Time off secondary..to say anything?

gabyjane

Dd has just started secondary. Before she started i went in and saw the lady who authorises the holidays and booked off next years 2 weeks we are having which was authorised that day..all fine and have form to hand back in here BUT we are going away for dh's birthday this Nov and it is a friday till monday so she will miss those 2 days off school..my friend has said to not say anything and say she was ill but she has always had a 95-100% attendance and think it will look odd and don't really want to lie..it is booked though so what would you so? My thinking is to stick a letter with the form and send it in tom and see what is said? if we just don't turn up friday and again monday i have visions of them calling us to check all is ok..

Thanks

galvanizersbaby

gabyjane wrote: »

Dd has just started secondary. Before she started i went in and saw the lady who authorises the holidays and booked off next years 2 weeks we are having which was authorised that day..all fine and have form to hand back in here BUT we are going away for dh's birthday this Nov and it is a friday till monday so she will miss those 2 days off school..my friend has said to not say anything and say she was ill but she has always had a 95-100% attendance and think it will look odd and don't really want to lie..it is booked though so what would you so? My thinking is to stick a letter with the form and send it in tom and see what is said? if we just don't turn up friday and again monday i have visions of them calling us to check all is ok..

Thanks

I think you are allowed 10 days authorised - I think I would complete the form for the Friday and Monday in advance (assumably it will then be 12 days in total with the 2 days already authorised).
Although I guess you run the risk that the 2 days won't be approved and if your DD is absent those days it goes down as an unauthorised absence - though not sure what this does exactly?

I wouldn't lie and say she was ill if it were me

Jinx

I would tell them about the time off.......although be prepared for a stroppy letter from the local authority (its them that approves the hols not the actual school) saying... 'do you know how important your childs education is.....' etc

Unauthorised holidays dont mean anything, but obviously affect the end of year attendance percentages on the childs school report and if it happens too often I imagine someone would want to speak with you about it.

Counting_Pennies_2

I wouldn't lie, as your daughter will be put in a very tricky position.

I think you might have to rethink your plans. 10 days are I believe the maximum a child can have time out for authorised leave, and that is at the discretion of the school.

gabyjane

Thanks for the replys.

Think i may have rushed or not explained mysalf very well as usual!

We have a holiday booked next Sept 2011 which was authorised this july when the kids broke up (dd hadn't even started there then)..i remember saying 'we are very good at not having time off' and meant it BUT this was the only time the place was free and i had to book it up as had already lost one space i have booked for dh's birthday. The 2 days she needs off are for a Friday and monday in October this year..think ill stick a letter with the form for next year and hope she is ok with it.
Thanks..i agree lying is not the way to go and not me at all as feel sorry for dd if she was to be asked.
Thanks x

flea72

why worry about it now. you obviously didnt care how the school would react when you booked the holidays, so why sweat it now, seeing as you will take your child out of school whether they agree to it or not.

you are teaching your child that its ok to do what you want when you want, so why not throw lying to people into the mix too, and just say she was ill

F

bonty44

I think the school will be fine and will appreciate you being up front with them.
When I was HOY and in charge of attendance I was generally flexible with authorising time off for children who were usually good attendees.

iainsmum

I don't have anything to add other than, put the request in, be prepared for them to get stroppy about it, but take your DD on holiday anyway, and so what if it's down as unauthorised leave.

OK, it might look poor on her attendance record, but when has that counted for anything, I don't recall school attendance records ever being relevant to life outside school.

SInce when did we live in such a nanny state that parents can't take their children out of school without a fight? It's not like she's playing truant is it? I thought that was the whole idea of having to request holidays, so that the school knew when the parents were involved and when the child was pulling a fast one.

Sounds like I have lots to look forward to by the time my 3YO DS starts secondary - though they'll probably have them all electronically tagged by then!!!

ontheroad_2

gabyjane wrote: »

Thanks for the replys.

Think i may have rushed or not explained mysalf very well as usual!

We have a holiday booked next Sept 2011 which was authorised this july when the kids broke up (dd hadn't even started there then)..i remember saying 'we are very good at not having time off' and meant it BUT this was the only time the place was free and i had to book it up as had already lost one space i have booked for dh's birthday. The 2 days she needs off are for a Friday and monday in October this year..think ill stick a letter with the form for next year and hope she is ok with it.
Thanks..i agree lying is not the way to go and not me at all as feel sorry for dd if she was to be asked.
Thanks x

Thats 2 different school years then isn't it? ie Sept 2011 will be in the next school year, not this one. So if your school is usually alright in allowing up to 10 days off during termtime, there should be no problem in telling the school about this October's plans, should there?

susieb

I would not mind them being stroppy over time off, if it applied to teachers as well. My dd is in year 8, and last year had cover teachers for many lessons, cover teachers do their best but they dont even follow the work set by the ill teacher.
Some days out of 5 lessons, 3 were cover!
They are quick to send a letter home if attendance falls below 96%, hope the teachers get something similar.

I would just send a form in asking for the 2 days as holiday, much better than lying.
I'm sure by the time November comes, your dd will have had lots of cover lessons, so if they get funny, I would point this out.

There is more to education than school.


Before anyone has a go at me, dd had 100% attendance last year, unlike ds who was down to 89% due to illness (scarlett fever)

galvanizersbaby

ontheroad wrote: »

Thats 2 different school years then isn't it? ie Sept 2011 will be in the next school year, not this one. So if your school is usually alright in allowing up to 10 days off during termtime, there should be no problem in telling the school about this October's plans, should there?

Yes that's what I was thinking - if the 2 days are for this year and DD has had 8 or less days authorised leave this year then there shouldn't be too much of an issue