New £60 Fines For Taking Children On Holiday During School Term (No 10 Days Grace)!

WestonDave

The danger with a per trip fine is that it almost makes taking more time out more worthwhile than less time. For example someone who had done their best to set something up for Easter holidays but ended up overhanging the holiday by a day or so is going to get the same £60 fine as someone who just blatently books 2 weeks in Spain in June. It may lead to people thinking that if they are going to get clobbered for £60 they may as well maximise the benefit by going for something totally out of school holidays for maximum savings to offset the fines. Might have been better to make it £5 per day.

notanewuser

melb wrote: »

take time off work and look after them at home like we do when there are training days or the teachers are on strike

Would you prefer that teachers leave university and undertake no further training?

Do you undertake training on your days off from work?

peachyprice

balletshoes wrote: »

but how many would be enforceable if the parents refused to pay and it went to court?

All of them presumably. It's a legally enforceable penalty

PENALTY NOTICES FOR PARENTS OF TRUANTS
ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ACT 2003 SECTION 23

Legislation
The Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 inserts into the Education Act 1996 Section 444A and Section 444B enabling authorised personnel to issue penalty notices as an alternative to prosecution under Section 444 and enable parents to discharge potential liability for conviction for that offence by paying a penalty.

To add, these are the stipulations for issuing the fine in the first place, they're not issued for taking a few extra days at the end/beginning of a school holiday

Penalty Notices for term time holidays can be issued if
 There have been 10 sessions (5 consecutive days) or more of
unauthorised absence due to a holiday taken during an academic
year; and
 Attendance is below 90% during the preceding 12 school weeks
before the holiday was taken; or
 The holiday was taken during the month of September; or
 The holiday was taken during tests or examinations; or
 It is the second holiday taken in any one academic year; or
 The pupil is in Year 6 or Year 11

becominganobsessivesaver

WestonDave wrote: »

The danger with a per trip fine is that it almost makes taking more time out more worthwhile than less time. For example someone who had done their best to set something up for Easter holidays but ended up overhanging the holiday by a day or so is going to get the same £60 fine as someone who just blatently books 2 weeks in Spain in June. It may lead to people thinking that if they are going to get clobbered for £60 they may as well maximise the benefit by going for something totally out of school holidays for maximum savings to offset the fines. Might have been better to make it £5 per day.

From the other thread I understand that the fines will only be incurred for 10 sessions (in a 3 month period). This equates to 5 days, so tagging a day or two onto the school hols should be ok.

peachyprice

WestonDave wrote: »

The danger with a per trip fine is that it almost makes taking more time out more worthwhile than less time. For example someone who had done their best to set something up for Easter holidays but ended up overhanging the holiday by a day or so is going to get the same £60 fine as someone who just blatently books 2 weeks in Spain in June. It may lead to people thinking that if they are going to get clobbered for £60 they may as well maximise the benefit by going for something totally out of school holidays for maximum savings to offset the fines. Might have been better to make it £5 per day.

No they won't, see my post above, there is a minimum absence of 10 consecutive sessions.

prowla

Good old government - never missing a chance to introduce a new fine.
I don't see how a few £60s is really going to help clear the national debt though.

lindsaygalaxy

Just to be clear - teacher training days are NOT part of the school year, they are in the school holidays.

notanewuser

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Just to be clear - teacher training days are NOT part of the school year, they are in the school holidays.

That's not quite true.

Schools must open for 190 days a year. Teachers are paid an annual salary based on 195 days a year. The schools are closed to pupils on training days, but the teachers are not on holiday.

WestonDave

peachyprice wrote: »

No they won't, see my post above, there is a minimum absence of 10 consecutive sessions.

To be fair (deliberately or otherwise) the message that is being put around is holiday equals fine with no limitations. The ten days holiday is coming out of the law but whether the ten day threshold still remains isn't clear in what I've read so far.

jonesMUFCforever

notanewuser wrote: »

Would you prefer that teachers leave university and undertake no further training?

Do you undertake training on your days off from work?

No of course not but there are roughly 12 weeks of holidays for our school kids - do the teachers get all this time off? I think not so it is reasonable for them to get trained during some of the school holidays when they are 'working' and not during term time.