Help r.e letter to headmaster.

Oldernotwiser

sneggy wrote: »

hi each child is entitled to 10 days holiday`s per year at our school we have holiday forms just ask the school clerk.

You're allowed 10 days of authorised holiday but there's nothing to say that the school has to authorise it.

I'd be very concerned about a school governor who took her children out of school in term time.

barnaby-bear

KellyWelly wrote: »

There isn't an 'entitlement' per se to 10 days per year, but the head will authorise up to 10 days per year so long as your child's attendance is good and they aren't persistently late. So if your child has poor attendance and you don't give adequte advance notice the head may very well refuse to authorise the absence. It will be reported to the LEA and it will stay on your child's education records but this will only really matter if you regularly do it. If your child is always in school and it's a one-off, I can't see it being an issue at all.

However, think carefully about taking your child out while in Y2 or Y6, this is when they have their SATs - and while I think SATs are awful things to put children through, if your school is making them sit them at that time then they will possibly struggle with the work and they will be made to do the SATs they might miss all by themselves in isolation when they return, which is actually very stressful for the child.

I kind of think people taking kids out of school should have to pay for the private additional coaching/or do it themselves for the kids to catch up when they get back, just seems a bit unfair on the other kids to have the teachers having to spend time covering material again, focusing on a couple of kids who've been off disrupting the other 30. Whether the kids going on holiday miss out / get stressed by the SATs or get some great benefit from the holiday is up to the parents but the parents of the other kids don't have a choice getting the teacher hijacked and I don't think it's reasonable to expect the teacher to divert from the learning plan and schedule to compensate or do any extra work. I do think it's their job to help kids who've been ill catch up.

barnaby-bear

sneggy wrote: »

hi each child is entitled to 10 days holiday`s per year at our school we have holiday forms just ask the school clerk.

im a school governor and im taking my 2 on holidays in term
time dd is in yr 7 & ds is in y2, i think they can sometimes get more out of a holiday than formal class rooms(1 or 2 weeks) but that depends where you go & what you do.
dont worry just enjoy x

What about the other kids who have to put up with the teacher having to get yours up to speed. What about the extra demands on the teachers? It might be beneficial to your kids but as a governor how does that sit with the best interests of all the kids and the staff.... and what if your example means even more parents do it - thinking well a governor does.

pollypenny

Just tell the truth when you ask for a holiday form. I assume the holiday is near the end of term, not in exam time etc. If you have a child in year 10 he/she will probably be doing an important piece of coursework after the exams.

Spendless

Do you need to write a letter? Don't you just request a holiday form and fill in details (pupils names, the dates of the holiday etc) and then a question is asked 'what is the reason for the holiday to be taken in term-time' and you just write in what you reason is and give it in to be authorised or not as the case may be.

It varies from school to school in my area, some will authorise, some won't. Some won't authorise in certain years etc. If you get unauthorised and you go on it my LA do fine. The fine (for my area)is £50 per parent,per child. I have been told by another MSE'r that it is also per week, but I have been unable to confirm this on my council's website (not saying they are wrong, they may well be right I just can't confirm it) and have found little on the net about it.

emlou2009

actually, in my experience, the only person its hard on is the child that has been taken out for the week, as they then have that weeks catch up lesson work to do at home, that weeks homework, all at the same time as the work to be done at the same time as the other pupils. either that or the teachers at my school would give the next weeks worth of work to take on holiday with them and expect it to be done prior to their return to school. they would also take the class through the lessons and then when the rest of the class was doing the written work go through any questions then. if anyone else had any questions they would find this beneficial as they could just listen in. quite often at school, particularly in maths, i personally would benefit a better understanding of different workings from hearing the teachers go over things with a pupil that had been away for one reason or other, but i wouldnt have felt comfortable asking for extra help myself.

PolishBigSpender

Spendless wrote: »

It varies from school to school in my area, some will authorise, some won't. Some won't authorise in certain years etc. If you get unauthorised and you go on it my LA do fine. The fine (for my area)is £50 per parent,per child. I have been told by another MSE'r that it is also per week, but I have been unable to confirm this on my council's website (not saying they are wrong, they may well be right I just can't confirm it) and have found little on the net about it.

Fines for taking children on holiday?

Whatever next in the crazy society that is the UK....?

peachyprice

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Fines for taking children on holiday?

Whatever next in the crazy society that is the UK....?

Yes, for some people the 13-14 weeks of school holidays aren't convenient, but the school still operates without them there, and teachers have extra work to do so these children can catch up.

Would you feel more comfortable if it were phrased as 'billed' for the extra costs involved?

PolishBigSpender

peachyprice wrote: »

Yes, for some people the 13-14 weeks of school holidays aren't convenient, but the school still operates without them there, and teachers have extra work to do so these children can catch up.

Given the fact that many people cannot afford to take their child in holiday times, and that a holiday is far more beneficial than being stuck in school - what is your point?

A good teacher will provide them with work to do on their holiday.

Would you feel more comfortable if it were phrased as 'billed' for the extra costs involved?

Extra costs? It would seem that the amount of money raised through fines would go straight into paying for the administration of the fines scheme. I can't imagine schools will actually see anything of the money.

Spendless

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Fines for taking children on holiday?

Whatever next in the crazy society that is the UK....?

well I was going to reply that we're going to let all the Polish in but thought better of it.:p;)


but seriously,
Yes some LA's do, some don't. Mine does. If I ask permission to go away and it's not granted and I still go I'll be fined. There is no consistency with schools here. In my area the local secondary school says it's considering not allowing term time hols to those in yrs 10/11. My sister lives 3 miles away (same town) and they've been stopped term-time hols for all the schools in that area. So I could get permission to take a 13 yo away, but she couldn't for a 4yo.

I am convinced by the time my kids have children you will have to check the news daily for what new rule has been fetched in that day.