A fine for staying off school

ZOMBIE THREAD

VERY, VERY DEAD ZOMBIE TOO

mandm if you start your own thread you can get some advice. Fwiw I think you may just have to pay the fine.

My sons grandfather died in Thailand we had to take him at short notice I tried to contact the school headmistress for two days but she made herself unavailable I spoke to another teacher who said just go we went for two and half weeks in total in total one week being over the half term But when we
returned we were all sick and tired form the travel I phoned the school to explain this and we were still find I had a meeting with them today and I know that they had already made their minds ups I felt that I was in front of a court of law They even started on about family values I feel that we have been extremely treated by the school I just don't know what to do next

I don't think it is a good idea to take a 15 year out of school particualary if she has already got a low attendence.

LOL, you'll be sucking on your teeth and pulling 'dogs arse' faces like the rest of them.

the simple words' But Holidays are educational too' will have you foaming at the mouth

Ohh and the other one is 'Why don't they have INSETs in the holidays FGS' Practice now, it will save you time

Camping really is the way to go. And the kids love it.

and that was in August!

I did 2 weeks in France years before last, with 2 nights in a B and B (my treat) a day in Paris and a day in Disney, and eurotunnel crossing (we are crap sailors!) for the 4 of us for under £800. campsites all had swimming pools, play areas, bar, resuturant etc

The money we savem we spend in part dining out!

And whilst I absolutely agree with MB that 2 weeks in GCSE year is unwise, I can't help feeling that this is all just a ploy to make the government look good for getting absence rates down. They're putting the thumbscrews on schools to refuse authorisation - and am I right in thinking that you can't get an 'outstanding' in OfSTED if your attendance rates fall below a certain percentage?????

Starlight....camping.

Camping is the way to do school holiday time oildays without a life time of debt to fund it.

We are going to spend next summer hols in france, and well spend less than 2 weeks in a hotel in Sapin

and there is a lower carbon footprint and all that eco stuff!

If there's going to be a fine, though, £100 has still got to be cheaper than the premiums charged for peak-time travel.

Message withdrawn

Well, I suppose it's because it's not a serious request. They just say it because they think it will soften the blow and make you think that really they're concerned, supportive parents. As, of course, I am, intending to take my two out (only for one day, though) in May

Oh agree 100%. they have the right to take them out, their responsibility to see that the child catches up. Not mine.

I've been burned too often that way in the past, spent ages producing 'stand alone' materials for a child to cover the topics missed, only to find them totaly ignored.

No harm in asking

at that student's cheek, MB!
I have to say, as a primary teacher, that it hacks me off when parents write in to say that their DC will be off due to a holiday (that I wouldn't be able to afford to do, going, as we have to, in expensive peak season! No sour grapes, honest) and could I set work for them to catch up on what they'll be missing. Oh, and presumably mark it all too. B*** s to that. Have they ANY IDEA how long that would take?

Obviously you can always get back into education. My PGCE was with the OU, after a gap of 15 years from 'formal education' and my brother has his first degree with the,

The best students that I ever worked with at university were mature students. But it is so very much harder to do it that way.

Many people will 'only' need the paper qualification to get onto a course that they want, or to get a job that they are interested in. the reality is that many employers do want to see the paper qualification.

You can say that a holiday will be educational, but for most of my students it simply involved lying on the beach. and you are about to type that family life is a vital part of a child's education ( (I've done this discussion a few times before ) and I would agree with you. But for the vast majority of the kids I teach they are not going on a trip to the ;local caravan site, as this is the only time the family can afford, it is going to Goa rather than Spain. the educational input of most of these holidays is near zero, and will have negligible benefit to their GCSE results.

If their parents don't think the GCSEs are worth it, that is their right, it is their child, but they cannot pretend that there will be no impact, because there is.

Apart from a few cases, most children will not be adversly affected by missing out an a specific holiday. they are likely to be adversly affected by missing this particular time in the schooling.

I was once asked to give up my lunch to tutor an A level student who was going to miss my lesson. When I asked him the reason, he told me that he was going to see a gig. I told him the page numbers that he would be missing!

Hmm... DS tells me (no "official" word from the school) that his Y7 exams are the 1st week back after half term. So, clearly the school aren't unduly worried about being off school for a week immediately beforehand. DS, on the other hand is very concerned, because we're spending half term abroad, booked as I had no idea exams would be then. He is insisting he takes his revision with him to do on the 13 hour flight and in the 'down-time' we generally have late afternoon, because he doesn't want to end up in the lower sets for anything next year. Good on him - although time will tell if he actually does what he's promising.