holidays in term time

pigpen

If it won't affect exams just take him.. he isn't their child he is yours!

they are not allowed to authorise holidays if the attendance is low or it is SAT's/exams

Susan_Frost

What is the legal position regarding fines?

If someone does not pay, what do they do about it?

Surely, only a court should be able to subject people to a fine.

meer53

I took my daughter out of school for 3 weeks to go on holiday in 2009 when she was 9, it wasn't authorised by her school but i took her anyway. Nothing happened, it's not something i make a habit of (can't afford it !) i made sure it didn't clash with any exams etc. She's my child and if i want to take her away, then i will, when i can afford it, not when school says i can. I've taken her out of school once since, for 3 days last year but as her school was closed for 6 days due to snow (teachers couldn't make it in apparently, although i made it into work 14 miles further away) i didn't feel too guilty !! When holiday companies stop hiking up their prices in school holidays, i'll take her in the 6 weeks holidays then.

boiler_man

I have booked a weeks holiday for Whitsun school holidays but flights mean that I have had to ask for 1 day off school and this has been refused. Daughter is in year 5 and has 100% attendance. LA policy means that I can be fined for this - how ridiculous!!

If a fine is sent, I wonder if I refuse to pay - would it be laughed out of court?

FBaby

My school authorise NO time off term time no matter what. I took mine out three days three years ago for a holiday or a lifetime with my parents who live abroad and who they only see once a year. It was not authorised. It made me really cross because their attendance is excellent otherwise, their results way above expectation, no exams (they were Y1 and Y4) and it was the first time. More importantly, a week before we had been snowed in and for two days, the school was opened but half of the children didn't go even though it really wasn't that bad. Mine certainly attended, even though we had to walk for 1/2 hour, many took this opportunity to stay home and yet this was excused.

I am taking them again for a week next month to go to Spain. We were supposed to go during May holiday, but their dad and stepmum are expecting a baby then and would have been furious if we'd go away then, so that's that!

Nothing happens at all but a note of 'unauthorised absence' on their file. If their attendance record is good otherwise, it won't be investigated. Fines 'can' be given, but that's only for reccurent problems, I don't know anyone in our school who has been given one for taking kids off for a holiday.

louisehj

I filled in a term time holiday request form, thinking if they have a request form surely they must a policy of yes or no. Oh no! Its always a no apparently. I asked for the last day of the school year so we can get a daytime ferry rather than nightime ferry for my brother in laws wedding. My son is yr 1 and has had no time off previously except for chicken pox. He will have the day off anyway and if they fine me I wont be paying!

moneypooh

I had a rude email from the school last month about my son missing 1 period of school, yep 1 period!! I was furious as I knew he was in school having an exam. They hadn't registered him as in attendance even though the invigilators took all the names (all 180!!) at the time. I was one of the invigilators!

the_cat

This has become a great money making exercise for schools IMO! Ours started charging £50 per kid per week for term time..... average family holiday £200 for the school coffers

Given that a parent has no legal obligation to send a child to school for their education anyway (only to provide education eg home schooling) it seems that money is the driving force to this over zealous 'concern'

Having said that, I would only take younger children not having exams away and only at certain times of the year (ie not Sept when settling into new year)

2010

I can`t see what the problem is about having time off for a holiday.

What with the snow, half term, teacher training days,Good Friday, Easter day, May day, Royal wedding, pancake day,etc., another week is neither here nor there.

It`s not as if they go there to learn much anyway.

ps: forgot about polling day

throughtherain

Please consider leaving your child in school during term time. Their education is so valuable and even a day missed can have a significant impact on their learning. Yes schools can waste a lot of time but if anything that's even more reason to keep them there as much as possible. Apart from this, teaching children that they should honour their commitments to what they do is so important and will stand them in good stead when they get jobs. You can criticise schools/teachers if you want but at the end of the day their rules are there for the best interests of the children, despite it looking petty to you. I also appreciate that children need holidays with parents and sometimes this can't be avoided for things like family weddings abroad or whatever, and of course children should attend these if possible, but I find it so frustrating that people sell their children short by not allowing them to get all the education they can. I know it's frustrating that it's cheaper to have holidays in term time, but that's just the way it is and it's unfair to others for people to benefit from this by taking children out of school.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me but that's just my opinion.