Has anyone successfully appealed a fine from school for absence?

[Florencenotflo]

We've been away this week and took dd5 out of school to do so. The trip has been rearranged 3 times since April 2020 because of covid and was originally booked before Dd started school in September 2020.

When I re-booked it, to go in the Christmas holidays would have cost us £370 more than it was to go this week (for a Mon-Fri break). DH and I discussed it and we couldn't afford to pay that much. But we had made our peace with the fact we'd probably get a £120 fine from the school and factored that into our holiday costs.

I notified the school we were going away and they wrote back to say we would be fined. No problem, I was expecting it.

But, I've seen one of the other mums from school this evening and she took her Dd out last month, and wasn't fined. She's going to forward me the email in the hopes I can appeal. But is there any point? There were no other extenuating circumstances with the other Mum's situation, so I'm confused as to why we were fined and they weren't?

Dd is 5 y/o by the way not our 5th child!

You have to miss a set number of school sessions for the fine to kick in, and it's usually the local council that issues the fine and not the school so I assume you were fined by the local council and the other parent/child had a shorter absence?

Just been fined myself. Took ds to an annual sporting event... Apparently not important enough. Even though his df is a competitor..
New school so will pay but would prefer to tell them to get stuffed!

I know someone who received a fine and wrote a letter of appeal - cited mental health and stresses of the last couple of years. Said it was the only time both parents could get off work together, they needed a break away as a family etc. Think they may have also mentioned the irony of fining after school being closed for the best part of a year. No specific evidence provided - just a compelling letter. Fine was waived.

Is their child 4?

This is the first time either child has been taken out of school and Dd is 4 weeks younger than her friend? December and January born? So both were 5 when taken out.

Yes, school have written to say they won't authorise an absence and a fine will be sent from the LA.

Have you actually had a fine? I know schools all seem to do it differently but we only use it as a last resort for habitual poor attendance .

You might not actually get a fine.

@Thedutchessofhastings DH said exactly the same thing, she missed however many months last year, but that was ok. I didn't think that would get him far by mentioning that 😂

@Spiceup no, we haven't received the fine yet, just a letter back from the head teacher to say that one will be sent.

@Santaischeckinglists how daft is that!!

Like 17ChicCroissant said
You have to miss a set number of school sessions for the fine to kick in, How many days did your DD actually miss?
Have you received a letter from your local council regarding a fine?

@Santaischeckinglists

Just been fined myself. Took ds to an annual sporting event... Apparently not important enough. Even though his df is a competitor.. New school so will pay but would prefer to tell them to get stuffed!

Why is his dad being in a sporting event a good enough reason to take the kid off school?

I think there needs to be 20 sessions recorded as unauthorised absences before you can be fined (happy to be corrected). Each half day is one session, so effectively 2 weeks of unauthorised absences (although I don’t think it has to be in one go. It can be over the school year). If your daughter has missed less school than that, I’d think you had decent grounds for an appeal.

@UnusuallyUsual 5 days. Same as her friend. I haven't yet, I might give it a while and see if one materialises.

I've been reading our local authority page about absence fines and apparently there is no statutory right of appeal, the head teachers decision is final.

I'm just going to wait and see in that case, by trying to argue it before one actually comes through I may draw more attention to it!

So you wouldn't want to see your dh /df take part in a lifelong ambition event? You would let your dc miss it? Wish I had just shouted Covid like others I know.

No harm in trying.

Here you can have up to 4.5 days unauthorized in a year and avoid the fine. With a Mon-Fri break we could have avoided one by taking child in for registration on Monday and collecting her at 9.30am. School would still declared it unauthorized, they say they have no choice, but they do enable this 4.5 day "hack" to avoid the fine. Too late for that now, of course.

@LivingNextDoorToNorma not according to my LA. Holidays in term time will not be authorised under any circumstances. Basically the only time off during school time that will be authorised is for death in the family/funerals and medical/dental appointments.

@Santaischeckinglists

So you wouldn't want to see your dh /df take part in a lifelong ambition event? You would let your dc miss it? Wish I had just shouted Covid like others I know.

Depends on the event...

When did DD turn 5? School isn't compulsory until the term after they turn 5. If her birthday was September or afterwards they can't fine you.

@mummyh2016 no, Dd was 5 in January 2021.

Fine is issued by the LA. It's them you'd need to argue with. Not the HT.