Will there be an upsurge?

[ProfJohnL]

Probably though addressing quite the wrong issue, student "absenteeism" has its roots with far more fundamental issues than "pinching" a family holiday.

There can be many reasons for student absenteeism it's not just related to holidays.

 

[Dustydog]

That must have been very early in the 60’s. I don’t know whether my parents were subjected to the same restrictions when they took me to Spain in 1963, but only a couple of years later in 1966 I drove on my own right up to the Arctic Circle and I’m sure I must have had more than £50 to do that even though I stayed at youth hostels on the way.

The restriction ran from early 1966, introduced by Harold Wilson’s labour government until he rescinded it on 2 January 1970 .

 

[Dustydog]

There can be many reasons for student absenteeism it's not just related to holidays.

Maybe the Mediterranean sun tan gave the game away😉🤪 But yes , mustn’t blame holidays for everything.

 

[Lutz]

The restriction ran from early 1966, introduced by Harold Wilson’s labour government until he rescinded it on 2 January 1970 .

If that was so, I must have been affected on my trip to Norway. I just seems incredible that I would have managed to get all the way to the Arctic Circle and back on £50. On the other hand, if I remember rightly, petrol was less than half a crown (2s 6d) a gallon so maybe it’s not quite so surprising.
Actually, I did the same trip two years later and got as far as the North Cape so that must have been an even greater achievement.

ps: Sorry for digressing from the original topic of this thread.

 

[Mel]

According to Google £50 in 1960 is equivalent to £1,443 today.

 

[Hutch]

You would be surprised at the number of hoops you have to jump through to get a visa just for a holiday in the UK. When my son in SA applied for his visa for a visit, he had to demonstrate that he was employed in SA and has permanent residence. The latter was very difficult as he is a game ranger.

Each time it meant driving to Pretoria so a round trip of over 500 miles and had to do that twice and even then the visa was not guaranteed. Annoyingly, I am British, his grandfather was British, his great grandfather British and all our forefathers were British!

"And your point is " There are rules for visiting the UK, just because of heritage family, does not mean immediate. Rights of entry.
Every country I have worked in, , Nigeria, Trinidad, Pakistan, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and India , all required Visas that took months to obtain. Even for simple visitor visas.

 

[Hutch]

Thankfully my full Scottish Passport allows me the same if not more visa privileges as British Passports.

 

[Buckman]

"And your point is " There are rules for visiting the UK, just because of heritage family, does not mean immediate. Rights of entry.
Every country I have worked in, , Nigeria, Trinidad, Pakistan, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and India , all required Visas that took months to obtain. Even for simple visitor visas.

I do not recall stating that he should have right of entry due to heritage. I can understand why they are so stringent, but cannot understand why there is no issue if you come by boat?

 

[otherclive]

"And your point is " There are rules for visiting the UK, just because of heritage family, does not mean immediate. Rights of entry.
Every country I have worked in, , Nigeria, Trinidad, Pakistan, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and India , all required Visas that took months to obtain. Even for simple visitor visas.

Just obtaining visitor visas for India necessitates applying for a visa, which can be a tortuous activity on line. But the last time in 2018 we had to visit a High Commission office in Bristol for in person interviews, despite the fact we had been to India four times previously. It was India’s response to Britain toughening its stance to people from the sub continent coming to Britain. In contrast Bhutan was a doodle. Just buy one on arrival in Paro, but you still had to travel via India anyway.

 

[otherclive]

I do not recall stating that he should have right of entry due to heritage. I can understand why they are so stringent, but cannot understand why there is no issue if you come by boat?

There’s a major difference between someone applying for a visa and someone arriving here by illegal means. The latter pays a lot of money, and runs the risk of deportation. Although both options give an opportunity for a better and safer life as that was the reason your family left South Africa wasn’t it?