Schools no longer allowed to authorise holidays

iammumtoone

I had a letter from my sons school advising from September, schools will no longer have the authority to authorise holidays in term time.

I did take my son out this year but found it very stressful worrying if the break would be allowed (thankfully it was) so won't be doing it again now I know I will be fined if I do so.

When we went on our term time holiday there were loads of kids doing the same. I wonder what effect this ruling will have on the holiday parks as they will see a drop in revenue due to it. I can't afford to go away in school holidays so we will not be having any holidays

I am also believe that both parents get fined. His father and I are not together so it does seem a bit unfair that a non resident father would have to pay a fine when he would have no say in the decision regarding the holiday.

pigpen

And the holidays out of term time will rocket in price too

I don't take mine out for holidays because I don't think it is right .. but if it was that or not go I'd ring in sick.. and I suspect there will be heck of a lot doing just that.

We've not had a family holiday for years (last one was 2005) so it won't make any difference to us, but it does seem a bit like nanny state dictating what you can and cannot do with your own children... it actually makes me want to book one lol

GwylimT

The school I work at only authorises holidays during school time if it is to visit a parent or very close relative who lives in another country, however there are other conditions as it has to be during certain times, so it cannot be towards the end of the year when important exams are being taken or when coursework is being carried out and it will not be authorised if the child has an attendance rate below 90% unless there are extreme circumstances, such as a child on the course I teach (auto mechanics) is having treatment for leukemia and really he bloody well deserves a holiday.

Even before I worked within the school system I did not take my children out of school for holidays as it isn't something that I personally agree with. Within a two week period children can miss a lot which means you either have to arrange with the school for lessons after school, do all the catch up work yourself or get a tutor in.

sassyblue

A child can always catch up on a week or twos work, DS is 6. The price of holidays in school holidays infuriates me, it did before l had children too, l don't see why anyone should pay a few hundred £s more 'because its school holidays'

Also theres alot of difference in going in september when the term starts (which we wouldnt do) and at this time of year when the curriculum is winding down. We're scuppered already then because we've booked a holiday next June, oh well!

iammumtoone

pigpen wrote: »

I don't take mine out for holidays because I don't think it is right .. but if it was that or not go I'd ring in sick.. and I suspect there will be heck of a lot doing just that.

I am sure you are right there will be a lot more instances of children being 'sick'. That's not a option for me as I don't believe in telling a child to lie, how can a parent expect a child not to say anything at school about their holiday and claim they were sick. If I have to choose between asking my son to lie or no holiday - it will be no holiday for us.

GwylimT

pigpen wrote: »

And the holidays out of term time will rocket in price too

I don't take mine out for holidays because I don't think it is right .. but if it was that or not go I'd ring in sick.. and I suspect there will be heck of a lot doing just that.

We've not had a family holiday for years (last one was 2005) so it won't make any difference to us, but it does seem a bit like nanny state dictating what you can and cannot do with your own children... it actually makes me want to book one lol

Most schools require a phone call from parents each morning if their child is ill, unless they have an actual doctors note, they are likely to notice if the call is coming from outside the area, if you don't call the absences will be classed as unathorised.

pigpen

iammumtoone wrote: »

I am sure you are right there will be a lot more instances of children being 'sick'. That's not a option for me as I don't believe in telling a child to lie, how can a parent expect a child not to say anything at school about their holiday and claim they were sick. If I have to choose between asking my son to lie or no holiday - it will be no holiday for us.

I don't think a small child could lie about it, they'd be all tanned and excited to tell their friends.. it is going to cause huge problems though I'm sure.

I don't think missing a week or 2 in primary is so hard to catch up on, but when you have older children they might miss vital coursework for exams and not be able to catch up. Our former primary has 50% children not from the UK and they regularly just trot off to visit relatives for several weeks at a time.. are these families going to be subject to the same rules?

My 14y/o had 83% attendance last school year due to him spending a week in hospital plus a few outpatient appointments and a bout of sickness.. their attendance is very quickly damaged by just a short period off... He is back at his normal 99% this year

pigpen

GwylimT wrote: »

Most schools require a phone call from parents each morning if their child is ill, unless they have an actual doctors note, they are likely to notice if the call is coming from outside the area, if you don't call the absences will be classed as unathorised.

Ours don't.. you call once and they just ask for a note on their return.. and it isn't hard to withhold your phone number.. even I can manage that .. they mark absences as unauthorised until they get a note stating why they were off.

I believe DS3's school asked for it and were told I wouldn't be calling each day.. I had an 11 day old baby and he was in high dependency.. I had more important things on my mind than ringing them every day.

Lunar_Eclipse

Our school introduced this 2-3 years ago. It simply means any absence, apart from sickness, will be recorded as non-authorised leave.

Personally I always feel honesty is the way to go, so if you plan to take a holiday in term time, I'd suggest writing a letter to this effect. Our school then writes back, informing you it will be unauthorised. No-one has ever been fined, but if they were, it is usually a tiny amount in relation to holiday cost savings: £100 I think.

Lunar_Eclipse

pigpen wrote: »

My 14y/o had 83% attendance last school year due to him spending a week in hospital plus a few outpatient appointments and a bout of sickness.. their attendance is very quickly damaged by just a short period off... He is back at his normal 99% this year

Interesting. I wonder if attendance is recorded differently in different schools, or in primary vs secondary schools?

Both my children have always had 100% attendance on their annual school reports, despite having the usual day or two off sick every year. Authorised absences don't seem to affect this attendance statistic (ie your son would have had 100% attendance if you notified the school and backed it up with a letter.)

thefishdude

to be fair the money saved by doing a holiday in term time alot of teh time will be alot greater than the fine imposed.

for some people a term time holiday is the only holid\y that is affordable.

personally i aint got to worry for a few years yet but unless the punishment escalates to alot more serious consequences a fine would not stop me.