When they decided to pull their two children out of Rose Bay Public School for a family holiday to the United States, Ilona Brooks and Michael Simpson accepted that their time away would consist of more than just theme parks, museum visits and snow days.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Determined to keep up with their classmates, Finn and Tallulah, who now attend the private schools Kambala and The Scots College, did maths and English homework most days and kept a blog that their teachers and friends checked in on from their classroom in Sydney's east.
"We felt that what they missed out on in school was made-up for by the life experience they gained over those few weeks," Ms Brooks said.
But mother-of-two would now think twice about allowing her children to miss school.
When Finn came down with a stomach bug at the beginning of last year, his parents believed he'd be back in class within a few days.
In fact, that break from school was the beginning of an extended absence that saw him fall behind his classmates academically and socially.
"He was just starting high school and was so excited, but when he came back after having a week off he really struggled to keep-up in class and his grades suffered," Ms Brooks said.
"Now he is a straight-A student and has made lots of friends," Ms Brooks said.
"But it took a lot of hard work and Finn rarely takes a day off school anymore."
