MSE News: Government to fund appeal of term-time holidays High Court ruling

martinsurrey

boo_star wrote: »

I certainly agree that parents being able to pull their children out of school whenever they want is bad but if the headmaster agrees it's OK and the child is otherwise performing well, why not?

because then the headteacher says no to someone and the school gets hit with a discrimination case because the pupil/parent/uncle is <insert preferred PC term here> and they said yes to XYZ pupil.

Unfortunately we live in a world of zero personal responsibility and an easy blame claim culture.

Clear rules are needed to ensure decisions are transparent and consistent.

martindow

Discodee wrote: »

Why dont they just take the kids off as "sick" ??

The children will tell their friends about their holiday and it will be around the school in no time. Combined with a healthy tan mysteriously acquired in their sickroom everyone will be well aware of how "sick" they were.

Discodee

martindow wrote: »

The children will tell their friends about their holiday and it will be around the school in no time. Combined with a healthy tan mysteriously acquired in their sickroom everyone will be well aware of how "sick" they were.

well i have done it with my son since the ruling in 2013.
Not that we always go lying on beaches to acquire tans. I wouldn't take a primary school kid to a hot country abroad anyway, and surely once they're in High School they can keep their mouth shut?

The school knew he had gone skiing in the January, as when he came back his teacher said, "Here's *** back, he hasn't been well, he's been taking the piste " But they can't physically prove it and probably as he had good attendance and is a good boy who works hard they didn't say anything. It is a top Grammar School and the head never liked term time holidays anyway, but according to another teacher, "What can he do?"

martindow

Discodee wrote: »

well i have done it with my son since the ruling in 2013.
Not that we always go lying on beaches to acquire tans. I wouldn't take a primary school kid to a hot country abroad anyway, and surely once they're in High School they can keep their mouth shut?

The school knew he had gone skiing in the January, as when he came back his teacher said, "Here's *** back, he hasn't been well, he's been taking the piste " But they can't physically prove it and probably as he had good attendance and is a good boy who works hard they didn't say anything. It is a top Grammar School and the head never liked term time holidays anyway, but according to another teacher, "What can he do?"

I suppose it depends on the attitude of the school. The one you mention seems to choose to turn a blind eye to it, though from your post they are well aware of what is happening.

I'm not surprised they decide to avoid the hassle, but other schools with an eye of Ofsted commenting on absentee percentages will do everything they can to discourage term time holidays.

Discodee

They only "assumed" he had been skiing as he had always taken a term time holiday each january prior to the ruling, so it was " strange" he was off sick the same time the following 2 years! ! Even so, any school my kids were in, I would take them off sick,. It is then up to the school to prove otherwise and without concrete evidence it would not stand up in court, so they'd be highly unlikely to do anything.