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[ellismum]

It's all changing ladies!!!

Thanks to the government, as of September NO school is allowed to authorise holiday unless it is for a special occasion and here its the council that give the nod. They might find themselves hit with a fine!

https://www.education.gov.uk/school...r/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments

Aaah, I heard this before and there is a petition about the government tackling the cost of taking a holiday during the school holidays

Bloody annoying isn't it! We attended a new parents evening and the head teacher was very sympathetic but basically don't book a holiday. The fine'per parent too so for a couple it doubles!!!

 

[Tasha]

It is annoying. I was thinking it might be per child and then I would have three times the fine

 

[Rainbow82]

I've also read about the law changing but to be honest parents are still going to take their kids out if school and say they are sick, I'd rather schools maintained the discretion they have at the moment, at least then teachers know when a child will be off and can prepare catch up work it even work packs for while they are away and have sine sort if say in when it's convenient. As a teacher I'd much rather know in advance a child us off for holiday than suddenly gave healthy kids parents ringing up saying they are sick for a week. Especially as unless the kids attendance is poor nobody will be checking up if it's only a week.

 

[ellismum]

It is annoying. I was thinking it might be per child and then I would have three times the fine

I think it is too but I'm trying to find out. I know its per parent so hypothetically speaking, it's £360 for a family of three for 1 week.

*off to see if I can dig some further info out*

 

[nugget80]

on the subject of parents permission to take abroad, i have never asked my ex permission to take girls away and when he took them to Thailand there was nothing official... tbh i wouldn't even think to ask him if i could take them away, they are my kids and they live with me!

 

[Blah11]

Amelie will miss tge last week of term of primary 1 next year. Its for a family (well my best friend) wedding abroad and imo she'll get far more out of it than playing games etc at school!

 

[Ceejay123]

I'm not looking forward to those school days myself! I always went abroad during term time, most years! >< in the summer it was just too packed!

 

[ellismum]

I've also read about the law changing but to be honest parents are still going to take their kids out if school and say they are sick, I'd rather schools maintained the discretion they have at the moment, at least then teachers know when a child will be off and can prepare catch up work it even work packs for while they are away and have sine sort if say in when it's convenient. As a teacher I'd much rather know in advance a child us off for holiday than suddenly gave healthy kids parents ringing up saying they are sick for a week. Especially as unless the kids attendance is poor nobody will be checking up if it's only a week.

I don't think it's a good idea to lying lying and I see.it as setting a bad example. I certainly wouldn't ring in work sick for a week off work if I wasn't granted leave. What would happen when the child went back and started talking about their holiday, would the time off be changed to unauthorised absence?

 

[sparkle_1979]

My cousin was refused permission but took them anyways. Her reasoning was thy are both well ahead of where they should be, on holiday thy would be learning about different cultures. It was one week, as long as the child wont struggle to catch up I would take my child out for a week even if I was refused

 

[Tasha]

I don't think it's a good idea to lying lying and I see.it as setting a bad example. I certainly wouldn't ring in work sick for a week off work if I wasn't granted leave. What would happen when the child went back and started talking about their holiday, would the time off be changed to unauthorised absence?

Firstly £360 is crazy.

And as for the above, we were sort of accused of that by the children's school. My older two went away with my Mum to her caravan last year but when they got back they got ill, so were off for a week. Of course Naomi-Mae mentioned her holiday to her teacher and so they wrote to us saying they would have to refer us for a fine. I explained that they were two separate things and that a) my Mum would make a statement saying she had taken them during half term and b) as we went to the walk-in centre with one of them we could medical records. They dropped it.

 

[ellismum]

...

 

[ellismum]

I don't think it's a good idea to lying lying and I see.it as setting a bad example. I certainly wouldn't ring in work sick for a week off work if I wasn't granted leave. What would happen when the child went back and started talking about their holiday, would the time off be changed to unauthorised absence?

Firstly £360 is crazy.

