to a lawyer and she said I was ok to have my daughter from after school Thursday to half of Saturday. She said this was a common problem.
 

sammy01

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27 September 2015
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yeah so what do you do?
1. Stay calm - learn to suck it up OR
2. Apply to court and drag this out even further.

Mate given she has SPR I reckon option 1 is the better.
Just outa interest do your orders stipulate that you have time with the kid outside school holidays? And how did SPR become a final result. Seems pretty crook, but withouot some info?
 

sammy01

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27 September 2015
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so what sort of time do you get with the child?
Mate clearly she is intent on minimising your time with the kid. Sorry to state the obvious. Given she has SPR I reckon - tough as it is you just have to suck it up and play by her rules. But there is a win in this mate. Let me tell ya a bit of my story....

So about 8 yrs ago I got kicked out - AVO - Out on the street. I didn't see my kids for ages. Here we are 8 years on. Lots has changed. The main thing that has changed is I've moved on. I've struggled heaps but I've come to terms with it all (pretty much). She is still bitter and twisted. I actually feel sorry for her. My life is pretty good now. Meanwhile she is still nasty. The kids have worked it out too... These days, instead of waiting at Macca's for 3 hours (5 hours is the record) for her to drop off the kids, because that is one of her favorite punishment strategies. My eldest has a phone. She sends me a sneaky text or two to keep me updated. It is a little secret between me and the kid, but they get it. They still hear HER telling them what a s**t person I am. But they dont believe it... My relationship with the kids is awesome. HER relationship with the kids? not so good.

Something for you to think about..