Fined for holiday in school time

Mupette

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Depriving a child's family of 50 pounds is hardly going to benefit the child, is it?

What a ridiculous system.

So are you saying it is ok to take the child out of school to take them to disneyland?

Morglin

clarabella23 wrote: »

Not yet, like I say, recieved the letter as I got in from work yesterday, just thought I would see if anyone had been in the same situation

I have heard of this being quietly dropped when parents engage a solicitor, and look like causing trouble, so up to you whether you think it may be worth that.;)

Are teachers going to pay £50 next time they strike and the children have to have a day off of school in term time?

Lin :rolleyes:

PolishBigSpender

Mupette wrote: »

So are you saying it is ok to take the child out of school to take them to disneyland?

I'm saying that it should be up for the parents, not the council or school deciding what's best for the child.

bylromarha

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

I'm saying that it should be up for the parents, not the council or school deciding what's best for the child.

It is up to the parents.

Take them in term time and get a fine or take them in school holiday time and don't.

Mupette

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

I'm saying that it should be up for the parents, not the council or school deciding what's best for the child.

In school term time?

chika

The fifty pound fine was to discourage some parents whose children are persistantly absent, however from my experience it never works.

Three weeks is a lot of time to be taken out of school, its a whole unit (or even two) unit in literacy and numeracy. And who knows how much work she has missed in the foundation subjects and science. At five the child is just learning the basic skills that will take her through primary education. Also lots of work for example in maths depends on skills that have been learned in previous lessons. The teacher is now going to have to spend extra time ensuring that the child can do the work, taking away from time that she has to spend with the other 29 children in the class whose parents didn't take them on a three week holiday.

System

Morglin wrote: »

I have heard of this being quietly dropped when parents engage a solicitor, and look like causing trouble, so up to you whether you think it may be worth that.;)

I don't blame the authorities for dropping at that point. By engaging a solicitor, the family have now laid out more than the original fine - solicitor's letters don't come cheap. Objective achieved, family have been hit in the pocket for breaching the rule..

tamarto

Mupette wrote: »

So are you saying it is ok to take the child out of school to take them to disneyland?

Yes when the child is 5, it's not as if we are talking about one who is just about to sit exams :rolleyes:

Edited to add, school isn't the only form of education.

onlyroz

I took my four-year-old out of school to go to Disney Land this November - however I was told that it was fine as he isn't statutory school age until May next year. I don't, on the whole, agree with taking kids out of school for holidays and so I won't be doing it again once he has turned five.

Ada_Doom

ok, now I am going to sound really old-fahioned, but why are you surprised? You took her out of school for three weeks when permission had been refused.

In my opinion, children need to learn the importance of school. And I know that travel can broaden their horizons but it was Florida, not three weeks living in a village in Namibia or treking round Peru, do you know what I mean? I'm not sure you can argue that having breakfast with Mickey is very educational.

Pay the £50 quid and thank your lucky stars that it was not more......