And as for the above, we were sort of accused of that by the children's school. My older two went away with my Mum to her caravan last year but when they got back they got ill, so were off for a week. Of course Naomi-Mae mentioned her holiday to her teacher and so they wrote to us saying they would have to refer us for a fine. I explained that they were two separate things and that a) my Mum would make a statement saying she had taken them during half term and b) as we went to the walk-in centre with one of them we could medical records. They dropped it.

Gosh, I bet you were glad seeing it was genuine.

 

[LoraLoo]

The fines are just another way of making money imo- they know parents will still take the child- even with a fine its likely to still work out cheaper than taking them on holiday out of term time!

Im not sure how they would regulate if anyone has taken their child out of the country without the fathers permission- I have never heard of anybody been stopped at the airport and asked to hand over consent x

 

[lindseymw]

This is what we will be facing soon. DH can't pick & choose his A/L, it all depends on his shift pattern when his days off fall. They maybe in school holidays, they may not be. I'm certainly not going to forgo a holiday if they happen to fall within term time.

The school Joshua will go to has a policy that they will allow a holiday as long as attendance is 95% and the child is not behind in learning.

 

[beth_terri]

You are not allowed to take a child out if school for a holiday anymore. You can take them out for 'special circumstances' such as a family death, family troubles, medical reasons etc. I think they can have 2 school weeks. But this has to be allowed by the head teacher.

If you take a child out of school for a holiday you will be fined. (This comes into affect from September in my sons school)

 

[beth_terri]

Didn't read the replies before posting

 

[ellismum]

This is what we will be facing soon. DH can't pick & choose his A/L, it all depends on his shift pattern when his days off fall. They maybe in school holidays, they may not be. I'm certainly not going to forgo a holiday if they happen to fall within term time.

The school Joshua will go to has a policy that they will allow a holiday as long as attendance is 95% and the child is not behind in learning.

Legally they can't after September.

 

[Rainbow82]

I've also read about the law changing but to be honest parents are still going to take their kids out if school and say they are sick, I'd rather schools maintained the discretion they have at the moment, at least then teachers know when a child will be off and can prepare catch up work it even
Ll work packs for while they are away and have sine sort if say in when it's convenient. As a teacher I'd much rather know in advance a child us off for holiday than suddenly gave healthy kids parents ringing up saying they are sick for a week. Especially as unless the
kids attendance is poor nobody will be checking up if it's only a week.

I don't think it's a good idea to lying lying and I see.it as setting a bad example. I certainly wouldn't ring in work sick for a week off work if I wasn't granted leave. What would happen when the child went back and started talking about their holiday, would the time off be changed to unauthorised absence?

No idea if it would be changed or not, I suspect it would be but depends on the school and how much they cared about unauthorised absences and possibly even who the pupil was and what their attendance record was like. It should be changed but nit every schiol will be that honest. At the moment in our school there are a lot of kids whose parents take them out fir three weeks, if attendance is ok the school will allow 2 weeks authorised and accept that the parent will take the child anyway with a week unauthorised. The child and parents then have s meeting with the head when they get back and usually it's not taken furtherbut parent and child will sign contract saying child will attend homework club everyday till five till all work is caught up, this is tge same for all kids with poor attendance.

I completely agree about the lying although I can see why parents do it. I'd rather it stay upfront as it is at the moment with schools having the authority to say yes or no. Afterall teachers and especially teaching assistants who really don't do their job for the money don't get to take advantage of cheaper deals in term time. I find it especially frustrating as my OH can't take holiday in school holidays si we haven't had more than a weekend away in 2 and half years but it's what I signed up for lol.

 

[Belle25]

We are going away in term time. It's our honeymoon, and the school are going to just have to suck it!!
Unless your child's attendance is bad or clashes with exams, I don't see the problem.

Xx

 

[beth_terri]

We are going away in term time. It's our honeymoon, and the school are going to just have to suck it!!
Unless your child's attendance is bad or clashes with exams, I don't see the problem.

Xx

They won't suck it though, you'll have to pay a fine. Legally! X