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Original poster

To invoke the ‘otherwise’ option for school absence?

413 replies

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 10:58

AIBU to send this letter in and request temporary de-registration?
WWYD if you are a Headteacher and received this?
Dear Headteacher,
I am writing to inform you that for the period xxx 2026 to xxx 2026 inclusive, my children, [Child’s Name(s)], will be receiving their education otherwise than at school, in accordance with Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which places the legal duty for securing a suitable education on me as the parent.
Section 7 states that:
“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”
During this period I will be exercising the “otherwise” option. As such, my children will not be attending school between these dates. You may therefore treat them as temporarily deregistered for this period, as their education is being lawfully provided by me.
This is not a permanent withdrawal. My intention is for them to return to school-based provision on xxx 2026.
For clarity:
Parents are the duty-holders under Education Act 1996 s.7 with the right to elect for education “otherwise”.
Elective Home Education does not require the school’s permission (DfE Elective Home Education Guidance, 2019).
Temporary periods of home education are legally valid where the parent is providing suitable education under s.7.
Compulsory school attendance requirements under s.444 apply only where the parent is relying on school attendance to discharge the s.7 duty, which is not the case during this period.
Please confirm receipt of this notification for your records.

OP posts:
Ionlymakejokestodistractmyself · 20/11/2025 14:03

You can't deregister temporarily, deregistering is intended to be a permanent move.

From the internet:

If you’re unsure whether you wish to home educate your child long-term, you may consider temporarily deregistering them from school, although according to the Department for Education (DfE): “There is no provision in law for a ‘trial period’ of home education”.

The process would be the same as deregistering your child permanently, but be aware:

Your child’s school cannot hold their school place. If your child currently attends a fully-subscribed school, once they’re deregistered you may not be able to get them a place back at the same school.

If you wish to re-register your child at school after a period of time, your LA will allocate them a school place, but it may not be one of your preferred choices.

You’ll lose access to school apps and resources unless you can come to an arrangement directly with the school’s headteacher.

Tuntuntiming · 20/11/2025 14:03

If you are the parent of a child with SEND and wanting to deregister due to autistic burnout or similar then I recommend looking up your local council's SENDIASS service, type that into Google and you can make your enquiry with them direct, they are knowledgeable about the law on attendance and reasonable adjustments. There are lots of options before you look to deregister and home educate and lose your school place.

Isittimeformynapyet · 20/11/2025 14:03

Amazing what some parents who don’t try and not pay a fine

That's not a sentence.

Hoolahoophop · 20/11/2025 14:02

You are correct, flexi schooling would be wonderful. But does not suit the current system. In fact I think it probably only fits a one to one system. So best hire a governess and tutors.

Eeriefairy · 20/11/2025 14:02

Also, failing to listen to the multitude of people that are correctly pointing out that you can of course de-register, it’s just that you can’t guarantee your place will still be available on your return, isn’t making you or your argument look as clever as you seem to think.

GAJLY · 20/11/2025 14:01

I actually know someone who did this. To go travelling for 6 weeks then come back again. They lost the place. It had been filled by another child. Remember you choose to do this, you may lose the space.

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/11/2025 14:00

Amazing what some parents who don’t try and not pay a fine

own it if you take them out on holiday

as if you are ‘home schooling’ your children these dates - they won’t be going away on holiday

if you play games with your school , they are likely to give your child’s place to whoever is on the waiting list

Comefromaway · 20/11/2025 14:00

FairKoala · 20/11/2025 13:51

Not necessarily. The travelling community can be on roll with more than one school at any one time. Schools have to keep places open for them returning to the area.

Show quote history

There are rules regarding that though. The parents have to be "travelling for occupational purposes"

Owlbookend · 20/11/2025 14:00

You can deregister your child & go on holiday. You can reapply for their place on your return. If it is available, you will be offered it. There is no mechanism to 'reserve' it so it is available on your return. You have to just take your chances. The likelihood that it will be available will depend on local demand for places and how long you are away for.
Schools decide whether or not absence is authorised. School attendance policies will not stipulate that a family holiday should be recorded as authorised offsite education. If your child remains on roll the school will record their absence according to their policy and the current legal framework.
If you want the law changed regarding attendance you need to campaign for it. You and lots of others may didagree with the current situation, but until any changes are made the current framework will apply.

Isittimeformynapyet · 20/11/2025 13:59

public voice and opinion on the matter is not being fairly heard! The number of petitions started on school absence in term time clearly evidences there is a high level of demand for a changes to the current system

Where are the multitudes of unheard when you need them, eh?

