Schools no longer allowed to authorise holidays

geoffky

Just phone in as sick.....Simple..
Just realised its not that simple..My daughters school phone every day they are off..

iammumtoone

thefishdude wrote: »

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.

Unfortunately for some like me, this is not the case. Our holiday cost under £150 the fine I believe is £120 nearly as much again which I can't afford

meritaten

I find this quite sinister - education IS important, but, parents rights are important too. why are parents rights being so eroded? its almost as if children are being 'forced' into state education. and the rights of the education 'system' are overtaking parental rights.

Rev

I don't have kids. And as an outsider to the situation this honestly seems like utter craziness to me. My friends are forever sending money in to the school for this class to go on this day out and that day out etc. so the school can take your child on a day out to the zoo but you can't so the same in term time? You can't take pictures of your kids in a school play, but they can record it.

If I did have a child I'd take them on holiday whenever was best and affordable for me. As long as it wasn't around exams or important work. The school can't 'authorise it' when did it become necessary for a parent to have to get authorisation to take their own child on holiday?!

Ten years time schools will be telling you when to feed you child, wash them and send them to bed.

Absolute madness.

~Chameleon~

Maybe those of us without school age children can actually enjoy a child-free holiday from now on

apesxx

a family member has informed us that they are taking us all to orlando next year now the kids are old enough to appreciate it, all we need is spending money. It is going to be a big family trip and they have said October so im hoping it will incorporate the week of school hols. Our school doesn't currently fine parents for taking children out in term time and we haven't had any information to say that they are going to start. I have had info from the school where my sons attends pre school to say they are starting the fines in sept but he wont be there then. As we are not paying for the holiday I don't really have much say in the dates which we go so well just have to pay the fines if it happens. I don't understand why it is per parent though

balletshoes

Where is the official line on this change from September? What I mean is, schools have had the discretion to do this anyway, and to impose fines etc. However, as I understand it, they have to go to court to actually impose the fine if the parent(s) refuse to pay, thus incurring extra court costs etc, so realistically how many schools/LEAs are going to do that come September?

~Chameleon~

Parents have at least SIXTEEN WEEKS of the year available to take children away on holiday so why on earth do they decide to go during term-time? I can understand a special family occasion such as an overseas wedding/funeral but just for a family holiday? Purlease!

pigpen

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

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.)

All absence affects the record at the schools mine attend.. They add a bit with authorised/unauthorised attendance .. the unauthorised it always 0%.

Poppy9

I only ever took DD out for 3 weeks in total during primary school. First time she was 6 and it was the week school ended and my OH was going to be working away for 3 months. School had no issue.

Then when she was Y4 we intended to take her out for a week but had the wrong week for school holiday (school had different holidays to other schools as it was a faith school) so she missed two full week. Again the Head was fine as he said he had to deal with some parents who didi it 2 or 3 times a year, every year.

In Senior school we never took her out. I did try to get her to give up two days school before Dec hols to go to NY for OH birthday but she refused as she said she would miss vital lessons (she was Y12) and I couldn't argue with that. DD hated having to catch up in Senior school if off ill so taking her away for a week or two would have been very stressful for her and she wouldn't have enjoyed the holiday.

Would be easy to fake sickness at DD school as they require you to email in absences!