To think we can’t take the children out of school just to spend Christmas with DHs family

Normally would be saying you can’t take kids out, but I think a few days at the start of term because of a religious and cultural event seems valid to me? I would expect a Head teacher to happily provide authorisation for an absence for this reason? I’d speak to HT at the school when your DC starts and work from there. Many years, school will not start until 7th, so assuming you fly back on 8th, you’d be back in school on the 9th?

Your DH may need to be more circumspect when your children are at secondary school/doing GCSEs, in which case, you may need to remain in UK with children - or his family may need to alternate and come to you for Christmas (so DC only miss the 7th, itself) - but I’d not discount something being possible with school support.

Certainly next year no viital learning will be missed as it is mostly play based so not too difficult to catch up on the shorter carpet times.

Absence is usually authorised for religious festivals - if you plan to go earlier and travel back at the earliest possible after the 7th you might be ok, but I'd suck up a fine if it was important to DH anyway. Certainly until KS2 (I've not hit that age with my own DC yet to know how fast paced it is)

Some years you get lucky, I know school has gone back as late as the 9th next year it’s the 5th though. Schools will allow a day potentially 2 for religious observance but I don’t think they will authorise a whole week generally, there is no reason why you need to travel overseas to observe a religious holiday in theory. There is compromise to have time before with them so you won’t find them agreeable every year

I’m not one for pulling kids out of school for no reason but for this I 100% would

Lol. That's far too simplistic.
I took my son out once to go to Legoland in year 1. And in year 4 just to see his cousins who are here from abroad. He does lots of extra learning for fun on top of his school work and at 15 went back to school the day after a bad fracture because he didn't want to miss key lessons

Oh yes. That trip to Disney land when DD was 7 means that she totally thinks that school was unnecessary. Or that ski trip. Or the authorised absences for representing UK Scouts abroad...

Or in reality... she appreciates the value of attending as many lessons as possible and has gone to school on days she didn't have to (as they will give her travel days... but she has been at school at 10.30 after getting back at 3am)

Not necessarily. We had the odd holiday, day missed, early finish etc. DD has 100% at secondary. In fact, she wasn’t feeling well at the end of term and I said she could stay home, but she took a paracetamol and went in. There’s a balance to be had.

It will be fine in infant school at least and probably for longer

My son's always missed loads of school due to illness and has consistently been top of his year . Effort is more important than attendance. Make sure they value education and enjoy learning and reading outside school as well as in school

I’d take them out of school for this (and I’m a never take them out of school person!). I think you’ll find that as they get older things change a bit, by the time they get to GCSE and it’s more important they don’t miss lessons they’re more able to express what they want to do and have some input. But while they’re tiny - absolutely go for it.

my DD is private school, they are measured on absences too now (rules just changed). She’s not back until 6/1 and I know there will be kids who come back the following week because of family holidays.

Again. -the head teacher can authorise the absence and no such criminality has occurred.

it happens all the time and is necessary to observe diverse religious deity’s given the UK time tables written around Church of England Christianity only.

School attendance officer here.
These are experiences of a lifetime and understandably very important to your husband. As long as your children normally attend well, you must go. As others say, most years you wouldn't have to miss a full week anyway and there's likely to be a teacher training day thrown in.

Im not trying to.
Im commenting on the rediculousness of the posts.
How i respond is my business..
HTH.

You seem a little short of vocabulary to explain your point of view.

If your 15 year old is school refusing there’s more at play than observing your father’s family Christmas every January.

You can definitely take them out for a religious celebration. Depending when it falls relative to term dates, they might not approve all 5 days, but the 7th and time either side for travel should be authorised.

I would absolutely take them out of school at least until year 6. It's an important family and religious holiday for them. Lots of children miss 2-4 days over the year for religious observance. It's not a big deal, even if it isn't authorised.

Oh dear.
Again..

Not at all, because the headteacher can authorise the absence.

For the people who think there's nothing wrong with this and that the OP is being unreasonable, and "oh dear" people who remind them that it's a criminal offence to take your children out of school -

If you teach a 4, 5 , 6 year old that going to school is for when you don't have something more interesting to do, then don't be surprised if your 15 year old refuses to get out of bed to go there.

School should authorise due to religiousholiday. Even the travel, once he starts school write a letter to the head and request the time off. If they reject set up a meeting explaining the importance etc.

I am a teacher and 100% agree. Take them!

You’d be surprised at the number of children who are taken out of school in term time to visit their relatives abroad. Lots of the children in my school travel to India or Pakistan for a couple of weeks particularly around religious festivals.
Do NOT ask the teacher for any school work to take with you - it’s your choice to take them out of school, the teacher does not need their workload added to because of this!
Your DH is right - go, enjoy family, celebrate!

I think it's really important for kids to spend time with cousins especially when they live in different countries. It can foster a huge sense of belonging. I'd let them miss school, but look at the dates each year and see how you can minimise the days off.

i’d suggest whats best for the children us the way to go. It’s not about fines it’s about the kids lives.

Which would probably mean it gets assessed each year and discussed with the teacher. So if there would be a change of class mates or an important going over of last terms work, some of which the kids struggled with, it could mean it’s better to go abroad for just a couple of days at the weekend instead of the religions christmas day. If however the kids are bright and teacher advises not much will be happening, and same class mates so nobody new to meet, then maybe a week or most of a week would be fine.

I suppose another thing to consider is whether the religion is one which you practice all year, or if it’s just an excuse kind of thing for a family catch up? if its not a big deal in your lives then maybe it’s easier to miss on occasion. If it’s important to observe everything that happens abd you can do that here, then you should really try and go.

For exam years I might worry about missing school but not for a while. I think minimising the time off by going there earlier and returning on 8th/9th is a good compromise.