Eeriefairy · 20/11/2025 13:59

I am a home educator, and the need to travel outside of the school term times is one of the factors that influenced our decision to do so.

However, in registering your children with the school, you have agreed to their terms. Arguing that you now disagree and want to stage a protest effectively, just for a holiday, makes you look very foolish.

This said as someone who absolutely believes that education does not have to take place in a classroom, Monday-Friday.

You are simply trying to pick and choose which rules should apply to you, but when you registered, you have already agreed to follow all their rules.

TinyTear · 20/11/2025 13:59

Apologies, thought it wouldn't show the whole quote

Asunciondeflata · 20/11/2025 13:57

So you want to go to Spain when it's less busy and cheaper?
If you want to deregister then re-register to do that, I suppose it's worth a try.

TinyTear · 20/11/2025 13:54

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 13:23

Thanks again for the replies. I do understand the concerns. However to clarify this is not about avoiding a fine for a holiday. It is about recognising the attendance system we are all working within was made for a society that no longer matches how families live work or travel today.

  1. Outdated system versus modern realities
  2. The current model assumes parents work fixed hours in one place, that families only travel during the school designated windows, that travel outside those windows is rare and that education must happen in a school building Monday to Friday. That framework may have made sense decades ago but it does not reflect the United Kingdom in 2025.
  3. Modern family life global mobility seasonal patterns and real constraints
  4. For many families today travel and family time are shaped by real world factors rather than just cost.
Take Spain as a very clear example. Spain welcomed around 85 million international visitors in 2023 which was about a 19 per cent increase on the previous year and which went beyond the pre pandemic figure of 83.5 million in 2019. The income from those visitors reached about 108.7 billion euros. Spain received roughly 17.3 million visitors from the United Kingdom, 11.8 million from France and 10.8 million from Germany. The country is now dealing with overtourism in regions such as Catalonia the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands where residents feel the impact of very high visitor numbers. Spanish authorities have started to bring in measures to spread visitors more evenly across the year and to reduce pressure from intense peaks. Working patterns have also changed. Many parents now work remotely or in hybrid roles or with international teams in different time zones. These jobs do not align neatly with the United Kingdom school calendar and coordinating family time inside the rigid structure becomes extremely difficult. This is not luxury. It is the reality for many modern working families. Seasonal and climate factors also affect some travel. For example reliable snow in the northern hemisphere now tends to fall later and less predictably than in previous decades. This means some families cannot fit certain activities into the narrow half term week without overlapping with term time. This is not about extravagance. It is about how travel timing and seasons have shifted.
  1. The legal right to provide education otherwise and the relevance of the 10 day proposal
  2. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states parents must ensure their child receives efficient full time education suitable to their age ability aptitude and any special educational needs either by regular attendance at school or by education provided otherwise.
This legal route means ta parent is authorised to provide education outside school when they choose to and still meet their duty. There is currently a call for families to be allowed up to 10 days of term time absence without penalty each year. This mirrors the idea a parent might elect for education otherwise for a short defined period without it being treated as a permanent move out of school. Recent reporting has shown strong public support for this type of flexible approach.
  1. School place the 10 day holding period and why this is seen as a loophole
  2. In practice parents are aware that a school cannot simply erase a child from its roll the moment they are not in the classroom. There is a period, commonly understood to be around 10 school days, in which the child’s place is effectively held while the absence is clarified and any decision about the roll is made.
From a parent perspective this creates a de facto safety window. If they exercise their right to provide education otherwise and the absence is contained within that same 10 day span, the school is still treating the child as having a place. The child does not instantly lose their place and there is no realistic risk of it being handed to another family inside that time frame. That is why many parents see the combination of Section 7 and this 10 day holding period as a VALID loophole. It allows them to provide education otherwise, for up to 10 days, in a way that is within the law, while the school still has to hold the place. This lines up exactly with the petition request for 10 days of flexible term time absence and shows that the system already contains the shape of a workable middle option. It is just not openly acknowledged or sensibly structured.
  1. The absence of any meaningful middle option
  2. Currently parents are left with two extremes. They can request authorised absence which is almost always refused unless the circumstances are exceptional. Or they can elect to provide education otherwise under Section 7 which is lawful but is often treated as a major step because of how the school roll and place holding are normally managed.
There is no formal structured option for short term flexi schooling or educational travel aligned with global work and modern family mobility even though the practice around 10 days on the roll shows that the system could support it.
  1. The core issue
  2. A modern education system in 2025 should reflect how families actually live travel and work. Instead the current attendance framework forces every family into a rigid model that no longer matches the reality. That mismatch is what leads some parents to consider short periods of education otherwise. Not because they want to undermine schools but because the existing system offers no viable alternative.
Until reforms bring the policy into line with real life, it is therefore very possible for families to rely on the lawful option that Section 7 provides and on the practical 10 day window in which the school still holds the place. It is not misuse. It is a rational response to a system that has not kept pace with society.

