Supreme Court: Parents CAN'T take kids on term-time holiday without risking a fine

maman wrote: »

I'd be surprised if that was the case.


This week's case has gone on and on through various courts and schools have been reluctant to impose the fines until the case was concluded.



The law applies to academies as well as local authority schools. Some uphold it so strongly that they ask parents to sign an agreement to no term time holidays when accepting the place.

They didn't refer the case if they had I would have been fined. I did say in my letter that I would accept the fine so don't think it was to do with being reluctance to fine me.

The law applies to academies too but in my town the other schools have no choice but to refer all cases to the LA whereas academic school can choose whether to do so or not.

My DS caught up on all that was taught during the missed days. He learns quickly and enjoys homework so had no issues doing the extra work when we came back.

Guest101 wrote: »

So you can hold the moral principle high ground now that the supreme court has ruled on statute? But the reverse cant be said? - that doesn't make sense.

The point I was making is that I dont think the poster you quoted was referring to the fathers interpretation of statute/provisions when he said he had dubious principles.

leespot wrote: »

Unholyangel - I'd say your friend needs to have their child's health looked at because weeks in hospital due to illness contracted from another child is not normal! (that isn't supposed to come across as mean, it's a genuine concern for the general health of the child who picks things up so easily, there could be an underlying problem).

The child in question does have a serious condition - he undergoes chemo regularly and thus, his immune system is severely weakened. In my experience, people are rather ignorant of things like that - it never seems to occur to them that what might be just a cold to us can be lethal to others. And i'm sure you can appreciate how frustrating it is for his parents that their sons life is being put at risk all because some parents don't want to take time off work/make other arrangements for the childs care, so they send them to school sick.

lincroft1710 wrote: »

My parents and many of those of my generation would not keep their children off school because of a cold, unless it was really bad.

I went to a girls' grammar school where the headmistress would not allow illness. My parents consulted an MP who threatened her with court action, after not following the course she wanted me to, I was not getting any college offers. A demand for 'private' reports to be disclosed showed that I was reported to have very poor attendance.....It was actually 10 days off for German Measles in 7 years at the school.


Laughably, she caught GM, her self. She had no time off but banned the school choir from the stage (she normally had the choir behind her) and made all the girls sit several metres back from the stage.


I'm not anti-teacher, as I became one and can say that in certain subjects (maths in my case), pupil absence does cause disruption.


If a child missed lessons on very simple equations, for instance, it was impossible for them to carry on with the rest of the class who were practising more complex ones.


Sometimes, the only way round this , was to give up a lunch break and tutor the child, as one could not ignore the rest of the class to concentrate on the former absentee.


I didn't mind helping a child who was off school because of illness, but would not have been happy to have to do this on a regular basis, just because a family decided to take a cheap holiday. Luckily, the latter was not the case in the schools where I worked.

onlyroz wrote: »

Nobody has yet come up with an answer on how to impose this "fairer pricing structure". Do you have any suggestions? How about a percent or two on income tax to subsidise a summer holiday for everyone?

maybe ask aldi to do holidays?

Slightly sideways off-topic, how does this ruling impact children who are home educated? I know a couple of kids who are/were home educated and there seemed to be very few rules about what and when they were taught. Just wondered if trips away would be classed as 'geography'?