Holidays with kids in school time, have you done it?

Spendless

nottslass wrote: »

I'd like to see how fining each parent £50 could be enforced - how would that work in the scenario of step parents or estranged couples ?

I really cannot believe that fining a couple £100 for a days unauthorized absence would be legally enforceable nor can I imagine that the head teacher would have the backing of the LEA for imposing such a sanction !! In fact if it were me I'd be complaining to the LEA

It's the LEA that fines not the school. These fines are in in my area and the local paper ran a story about some parents getting them a few years ago. Last time I tried to look it up on my council website it was quite difficult to find, but it used to say that a fine for an unauthorised absense was £50 per child per parent, so 2 kids would be £200. I don't know if they mean the biological parents or the ones within the household the child/ren lives. An MSE'r once told me it was also per week, but I could find nothing about that for my area, and very litle about it on the net.

cte1111

nottslass wrote: »

I'd like to see how fining each parent £50 could be enforced - how would that work in the scenario of step parents or estranged couples ?

I really cannot believe that fining a couple £100 for a days unauthorized absence would be legally enforceable nor can I imagine that the head teacher would have the backing of the LEA for imposing such a sanction !! In fact if it were me I'd be complaining to the LEA

It's £50 for each parent with parental responsibility. As other posters have said, it is the council that imposes the fine, so they are as legally enforceable as any other council fine.

happy35

I used to take DS on holiday during term time when he was at nursery, used to go Whit week plus one week either side.

When he started full time school we took him during the school holidays but it is a lot more expensive, I did find that as I didnt have to pay any childcare during the holidays this helped towards the additional cost

I do think that there should be flexibility as some children have a parent who is serving out in Afghanistan for example and therefore may not be able to have a family holiday during the school holiday period

bestpud

nottslass wrote: »

I'd like to see how fining each parent £50 could be enforced - how would that work in the scenario of step parents or estranged couples ?

I really cannot believe that fining a couple £100 for a days unauthorized absence would be legally enforceable nor can I imagine that the head teacher would have the backing of the LEA for imposing such a sanction !! In fact if it were me I'd be complaining to the LEA

I've seen many parents on here say they pay the fine and go anyway as it is still substantially cheaper than going during the holidays!

But I'd be interested to see how it would stand up in court too! Particularly for pupils who have a good attendance rates in general.

milliebear00001

morocha wrote: »

my daughter is only 3 and started school last september, i will be taking her to majorca during school term, main reason being, i can not afford the holidays otherwise.It has got an educational value, i speak spanish and only in Spain, my dd has the only chance to practice to speak fluenly the language. i try to take her there twice a year.

Hi there

Just to say that until the term after your daughter's fifth birthday, there is no legal requirement to have her in school at all. Until then, you don't need permission to take her out of school, but it might be courtesy to the teacher to let them know you will be.

kazd

pigpen wrote: »

Other than schools cannot refuse a pupil if there is a space for them this would actually not be an issue. They also have to have 10 days as authorised absence for family holidays, unless it is sats/exams or something else they can prove is vital to the education of that child.

I think you will find this is incorrect, my youngest is just going up to the school my eldest son is at. This was an evening for the parents of prospective year 7's, the head said most parents believe it is their right to take their children out of school for a holiday. This is not the case this is a school decision - my son's school never authorise hoidays in term time.

lolly101

Just like many others, I can't afford to take my son on holiday in the school holidays and I think the idea of fining parents for short holidays in term time is awful. Yes, it's probably not a good idea if exams are looming, but at the age of 6 it won't do much harm. Surely not being able to have a holiday at all (when all their friends do) due to crazy prices and silly rules will do more harm to a young child than missing a couple of days of school!

I took my son to Disneyland just before Christmas and he missed the last few days of school. The school authorised it as they are quite understanding, but I would have taken him anyway whatever they said. As pigpen said, 'he is MY child, and if I want to take him on holiday then I will do!'
It was the holiday of a lifetime and he will remember it forever, so surely that counts for something. Yes, education is important, but so are memories and experiences.

Bloomin_Freezing2 wrote: »

I've filled out the form to take back in on monday, shall I write a covering letter pretty much saying what I have just now?

Yes, it's worth doing as they may be more willing to authorise it if they know that there are actual reasons why you need to go during term time.

balletshoes

While I don't have a problem with taking kids out of school for short trips, I don't pretend i'm doing it because ALL my DD's friends get to go on holiday (they don't) or that I'm doing it just for her benefit, (I'm not).

If my DD had never been on holiday abroad, she wouldn't know what she was missing, so she wouldn't miss it. Of course she might mention that so and so in her class was going to Spain/Jamaica/Turkey wherever, but the same could be said of Mablethorpe/Chapel St Leonards/Skegness. What difference does that make? None whatsoever in my opinion - just because other kids get this or go there, doesn't mean every kid has to or should.

lolly101

balletshoes wrote: »

While I don't have a problem with taking kids out of school for short trips, I don't pretend i'm doing it because ALL my DD's friends get to go on holiday (they don't) or that I'm doing it just for her benefit, (I'm not).

If my DD had never been on holiday abroad, she wouldn't know what she was missing, so she wouldn't miss it. Of course she might mention that so and so in her class was going to Spain/Jamaica/Turkey wherever, but the same could be said of Mablethorpe/Chapel St Leonards/Skegness. What difference does that make? None whatsoever in my opinion - just because other kids get this or go there, doesn't mean every kid has to or should.

Wow! I may have read that wrong, but it sounds like I may have touched a nerve there! Not sure where that came from, but I think my post has been completely misinterpreted.

I never said that I 'pretended that I was taking my son away because his friends go on holiday'. I also never said that I was doing it 'just for his benefit' - where did that come from?
I also never mentioned holidays abroad, I spoke about holidays in general.
I simply meant that it would be very unfair for children if these rules meant that parents could no longer afford to take their children on holiday.

In a completely different paragraph... I mentioned a holiday that I had taken with my son. I said that my school authorised the absence, and that I would have taken him anyway, whatever they had said... Not, that I had made up some lame excuse about other kids going on holiday therefore he should too.

I don't think that children should all expect to do something just because someone else has, nor that they have a right to. I just think that it is unfair that some children may lose out on holidays (that they would otherwise have taken) because of such harsh rules on absences - especially when the rules vary so much from county to county.

Bloomin_Freezing2

Well I will be writing a note to go with the form, even if it goes straight in the bin. There's only a tiny space on the form for the reason of absence. I've put 'Family Holiday' but i'd like to stress originally it was booked for summer hols. As I said things cropped up, and actually we have had a hard 12 months and do deserve some fun time together. I don't feel it 100% neccessary to tell the head all my personal details from the last 12 months but I want to get my point accross. We don't have much spare money at all, that's why I booked a year in advance. Hubby was unemployed for 3 months last year which was incredibly hard. Unlike other mums at school who just go and buy holidays and cars outright there and then, we can't do that. And to think we'd then lose 600 deposit for cancelling the holiday is unthinkable!

I can assure her I don't intend on another term time holiday again and make my apologies, but at the end of the day we WILL be going. I could've easily made up a funeral or wedding, or maybe 60th birthday celebration, anything really but i'd rather be HONEST. If honesty doesn't go in my favour at all then i don't know what would.