To take my kids out of school for three weeks

Missing 30 consecutive sessions (10 before term break and 20 after)? It is possible that they skip the fine and go straight to court. The rules allow this. For a trip that in 10 years time your children will have no memory of? Why does it have to be now?

Then you will also know the difference between children who regularly attend but also have parents who manage to grasp that experiences outside of your classroom (and take that opportunity for their children) are equally important are a world away from the kids of parents who allow lateness and persistent absence. You know that. As do we all.

Do you know who else doesn’t always know best? Teachers.

Incorrect.

Now who’s talking out of their arse?

Don't do this. No need to lie and potentially put a 5 year old child in a position where they have to lie too, if anyone asks. Appalling parenting and a very disrespectful way to treat the school in which you partner for your child’s eduction.
Go if you want to, but at least be honest.

How can you work in ‘attendance’ and give advice like this?
Of course harm will be done, which may or may not outweigh the perceived benefits. The 5 year old will miss 2 weeks at the start of term, which is a really important time for settling in.

My son's school authorised a trip to Florida for 8 days just a few months back in October. It could only be those dates in October for a very specific reason and it went down as exceptional leave I think it was called or something similar.

This exactly!

We did something similar. My best friend lives in NZ and we went there 4 weeks spanning the Easter holidays when the kids were 5 and 2 and again when they were 9 and 6. The school actually authorised the 2 weeks of leave each time, but this was a while ago and I think the rules are stricter now.

We made sure the kids did some educational stuff when they were there - they learned about geysers and earthquakes and glaciers, and they both wrote diaries, which are excellent souvenirs. We did reading with them as well.

I didn’t feel like they missed out from missing school at all. Experiences can be a really good education too.

I’m usually in the take them out of school camp always.

But not if it’s September.

That's not how it works anymore, I've based my suggestion to check in more detail on a government link to how the process works now, maybe you should read it.

I’d do it without a second thought.
Once in a lifetime opportunity trumps KS1 phonics etc. which we could easily catch up with at home.

Totally agree, I’m in Northern Ireland and as long as attendance doesn’t fall under 85% or something like that, you’re good. I have zero qualms about taking my kids out of school for holidays every year (albeit not for 3 weeks) as I refuse to pay July/August prices. In NI we don’t get fined and otherwise my kids have no other time off, worst we’ve had over the years is the 48 hour exclusion time due to having a bug over the weekend.

I’d definitely take them and just live with the fine. There are not old enough for it to matter at all.

Also a teacher (albeit secondary) saying Go for it!! Your kids are young; they will catch up with anything they miss very quickly especially as it sounds as though they will be having enriching experiences with you and so long as you keep reading with them I cannot imagine what damage this will do. Life is for living and things like phonics screening can frankly wait! I don’t know an early years teacher who doesn’t think the phonics testing is a waste of time!!

Had they missed time before? I think you might be right.

That’s not true anymore. It can now go straight to a criminal prosecution. There was a discussion about this on BBC radio 2 just recently.

Perfectly fine for you to be of that opinion, but I wasn't asking anyone or everyone who thinks there's no harm in it. Genuinely wanted to know why a school attendance officer wasn't at least one of the ones seeing the other side of the argument.

As it happens, as an English teacher who has hundreds of children sitting (not 'sat') in her classroom over the course of each week, I know the real harm caused to those who fail to attend regularly (not least because parents don't always know best or even have their kids' interests at heart, but also down to the skills they just don't develop) and know that none of the ones who make it in and take the opportunity to learn need your pity.

Honestly, a once in a lifetime trip, I’d do it and not think twice. That being said, in the part of the U.K. I live in, we don’t get fined and it’s just a simple case of me saying that my children will be off school from this date, until that date.

The fine would be a fixed penalty notice, you don’t get a criminal record for that. If you fail to pay and it goes to court you could end up with a criminal record. Once again Mumsnet is full of people talking out of their arses.

The end of which term, and the beginning of which term?

I’m g guessing it’s DisneyWorld.

And I wonder what a teachers perspective would be here?

The joy of the trip will shape them? Seriously, no. No more than a trip to Butlins at that age 😁

Nonsense, they may not remember it in detail but these memories, and the joy of the trip will help shape them. Let them go and have fun and enjoy themselves. Life is too short!

I realise there was that issue but I think the childrens attendance was also poor outside of that particular holiday?