Anyone challenged a term time holiday judgement?

stewdaviesuk

The fights are the same but we are visiting relatives away from home the day before we fly, we could simply spend more time with them as we see them infrequently as it is as they live a long way from us.

jacques_chirac

stewdaviesuk wrote: »

The fights are the same but we are visiting relatives away from home the day before we fly, we could simply spend more time with them as we see them infrequently as it is as they live a long way from us.

Understand - in which case, could you not solve the problem by visiting the friends on the way back?

stewdaviesuk

Not really, we fly Friday morning, we travel down after school Wednesday overnight getting there early thursday for a nap and chat with family and they drive us to the airport Friday morning. I would not want to travel thursday night and go straight to the airport, pay for parking etc. We return in the new year are picked up and have the day with them before traveling back north.

We got a great deal on the flights but were from London and we live in Scottish border area.

geoffky

A lesson to all of us who think being honest is doing the right thing in these school holiday situations..
I see the teachers will be striking soon and yet they will try and fine you for a day out...Go figure.

dandelionclock30

I wouldnt have asked in the first place, I'd have just said my child was sick. Thats what I would still do now, if they dont believe you then thats their problem.
If they start getting all stupid saying they are going to fine you.I would simply explain that you are not going to pay when you child was ill. Bubbles to them, its only 1 day.

spacey2012

How did we sleepwalk in to such a ridicules situation where just about anyone who has a jumped up job working for authority can dish out a criminal punishment.
Soon you wont be able to leave your home without some Jobsworth fining you for breathing.
You could only get away with this in England..

marywooyeah

becominganobsessivesaver wrote: »

Not sure if I've misread the OP but I thought the fine only applied if there were 5 or more consecutive days of unauthorised absence.

I dont think this is right: I've just taken my son on holiday for 3 days and they saidthey could still fine me but weren't going to.

tonycottee wrote: »

Could you just not withdraw your request? Ultimately, they would then need to prove that your child was not sick and you had gone on holiday, which would be almost impossible for them to do.

The op has already told the school they are going though so it would be obvious that they would be lying.

dandelionclock30

So what, in reality theres very little the school can do.

Spendless

I've just been browsing my eldest's (Secondary) school website over an unconnected matter and I noticed they'd updated their holiday policy to what I've already written about how our LA are defining 'exceptional circs'. Anyway I scrolled all the way through and found them saying this. Don't know if it will be of any help.

4. CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING AN UNAUTHORISED HOLIDAY
Taking a holiday without authorisation will have an impact on a child’s learning. Parents who choose to take an unauthorised holiday must accept that this will have an adverse effect on their child’s educational achievement. The school may therefore ask the Local Authority to issue a fixed penalty fine where an unauthorised holiday has been taken. Details of fixed penalty fines are included as Appendix 2. The fixed penalty fine is collected and kept by the Local Authority, not the school.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances a fixed penalty fine will be issued:
a. When the holiday absence causes the child’s attendance to fall
below 90% in the previous twelve months

b. When there has been a previous unauthorised holiday(s) in the
same academic year of 5 or more day


So you might be ok and just it purely goes down as unauthorised.

penguin83

Our LA have said the same as Spendless. The school will note the absence as unauthorised and the LA will be informed but they wont do anything unless it amounts to more than 5 days in the school year or drops their attendance below 90% x