Urgent advice needed, can I change my whole holiday?

peachyprice

duchy wrote: »

Of course it will also get you fined most likely something the previous poster "forgot" to mention.

A child has to miss more than ten sessions for the parents to be fined, so a 1 week holiday won't attract a fine whereas a 2 week holiday will.

thegirlintheattic

duchy wrote: »

Of course it will also get you fined most likely something the previous poster "forgot" to mention.

(FWIW I forgot to fill out a holiday form back in the days when heads could give permission. My son was off for a week and the head did send education welfare round..... As there was no previous absence issues -and the head knew we were on holiday but had spun some daft tale about concerns as unable to contact us by phone (nothing on my voicemail or my Mum's who lived (as the school knew it was a very small school) downstairs and was housebound more or less -even more so as I was away so wasn't out anyway who was the emergency contact. Apparently the head got a rocket about wasting EW's time however it does show that "just a week" can be enough if school want to be difficult.)

I'm a teacher, and you will not get fined for a weeks holiday, the change is that heads can no longer approve the holiday like they used to.

It's also a fiction of the media that parents automatically get fined for holidays - you can get fined if your child's attendance falls below 85% (which is the point that they are considered persistently absent). Obviously the longer you go on holiday the more likely they are to hit that point. But assuming the OP is only going for a week and her children's attendance is otherwise ok, she is not going to get fined. Even if they fall below 85%, there is usually then a half a term to 'address' the issue before any penalty is considered.

brunettifan

Holidays are frowned on by schools but not all authorities operate a system of fines.

peachyprice

brunettifan wrote: »

Holidays are frowned on by schools but not all authorities operate a system of fines.

You must have missed the change in law that came into force in September where all authorities must fine unauthorised absence under certain circumstances.

venetianlagoon

peachyprice wrote: »

You must have missed the change in law that came into force in September where all authorities must fine unauthorised absence under certain circumstances.

Do you have a link to the specifics of that as I thought the amendments were to the timescales for the authority taking action for attendance which falls below the threshold (currently 85% from memory) and to the Head's wiggle room.

I was not aware that all LEA's had to fine for holiday absence.

brunettifan

peachyprice wrote: »

You must have missed the change in law that came into force in September where all authorities must fine unauthorised absence under certain circumstances.

I am fairly sure our LEA does not fine for a short duration holiday.

stephb34

Derbyshire aren't fining at the moment but our neighbouring area that chesterfield comes under are because they proudly published in the local newspaper how much money they had made so far by fining parents.

teabag29

Well I rang them, they said to change the holiday around it would cost more in admin fees than ive paid so far and would be cheaper to cancel the whole holiday and book a new one. Ive paid £550 so far and don't wanna lose that so gonna speak to the ex n see if he can pay off the balance gutted

Moto2

Given that the holiday is more than 70 days away, you should only lose the deposit, I take it the £550 is the deposit plus some more you've paid to it?
If so, give them another call and see what you can get back by cancelling