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Taking kids out of school for a day - will we get fined?

7 replies

Doubleraspberry · 18/09/2021 16:16

We’re moving back to the UK after some time away. We left a while ago and before the kids were at school, so never had to deal with the whole fines for missing school thing.

We’ve got a holiday booked for next February half term which involves travel on the Friday before. Where we currently are this isn’t a massive deal and we booked two years ago, well before we knew we would be moving.

All three kids are primary school. Is fining automatic now, or is it down to school/local authority approach? Just trying to work out whether I should be paying quite a bit to try to change the travel dates. For the record, this is not something we do regularly - even without sanctions here we don’t take the kids out of school for holidays normally, this is an exception.

OP posts:
Morfin · 18/09/2021 16:17

No you won't get fined, you need to have 10 missed registrations to get fined for a one off event.

Doubleraspberry · 18/09/2021 16:22

Ah, thanks. Is that national policy do you know?

OP posts:
countesskay · 18/09/2021 16:31

It's actually 10 missed sessions ( so 5 full days) over a 6 week period, but a lot of schools only apply to fine when it's 5 full days or more in a row. It's pretty national in England anyway.

Here's an example www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/legal-action-to-enforce-school-attendance

(Ex attendance officer in a primary school here)

I'd just be honest with the school, your children will want to talk about their day out anyway

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

MeredithGreyishblue · 18/09/2021 16:33

No you won't. 10 sessions triggers it

Doubleraspberry · 18/09/2021 16:33

Thanks for that - my googling mojo had disappeared today!

I was always going to be honest - wouldn’t want the kids to lie for one thing but also all three of them coming down with a bug on the Friday before half term would be a lie to insult the intelligence of anyone, wouldn’t it?! But I was wrestling with whether to try to change if we’d be fined. Probably similar sums of money I think.

OP posts:
MeredithMae · 18/09/2021 16:41

Write to the Head and ask for permission- don't lie! They will most likely decline it, but at least everyone knows where they stand. PPs are right, it's 10 missed sessions before a fine is triggered.

Enjoy your holiday!

Doubleraspberry · 18/09/2021 17:12

I will totally fess up. Particularly as I find that changing that date would mean paying 1k more. Frankly, fine away.

Does this mean this is the most pointless thread on MN today? ‘Woman fails to do basic googling/research’?

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