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Original poster

What would you do about taking dd out of school for holiday?

63 replies

mosschops30 · 21/02/2009 20:35

WE have booked a holiday in May, basically because I expected to be pregnant by now, but Im not!

So we were taking dd out of school for one week anyway.

We are now thinking that its going to be too early and want to go for the first two weeks in June where it will be a bit later and probably a bit warmer too. We have looked at changing it to August but a £1700 holiday turns into a £4000 holiday

What would you do? Providing dd hasnt got any important tests or exams would you do it? The school frown on this sort of thing and the absence would be unauthorised

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poopscoop · 23/02/2009 21:25

excellent wish mine were more obliging

Original poster
mosschops30 · 23/02/2009 16:10

ooh have just spoken to head of year who was extremely nice and said that although it probably wont be authorised they certainly wouldnt be letting the EWO know as I have told them, discussed it and made a decision for the family

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Original poster
mosschops30 · 23/02/2009 14:22

madamecasta - have been looking for you on here for weeks and have said lots of thank you's for recommending Clos Maggiore to us we had a wonderful evening.

Sorry for going off topic, dd knows its not ok to take days off, which is why when the school phone up and ask me to collect her because she's 'feeling a bit sick' i refuse, and why I drove her to school in the 'snow'. However dd knows that this is a one off, like I said last year we went in August and the year before at May half term. Its not like its a regular thing

OP posts:
MadameCastafiore · 23/02/2009 14:19

It's wrong - you are giving your child the impression that it is ok to miss school - it is not.

Original poster
mosschops30 · 23/02/2009 14:17

no they didnt 'advise' me to do that, they just suggested it was an option (in the same way my solicitor 'suggested' I could refuse access to exp regularly despite court orders) IYKWIM.

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piscesmoon · 23/02/2009 14:10

Seems very odd for an LEA!! It is our LEA that has instructed schools not to authorise.

herbietea · 23/02/2009 13:49

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unavailable · 23/02/2009 13:37

The LEA advised you to phone in sick if the school didnt authorise absence! That is awful.
Tell us which LEA!

Original poster
mosschops30 · 23/02/2009 13:17

Oh dear, well the LEA position is not going to please you all

They have said its up to the individual school, she said I should be hopeful theyd authorise it, but if not I could either phone in sick for dd or take her anyway.
When I asked about education welfare she said 'we would look at the case and see that the child had a otherwise excellent record and that the school were just flexing their muscles'!!

I think she had the same mindset as me, that if a child who never takes days off, who is never taken out of school for holidays or 'shopping' and then has to have two weeks off for unforeseen circumstances then so be it.

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Original poster
mosschops30 · 23/02/2009 13:10

we are going to the Algarve, and had orginally booked 17th-31st May. I just dont want to spend my two weeks holiday with rain and cold (although I know its not guranteed anytime of year).
Something else has come up today though, I am due to start a new job in four weeks, so cannot even take this holiday now if I want to as they dont have it available as existing staff have already booked half term week obviously.

I have written a very honest letter to the head of year which dd has taken in today and I am waiting for someone from the LEA to ring me back as regards to their position on it

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herbietea · 23/02/2009 11:27

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Docbunches · 23/02/2009 11:21

I definitely wouldn't, and tbh, it surprises me the amount of people who think it's OK. At my DCs comp, it's completely frowned upon, but people still do it.

I agree with what choochoochaboogie said and others.

You could have a very decent holiday during May half term or August for £1700, imo. One year, we managed to squeeze in a 9/10 day break to France over half-term, using both weekends and an Inset day, without DCs missing any school (they were at primary then, and I still didn't like them missing any school!).

captainpeacock · 22/02/2009 23:16

Where I work parents request the holiday, it is refused and they take it anyway. There isn't anything you can do to them.

edam · 22/02/2009 23:01

In answer to your OP, no, I wouldn't do it.
Your report card from the Dutch Academy for Genteel Cheeses would read 'excuses lack originality - must try harder'

piscesmoon · 22/02/2009 22:51

I took mine out of primary school occasionally because I thought that the holiday was more beneficial.I have never done it in secondary school because there is too much that has to be caught up with when they get back-I just don't think it fair on the child.

unavailable · 22/02/2009 22:32

You seem to have made up your mind before posting, so am not sure why you did.

Fair enough, but do remember you have chosen to absent your child for 2 weeks next time you want to complain about teacher absence or anything else that you think may adversely affect your child's education.

Original poster
mosschops30 · 22/02/2009 22:07

i am in the process of writing to the head of year to tell her my intentions, then they have the chance to discuss it with me

OP posts:
poopscoop · 22/02/2009 21:18

you wait ten10 - this will kick off now! I have been on several of these threads prior to recent namechange and they can get really heated

ten10 · 22/02/2009 21:13

take them out of school and don't worry about it,
in fact don't tell the school they are going on holiday.

my parents took me and my three other siblings out of school for a whole year when I was seven and it did not harm my schooling at all. All four of us went on to University, and two of us are educated to post-graduate level.
therefore I can't imagine that a couple of weeks is ever going to be a problem.

poopscoop · 22/02/2009 20:54

my dc absence on the school report is from september to May. not sure why but it never goes down on the report with the annual percentage of attendance thingy. so you may not even have it on her school reportif you go at that time of year.

In any case, I am of the camp which says, go and enjoy your holiday. I take dc out every year, but cannot be bothered to get into all the arguments about it again on here!!.

CrackerNut · 22/02/2009 20:43

I'd have to say no don't take her aswell, especially not for 2 weks, she will miss too much.

I have taken my children out of primary school, but won't be taking them out of secondary school. I'm not saying that primary is less important but that they will miss more work that they will then need to catch up on when in secondary school.

choochoochaboogie · 22/02/2009 20:39

I have 2 teenagers at sec school and can't/wouldn't take them out just for a family holiday - holidays are very important to us too - to everyone I guess. We can't afford the stupidly inflated prices that travel companies charge for school holiday breaks either, so we just have to find alternative "cheaper" holidays, which always end up just as much fun - it's all in the attitude. My DC's education is more important than a cheap sunny holiday.

kiddiz · 22/02/2009 20:06

It very much depends on the school. My dd is at a Catholic high school and they do have exams in each year. Dd sat her first lot just after Christmas. They use the results to decide which sets the children are placed in and whether or not to move them up and down.
They most certainly don't do authorised absences for holidays or shopping. We were told they would only consider it for serious illness or bereavement within a family.
Dd was recently off school with tonsilitus. I had taken her to the doctors and because of the wait there didn't get round to phoning the school till we got home at 9.30 am. There was already a message on our phone wanting to know where dd was and why she wasn't in school.

compo · 22/02/2009 19:46

I wouldn't
your dd will have to catch up when she comes back, does she mind?

ellingwoman · 22/02/2009 19:43

Each school is different. Ours have no authorised absences.

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