New fines for missing school - how can they prove child not sick?

emmamc252

My sisters looking at canceling her holiday to centre parts because of these stupid new fines. She phoned and asked how much to change to school holidays and it's hundreds of pounds she doesn't have. She has 3 school age children all at the same primary. I've told her to phone in and say they are sick, she says it will look too dodgy plus her youngest is in reception so will clearly walk back in and say they've been on holiday and she'll end up getting fined which she also couldn't afford, seriously though, I know the school will know but surely they couldn't prove it? Like they do have to have proof don't they? They can't access her bank account etc to check! I said I'd just do it and say they were sick. Thoughts?

duchy

So she'd tell all three kids to not tell anyone they went on holiday and to lie if directly asked ?

emmamc252

I'm sure the kids would say, but what seriously can the teacher/school do about it? If she as the parent just says "they were sick" how can they prove they weren't?

DaveTheMus

On the one hand you've got a holiday at Centre Parcs and teaching 3 young impressionable children that the law can be obeyed when it suits you and it's ok to lie to authority figures as long as it furthers your own ends....

On the other hand you've got a holiday at Centre Parcs for an extra £200+ and teaching 3 young impressionable children that the law is there to be obeyed and lying is a bad thing with the added bonus of the 3 children receiving an extra week or 2 of education....

My advice?

tell you sister to do a bit of overtime and then she can afford the extra couple of hundred pounds and more importantly keeps her children honest!

emmamc252

Prove as in for the purposes of applying these fines, not for the purposes of rolling their eyes at her. I know they'll know but what you know and what you can prove are very different

emmamc252

My sister is a full time carer for her husband so they live on careers allowance, overtime isn't an option. She's saved for ages for this holiday and is still saving now. The £200 would be to pay the school fines, centre parts wanted an extra £390 to move their holiday 1 week! Not everyone has a couple of hundred and certainly not nearly £400 lying around. Her kids have perfect attendance but they don't go on holidays every year because of their financial situation.

maman

emmamc252 wrote: »

I'm sure the kids would say, but what seriously can the teacher/school do about it? If she as the parent just says "they were sick" how can they prove they weren't?

So for the sake of a holiday you want your nieces/nephews to see their mother lie to their teachers??

If you can't see that's wrong then there's no point trying to explain the rest to you.

ETA. I believe the fines are £60 per parent per child, so £360

emmamc252

I think if a rule is unfair then you do have a right to fight against it and this to me and a lot of other people is totally unfair on lower income families. Of the government want to add a law to stop holiday companies raising prices to these extortionate levels during school holidays to meet with these new fines, that's different but as it is her family cannot afford to go away in school holidays, so should they just not have a holiday? Does she not deserve a holiday with her children?
Anyway I wasn't trying to start a debate on wether these rules are right or wrong, I wanted to know if she chose to, could she technically get away with it, whatever the morality issues.

DaveTheMus

if she could get away with it?


I'm no expert, but, I don't think it would be a 'criminal case', where you need multitude of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

I think this would be closer to a civil matter, where it's a judgement based on the for and against and which argument seems most believable.

I might be wrong however.

She might not need to though, maybe Centre Parcs will have a Groupon deal or a special offer over the next few months....

marleyboy

Imagine telling a School all your children will be off sick for a week.

Aside from being suspicious, the teachers may well ask for a psychic doctors note.

forgotmyname

marleyboy wrote: »

Imagine telling a School all your children will be off sick for a week.

Aside from being suspicious, the teachers may well ask for a psychic doctors note.

Or a concerned teacher may pop round to make sure they dont have anything contagious that other parents/students need to be aware of.

No answer at the door and the neighbours say they have gone away.