to take dc out of school for 1 week every year

[manechanger]

dc has second choice secondary. was quite happy as closest school, didn't put first because it felt a bit gimmicky. have just found out it has different holidays to rest of schools in county and breaks up on 1 aug with 2 weeks off during oct half term. I have a 9 year age gap betw oldest and youngest and for financial reasons we often go camping so prefer july than aug because of wasps.

what would be the consequences if i take dc out of school for a week every year until the oldest is at high school? is it just a fine?

[Hoppinggreen]

You want your child to miss a week of school each year because you don't like wasps???
I suppose all the school can do is fine you but I would be more concerned about the fact that you are telling your children it's ok to miss school for trivial reasons.

[Summerblaze]

Yes. At the moment it is just a fine. I would do it.

[manechanger]

I want them to miss a week of school because I think the school is being awkward. Yeah and cos of the wasps if you want to put it like that, camping is shit with drowsy wasps.

I think children should get 6 weeks holiday in the summer they learn a lot from free time. They have the rest of their lives to work and get paltry holiday and I think long summers are really nice. Many places including private schools and continental countries have longer summer holidays. I dont understand why this school thinks july is a better time to be at school. I would prefer that the school had the same holidays as all the other schools in the area than to take dc out and I never ever take them out of school for anything at the moment.

[GreenShadow]

YABU.

However I'm not quite sure about how your school years work - you start by saying DC is starting secondary school next year, then finish by stating 'every year until oldest is at high school'. Normally secondary school is high school.

[BarbarianMum]

Yes you are being totally unreasonable for an imaginary problem.

Wasps are not worse beginning August than end July so why not camp then?

[TimeForAnotherNameChange]

It's currently £60 per child per adult so if there are two of you it will be £120 for a week. That's a hell of a lot extra on top of a camping holiday price and may not be worth it to you. Plus if you do it year after year you are highly likely to be refered to the EWO and prosecuted because it will be clear that you are flouting the law quite willingly. One can be imprisoned for allowing truancy, in extreme cases, so you ultimately risk jail time. Furthermore fines are likely to increase enormously in the short term because parents are seeing it as simply an additional cost to a term time holiday, not as a punitive deterrent. Don't be surprised if they double, meaning it might cost you £240 for one child for a week.

[manechanger]

i meant youngest is in high school

[TimeForAnotherNameChange]

Didn't you research the holiday situation in each school you applied for? Didn't you think to even just quickly check they were the same if there was a risk the children wouldn't all be at the same school? The school is hardly being awkward - you quite clearly are.

[AuntieStella]

The curriculum is more important in secondary.

If you feel you must take a child out of school for a week, then I think it would be better to remove your younger DC for the other week in October and do something then.

[WorraLiberty]

Jesus wept

If the place you go to is known for having a high amount of wasps, camp elsewhere.

Also, wasps don't pack up their stripy little suits and bugger off to waspy Summer camp because the calendar says it's a certain Summer month.

If you don't take your child's schooling seriously, how can you expect your child to?

It's for reasons like this, that fines will no doubt increase massively soon so you probably wouldn't be able to do that each year anyway.

[manechanger]

thanks time for another name change. If the school was observing county term dates or the term dates changed for the whole county I wouldn't do it, do you think that adds any weight to my case if I'm prosecuted?

I would only initially be paying for one child until the other 3 get there. but you are saying that each adult gets fined. I think I want to make a point as I didn't have any real choice about school as I wanted local and we didn't get into my preferred local choice. I will now look at schools further away.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

I used to take DS out of school here and there in Primary school but now he is at secondary I wouldn't - it's not fair for them to miss a whole week of school.

Why is it ok to take the oldest out of secondary but you won't do it for the youngest?

[manechanger]

do people really research school holiday dates? All the other schools in the county follow the same dates. No I don't think formal education is the most important thing in my childrens life, learning is though.

[WorraLiberty]

If the school was observing county term dates or the term dates changed for the whole county I wouldn't do it, do you think that adds any weight to my case if I'm prosecuted?

No.

Blaming the school because you choose to go camping and have a fear of wasps, is not going to help you to avoid prosecution.

[ilovesooty]

It's people with this sort of attitude who've been responsible for the tightening up on time out of school and making life difficult for those with genuine reasons for absence in term time.

[manechanger]

thanks everyone. Just wanted to see if I was overreacting. Judging from this thread it seems I am, I think I may have some underlying issues I need to address before dc starts at the school. Had almost talked myself into the school before I found out that it complicated family logistics.

[manechanger]

I love sooty, what are genuine reasons for absence in term time?

[Floggingmolly]

The school is being awkward by having holidays other than out of wasp season when you would like????

[ilovesooty]

I would say family funerals for one, and some parents have had trouble having these authorised.

[manechanger]

yeah they are being awkward. They don't offer an explanation, like, children work better in longer lighter days, shorter summer holiday means they don't have such a break from education and therefore come back having forgotten less or anything that relates to improvement of education for pupils.

They were a failing school who have had a massive cash injection from a corporate body and have an amazing new building they are making some choices including this one which makes me think they are appealing to (some) parents by offering them an opportunity to take cheaper holidays in october rather than making choices for educational reasons. It does piss me off but I might have to just suck it up for 9 bloody years...

[stephenmanaganiseverywhere]

I love sooty, what are genuine reasons for absence in term time?

Family bereavement; child sickness; one-off unforeseeable emergencies, all valid and genuine. Wasp avoidance not so much.

[miaowmix]

Good grief.
Lol at wasp season.
Yabu.

[dexter73]

Wasp avoidance not so much

[manechanger]

what about flying ant day? that should be a bank holiday i think

[ilovesooty]

The school is an academy and can set its own term dates. They don't have to explain them. Not their fault if you didn't do basic research before applying.