Term time holiday fines

[Caramellatteplease]

At what age do they stop fining you for term time holidays?

No judgement please I have a CEV disabled child who is home edding and DD(16) who will move onto normal college next September. Going when its quieter makes a huge difference and lives too short not to go. I'm just trying to work out if I need to budget in a fine

You cant be fined when not in compulsory school age.

But if a sixth former is not attending, they can asked to leave. Unlikely for a one-off, but perhaps something to bear in mind when planning

Oh it's only likely to be once a year for a week max. Are they likely to be asked to leave for that?

Once a child leaves school at 16 and goes to college or sixth form you won't be fined.

You are presumably not planning on taking your 16 yo out of school before GCSEs?

If it is for this summer Check the exam dates: they finish school once the exams are over (leave contingency for the days they allow in case exams have to be rescheduled). You should be ok for the beginning of July, for example.

You could go in early July this year. Does the 16 year old have sn. If not you could if it came to it, go without them in future years.

Once the 16yo is in college you may find the terms are slightly shorter.
This year DD's college finishes for the summer on 1st July.

This year I would go once exams are over. That should be quite some time before the end of normal summer term.
I wouldn’t take a child out of college during a levels.

We are on solid work mode until DD takes GCSE!!! She home edding since covid anyway. This is thinking about regular college in September and after.

Summer holidays can be a bit hit and miss as neither child copes well in the heat. Usually we go in winter but these days we have to dodge covid restrictions and times when hospitals being under the most strain which is complicating things

Wouldn't go without DD. theres only the 3 of us, it would be too quiet without her!

I think with taking time out of college, it isn't so much the fines you need to worry about, but the missing the work. This is equally true whether your DC is doing A levels or a more practical course.

One week off college she will be absolutely fine. Have a great time.

Head of sixth form college here … highly unlikely you’d be asked to leave, much prefer if given advanced warning so work can be set to avoid student falling behind (not on the day the student goes on holiday) BUT please do consider the fact that assessments can take place throughout the year. What course is your daughter hoping to do at college? If it is a practical course there will be ongoing assessments throughout the year, BTEC courses have January exams, exams at the end of year one, assignment deadlines etc. I would strongly recommend you don’t book anything until you’re aware of key dates. I would also really recommend not going at the start of the Autumn term as students who miss induction often struggle to settle in as well as those who start normally.

@Pearlpink good to know

@TeenPlusCat catch up is her department/responsibility. I missed a fair number of sessions here and there through A Level (although I very quickly learnt which I couldn't), everyone seems more dramatic about it these days.

@SkeletonSkins Thank you! We definitely will.

I guess my worry about catch up comes from having DC who struggled with normal workload so catch up from being ill was always an issue.

Also DD1's course (BTEC) had deadlines every 3 weeks or so, so missing a week was hard. And some A levels if you miss the teaching on a new concept you may never quite grasp it properly.

However I accept that some DC would take it all in their stride.

@Onlyhereforchaletschool

Thank you. Shes on Alevel, or at least planned to be. Atm its 4 days or possibly a week in mid October I'm looking at but it's all fully refundable (has to be with DS🙄🙄🙄). I had wondered about whether September was better so thank you for confirming to avoid then. I wanted mid November but I can't get it quite as sensibly. January and Februarys we seem to be semi shielding or official lockdowns any way and I wouldn't touch easter onwards. I'm thinking from what you've said we're probably on the least worst option.

I agree that missing work would be the main concern, especially If she is studying STEM subjects. If you miss the key building blocks you don't understand what follows.

@TeenPlusCat missing a key concept worries me. But shes kinda been teaching herself complicated stuff for 18 months with the home edding. It's not hers or my favourite thing to do but it's been managable.

I have realised how much easier doing stuff is with DS when other people arent around, just the less of shoulder ache from not dodging little people with the wheelchair. I think what people find hard and balancing benefits/disadvantages is so individual.

If she's doing GCSEs, go around the 25th June (check the exam timetable) cheaper and doesn't affect school at all.

DD1's College had a strict policy of no term time holidays, they could kick you out if attendance dropped below 95% too. I didn't test it. Dd2's college was private and even stricter as boarding

At the school my dc1 is at, weve had a note that the last gcse is 24th June but the week after is being held for any exam delays, dc1 isn't at that age yet, but the wording in the newsletter was as close to "please book holidays from 1st July just in case covid delays an exam". I reckon this year you'd be safe to go after 25th June when it's quieter, not quite as hot and cheaper.

Also quite a few 6th form colleges go back for year 13 (last year) a week later than schools in September to allow time for new year 12s to be registered /settled in etc. Worth checking if they do have slightly different dates than normal state schools if you want to go away when quiet /cheap without dc1 missing too much time out of class.