Term-time holidays - what's the worst that could happen?

[CallaLilli]

We're looking at holidays next summer and it's utterly infuriating how the prices get put up during school holidays.

I realised that going where we want to in August would cost about £1200 but doing it at the end of June would cost around £800.

Has anyone done this and not been fined by school or had their child penalised in some way? DD is only in reception (but it'll be after she turns 5), so I'm not sure she'd miss a huge amount. And even if we were fined, it would still work out cheaper than if we waited til August to go away!

Move to Scotland, they don't fine you here. We always take kids out for a holiday term time, my dh has a job that is busier in the summer holidays so if we want summer holiday we have to.

The individual School refers parents to the Local Authority to issue a fine. They can do this for 10 missed sessions (so 5 days/one week). If they believe you are on holiday, they can also join together several smaller periods of absence to fine if they total 10 or more sessions.

So it is really down to the individual school, but the Local Authority is the body issuing the fine. Some do and some don’t. In our area, if a school refers a family we DO fine. The fixed penalty notice is £60 per parent, per child, per period of absence. So for 2 parents with 2 kids, the fine would be £240.

As it is a fixed penalty notice, like a speeding fine, it must be paid or they will take you to court. If you pay straight away, you just pay the fine and that’s the end of it. If you refuse, the fine goes up. If you continue to refuse, you will go to court. If you lose in court, you will end up with a bigger fine/pay the Local authority legal costs and a criminal record. Worst case scenario! And it has happened in our area. But there’s little consistency because sometimes a court will give discharge the penalty notice.

Your child is 5 and in reception. Just go if you want, but be prepared to pay a fine just in case.

We go away term time February almost every year the week before half term. Grandparents living away long haul, so can only see them once a year if we’re lucky. Always unauthorised absence, but so far no fine. Our council has a £60 per child/parent policy. Both DCs have very high attendance during the rest of the school year.

Can't believe how many people think it's ok to take their dc out of school in term time. As a teacher, I can say it's very tough as they will miss out on a lot of learning and it's not always easy to catch up as the curriculum moves at such a pace that there isn't the time to teach your child everything they have missed out on.
If your child is very bright, then they probably will be ok and get up to speed however, I have found (and I know I will get flamed for this), it's the not very bright children who get pulled out of school to go on holidays during term time.
As PP said, if you are doing it, do it the week before Christmas or the last week before summer holiday start.

Lots of people seem to do it here. My family don't get fined in Scotland.

I wouldn't do it in the latter stages of high school, but she is little so go and have a lovely time.

Can we just have one long thread about this?
Every time this subject comes up it should just automatically link to all the other threads and then people can just carry on having the same argument ad infinitum.

I'm a teacher too and say just go and do it! If you're that worried about your daughter missing a week of reception go and ask the teacher for a copy of their planning for that week and blitz all the objectives on the plane.

In our area you would definitely be fined by the LA. They wouldn't miss an opportunity to make some revenue.
One of our local schools (secondary not primary) now also has a policy where your children would need to attend Saturday classes to make up the lost time.
The number of term time holidays at that school has fallen a lot.

One week is 10 sessions and it tends to be 15 sessions that attract a fine. Which is 60£ per parent,per child,so £120 if just one child. If your child has 100% attendance otherwise it won't be an issue. We did it twice with no fine but she never missed a day otherwise. Can't do it anymore sadly,as I work in a school.

I manage attendance in a primary school.

Just go - it will be unauthorised and your DC will miss important learning, but as a pp has said, this topic is now so boring and there’s nothing new to say.

Just don’t lie about it. Make a request for a term-time absence for a holiday and suck up any consequences.

She is 5.

Go.

You will be charged £120.

Holiday is now £920

I have never taken mine out, but next year they are both doing Sats (Y2 and Y6) so we will be having two weeks at May half term. Found a holiday for £3500

Same one in July is £6500. We will pay the £240 without argument

Both have 99 - 100% attendance the whole time they have been at school. One is exceeding everywhere in all subjects. The other average. They have multiple certificates for this amazing attendance

I don't think 1 week each is going to make any difference whatsoever

Have you checked the school hols with a fine toothcomb. Some have a 2 week May half term, school in our village puts all insets together and has a week off in June. Some have 2 weeks in October. Easter hols may also vary.

@AuntieGeek your DP breached confidentiality telling you. Now that is illegal!

@ladybirdsarelovely33 oh pipe down. Some parents have no choice because I'm not in a job where i get every school holiday off. The Armed Forces and Emergency Service's have set holidays, i get no choice but to take my kids out, yes they tried to fine me but that was dropped when i told them to send it to Jeremy Hunt, the minister in charge of the Ambulance Service.

@Nightwatch999 after it happened - makes it public record. Didn't mention names.

There some crap advice on here ... a criminal record, FFS!

£120 fine. Your kid is 5, quality family time is really important. Go. Your dc will benefit much more. Wish schools were tougher on people being late repeatedly as that’s much more disruptive. Your dc won’t lose out or miss learning .... ages 5!!

I wrote a letter to the governers requesting sepecial dispensation due to cost, not wanting dd to miss out bla bla. They never got back to me. We went anyway. What happened? Nothing!

She was in year 2. She had otherwise 100% attendance. I think that is the key. If it takes attendance below a certain % you're less likely to get away with it.

Everyone has different opinions about taking children out in school time but god people stop trying to scare her. I've taken mine out for a week before and no fine and I'll be taking them out again for a week next June. If I get a fine I'll pay it end of story and worth a week away.

Our council state 10 sessions per term allowed (so 5 days a term off) after that they can fine. I don't know anyone who has been fined... surely it has to the same for all ?

Go.

We are taking out our D.C. next April for three days. One is year three the other is reception but isn't five until next summer anyway.

Different schools have different policies, but it is a selfish thing to do as teachers would find it impossible if everyone did it so you are relying on most people following the rules. As other teachers have said: choose the last week or two before summer or the week before Christmas.

I took both of mine out of school for a week and my brother did the same as we all went away together in term time. Our fines came through in the summer holidays. We got a £120 fine per child but if it was paid within 21 days it was reduced to £60 per child. However they all had perfect attendance the rest of the year so I don’t know if this made a difference.

All 3 children also attend different schools

Our LEA fines on day 5. It's per holiday, per child and possibly per parent. £120 per child fine is not a huge deterrent when the holiday price saving can be so much more.

I teach primary. Tbh I've never seen an issue really with a child missing 1-2 weeks of school for a family holiday. Children missing several weeks of school causes issues, but not your average annual holiday, ime.

Do schools really fine even if you get holiday approved? We always take ours out for a week and fill in the forms and never once had a fine. We do however have a good reason to take them out - ds has autism and no way would he cope with the crowds and noise of peak times so we take him out of school, which is complex needs and very understanding so I wouldn’t expect them to fine anyway. But dds school is equally fine with it- mainstream etc. However we haven’t done it the last couple of years as she has GCSEs now so obviously we don’t want her to miss any of that (despite being top set, straight As etc - so holidays haven’t done her any harm at all!)

At 5 I really don’t think it’s an issue at all. Having a holiday is a really precious thing for a family, the memories last forever. If it’s choice between going during school time or not going at all then I think it’s worth going!