Fines for school

My ex took them out of school for two weeks without permission. I wrote to the school to say that I was not giving my permission but I couldn’t stop him taking them and in the end neither of us got a fine so that might be worth a go to half of the amount.

It is per absence. So 10 absences = 5 says in a period of 10 weeks

Anything additional can be carried over to the next 10 week period.

If there is no addition time off in that 10 weeks then any additional like the two days extra will not matter.

The 10 weeks includes half term and end of term so 4 says in one term and 1 day in another term can count as 5 says and a fine imposed if within the same 10 weeks school time

The second fine starts at £160 per child without any reduction for early payments.

We deregistered our 7 year old to take her to see her ailing grandfather abroad, for just over a month, knowing she would easily get back in. I refuse to pay a fine when she gained so much more from travelling through several countries and being immersed in her father's culture. She was even able to converse in another language with her cousins by the time we left. This kind of trip wouldn't have been possible during the school holidays, for various reasons. Not all learning happens in schools.

A party and a pantomime and nativity play are not comparable to watching five films in a week and more besides. Sitting like a plum and watching a film is nothing like watching a pantomime.

You don't have to take your children home early after events. The school can't enforce that. They can go back to the classroom with their teacher.

This week my (primary aged) children, in a very small state school have:

Monday: Performed/watched nativity
Tuesday: Local Panto in the school hall
Wednesday: Morning: made Christmas decorations for school tree and hall
Afternoon: Made placemats and party hat for Christmas lunch
Thursday: Morning: Christingle/carol Service in the village
Afternoon: Watched Elf
Today Morning: Had Santa (helpful volunteer Grandad!) visit and Christmas crafts/lunch
Afternoon: Watched The Star or did colouring/quiet reading

I have zero issue with this. They've had the most marvellous time with their friends. It's proper clichéd making memories stuff for them. I have no doubt at all that their teachers have been busying around sorting their classrooms and doing all of their jobs before the Christmas break whilst still supervising and helping with all of the above. Obviously putting on a nativity, for example, takes a lot of work especially as it was KS1 performing!

But I would be incredibly irritated as a parent to be fined if I'd have taken my children out of school this week. They've not been being educated, as such! For most of the week they've been supervised/kept busy and out of mischief whilst the teachers play catch up.

They've had a great time and I'm appreciative of the hard work the staff put in to make it so (which yes, I did express to their individual teachers and to the Headteacher when I saw her at last collection today). But my children's learning would not have been impacted one iota by not being present this entire week.

I agree with this. We also have a ‘ toy day’ and they just play with a toy and do absolutely bugger all learning. It is very very galling .

Please see your local authorities guidelines. Its quite easy to find by council. They are in some cases going straight to prosecution

I got fined for a 2 week holiday so more than 10 sessions, it was £80 per parent per child so £160 per child. I don’t think it changed as it was a £80 for 6 days or 60 days, the fine was £80 regardless of length.

It's £80 per parent for 1 child after 10 sessions (5 full days). If you pay within 21 days, if you don't then it's £160 instead of £80.

You would be fined £160 per parent per child, so £640 in total.

You would not be fined for the other 2 days at that point, however they would be included in any further absence that took them to 5 days.

More than 2 fines in a 3 year period can result in further action being taken.

This week my kids have had a party, a panto and a film. They've watched performances from reception to year three and the Nativity in the local church. They finished at 2 one day and 1 the next.

Well, it’s more than 10 sessions so it’ll be double.

I would never put kn more than one film at MOST. This is primary though, in secondary it may be different.
If it's primary then they must have serious staffing shortages and behaviour issues for staff to need to be pulled like that, e.g. unfunded SEN children in crisis needing 1:1 support

It shouldn’t be unclear , where are you looking.?

So much misinformation, it’s PER ABSENCE after ten sessions have been missed. So £160 per child per parent reduced to £80 if paid early.

It was elf, then another one, then half an hour of cartoons. I thought it was bad too.

Two other films this week.

Im not very happy to be honest.

I'm a teacher and my class watched a film this afternoon so I could prep my classroom before the holidays. Jobs I did in the classroom during the film:
-take down all displays
-Hand out all work from displays
-re-back all displays
-spray clean all whiteboards
-sort all books, drawers, re-stock all stationary and list anythjng missing to be re-ordered in the hols. By me. Be ause my school cant afford sufficient stationary for the children.
-hand out 100+ christmas cards
-write up three first aid jncident forms from lunchtime
-verbally checked in with the 5 most vulnerable children in my class who will face awful, awful holidays.

Obviously I will still work in the holidays too planning and resourcing next half term, but I think it's fair enough to set up the classroom during the last afternoon rather than in the holidays. Please don't assume teachers aren't working when a film is put on.

spent the day watching Elf.

Were they watching it on a loop?

So not just a film a day. The whole six and a half hours watching a film for a week.

You are failing your children by sending them to that school.

Ah you see, I can only go on what people tell me. Having not done it myself.

it’s a bit galling to be fined for one day out of school then see the whole of the last week of term go by with a film a day.

But you don't get a fine for just a day. You get a fine after five days.

If your dc are watching a film a day at school, then I would seriously consider moving schools because you have either chosen or been allocated a shot school

I've been teaching for thirty years and I've never come across children watching a film every day in the week before a holiday.

You don’t get fined for one day, so your point is moot.

Not seriously, but it’s a bit galling to be fined for one day out of school then see the whole of the last week of term go by with a film a day.
I think it’s the patronising tone of the ‘missed education’ email, when you hear they’ve spent the day watching Elf.