Holy TLDR Batman!

boohoo you can't go skiing. pay the bloody fine FFS

JoyintheMorning · 20/11/2025 13:51

The child would be removed from the Roll because they can only be in one place at a time. That is registered with you or registered with a school.

  1. You remove them from school
  2. You register them with you.
When you get bored with that you apply to send them to a school. You might get your first choice you might not.
Duckyfondant · 20/11/2025 13:51

For those of us that are less AI savvy.. Is this what happens when someone not very bright uses AI to try and organise their thoughts? All those point 1 and point 2s seen in the long text?

FairKoala · 20/11/2025 13:51

TranscendentTiger · 20/11/2025 11:06

No, it almost certainly will not. Once you off-roll your child the space will be offered to the next person on the waiting list (if there is one).

Show quote history

Not necessarily. The travelling community can be on roll with more than one school at any one time. Schools have to keep places open for them returning to the area.

ConcernedOfClapham · 20/11/2025 13:50

LiveTellyPhrase · 20/11/2025 13:24

Wow, that is one long chat GPT blurb if ever I’ve read one

I think we’ve been hoodwinked; I’m pretty sure the OP is a bot 🤨

CranfordScones · 20/11/2025 13:48

...It is a rational response to a system that has not kept pace with society.

It reads as abstract waffle to justify your belief that the rules are made for other people.

How about relating the concrete facts of your situation?

Asunciondeflata · 20/11/2025 13:48

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 13:40

Actually it's only that simple because public voice and opinion on the matter is not being fairly heard! The number of petitions started on school absence in term time clearly evidences there is a high level of demand for a changes to the current system, change has to start somewhere, being a doormat doesn't enable progress...

Show quote history

Headteachers aren't going by petitions, though
They have to follow the law as it stands.
Just deregister and home school if you want to, but just send a simple clear letter to that effect

TidyCyan · 20/11/2025 13:48

Maybeitllneverhappen · 20/11/2025 13:45

I think (it's hard to remember amongst all the stuff you've (not) written) that the original question was how a head teacher would feel receiving this. In your case, I imagine I would be throwing a party with lots of alcohol to celebrate that you would no longer be in contact with the school. (You asked).

Yep. I did think that this is giving them a lovely excuse to never see, speak to or receive an excruciatingly dull email that thinks it's clever from OP ever again.

Comefromaway · 20/11/2025 13:47

You absolutely can temporarily de-register your child. That is your legal right.

The school, however, is under no obligation to hold your place. If the school is under-subscribed then you may be OK but you will have to re-apply for a place and the timescales for this may not exactly meet your original dates.

If the school is over-subscribed then the local authority may end up allocating them a place in a different school.

mummymeister · 20/11/2025 13:46

at the end of day, despite all of your eloquence what you are saying is "I dont like the rules and dont want them to apply to me because Im special" and you arent.

there is no such thing as temporary deregistration because if there were every parent who ever took their child on an authorised holiday would do this option.

if you deregister you will lose your place at that school and rightly so. either you play by the rules or you skip out of the game.

petitions yes. lobbying your MP yes all of those good things. but the rules apply to you and they will be applied because not to do that would be just as unfair.

spanieleyes · 20/11/2025 13:46

ApplebyArrows · 20/11/2025 13:43

One suspects the local authority might be particularly interested in arranging a quick inspection to check up on the quality of this temporary "education"?

In my local authority, when a parent decides to home educate, the school has to complete a form , one of the questions basically asks if we consider the parent able to provide a suitable education. In this case, I think my response would be No, relies too much on ChatGp and not common sense!

Maybeitllneverhappen · 20/11/2025 13:45

I think (it's hard to remember amongst all the stuff you've (not) written) that the original question was how a head teacher would feel receiving this. In your case, I imagine I would be throwing a party with lots of alcohol to celebrate that you would no longer be in contact with the school. (You asked).

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