Real-life MMD: Term-time truancy for a cheap hol

logic_lizard · 5 December 2012 at 3:07AM

Missed work from week or two off school can soon be caught up. Ask grandparents to read/tell a bedtime story with him and add up the cost of icecreams or similar, talk to him and explain what he sees and ENJOY. If he takes more time out than his allowance, you may have to pay up - be honest - but the opportunity shouldn't be turned down if it's a one-off.

(ll - retired teacher - sorry, no ivory tower or influence with the Education dept.)

tia86 · 5 December 2012 at 7:28AM

Talk to the school about it and don't lie. Most schools will negotiate on this. It is likely if you explain he might not get the opportunity again and discuss it openly they will work with you and also be able to give you any dates to perhaps avoid if they are doing something really important. I would have thought unless this is a regular occurance and your son has missed a lot of time they would allow it this once.

bex0309 · 5 December 2012 at 7:49AM

I got taken out of school for holidays every year and the only time it was a real problem was when it was September. I hated missing the first two weeks of school and I really felt left out of the catching up after the holidays and it can be hard to catch up on new work which gets started at the beginning of term. IMHO the end of term is fine, but be honest to the school.

pennypinchUK · 5 December 2012 at 8:42AM

The school will "fine" you? On what authority?

If it's very much a one-off, and you can add an element of education to the trip, and (importantly) it doesn't immediately impact your child's SATs or a key educational event I'd be surprised if a school would try to say no.

Travel is an important part of growing and developing as a person. If you're doing it now just because it's cheaper it's clearly questionable (or you wouldn't be asking the question), but if it's for a special reason that can be justified, explain your reasons to the school and go.

betterinoursthantheirs · 5 December 2012 at 9:35AM

Do the teachers pay a "fine" when they have a strike day, or a training day right after some holidays? Does the school pay a "fine" when they close because it snows or it's cold? No.

Weigh up yourselves which is the right course of action for your child and if you decide the holiday is right tell the school what you are going to do. Check the dates you are thinking of are not especially important. If they try any "fine" nonsense politely tell them no.

You don't want the child upset by any pressure from school - it does happen even to a 6YO - and you don't want to make a bad relationship with the school, but there's nothing wrong with being politely assertive as to whose child it is.

mandajaneb · 5 December 2012 at 10:04AM

My two children were taken out of school every year for a holiday, they are now at University. It does them no harm to miss the odd week or two. If it was months then it would be a different story. As mentioned before, they are happy when the kids miss school for strikes or polling days!

pinkpanther22 · 5 December 2012 at 10:05AM

Take him on holiday - if he had an illness I'm sure you'd take him out ofschool without hesitation - just for different reasons.

Am I correct in presuming that the only reason a school would"fine" you is that our esteemed Government has set them "targets"for attendance and there is some kind of financial incentive involved? (I'mguessing - I don't have school age children).

Missing two weeks of school for a child in lower primary school doesn't seemlike the end of the world.

gardengirl_3 · 5 December 2012 at 10:11AM

There's a little more to this than money, or even telling a lie. What about instilling a sense of community and commitment to the school? This will be pretty important in later life when selflessness will be more valued. It's not really necessary to take a foreign holiday to develop the sense of adventure, to learn about new things etc. This is a vital part of growing up anyway. And why use this as an opportunity to slag off teachers? That doesn't really come into the argument at all. The me, me, me attitude is one that youngsters can be steered away from at an early age, in my opinion. Have an open discussion with the child.

Inverness · 5 December 2012 at 10:24AM

From https://www.adviceguide.org.uk,

Holidays during term time

A school can agree to let your child take off up to ten school days a year for holidays. However, this depends on the policy of the school's governing body, and they do not have to agree.

If you want to take your child out of school during term time, you should talk to the school's head teacher first. In England, if you take your child out of school without the head teacher's permission, you could be fined. Failure to pay the fine within 28 days could result in prosecution.

If you want your child to take more than ten days off for a holiday during term time, you must get permission from the school's governing body. In your child's school, it may be the head teacher who has responsibility for making this decision. If the head teacher refuses to let your child have the time off, you can ask the governing body to consider your request. However, most governing bodies will only agree to allow more than ten days' holiday in what they consider to be exceptional circumstances.

Brian_Steele · 5 December 2012 at 10:28AM

First off, I don't imagine that missing a week during term time will harm the overall education of a six-year old. It may well also be the case that any fine would be less than the saving of taking a cheaper holiday.

What I would say, however, is that you should not lie to the school about it and simply make up an excuse.

What kind of an example is it to your child, to say: "Not only am I going to break the rules and take you out of school, but I am going to lie to the authorities to cover for you."?

Real-life MMD: Term-time truancy for a cheap hol

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