Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

School absence

40 replies

Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:02

I requested one day off for my 2 kids next Friday, Im taking them to Legoland for the day. School is based in Essex.

Got a letter sent back today saying the application has been rejected. Now the trip to LL has been booked and paid for etc.

Speaking to other parents, most of them screwed their face up and said why did I bother applying when they could have been "sick" for the day, however I wanted to do it correctly.

It annoys me as there are plenty of other parents who have taken their children out for either 1 or 2 weeks for holidays and that has been fine, yet I ask for ONE day and its rejected.

Their attendance is very good, they have only missed time for positive covid tests, they would have been fine to go in but weren't allowed. Apart from that they are there every single day.

I'm going to be taking them anyway, it's the only little break they are getting this year, can see on some websites that its 10 unauthorised absences that get referred to the LA, and this will only be 2 each.

What would you do? Just call in the morning and say they are both sick, or just say I'm taking them to LL anyway?

OP posts:
nearlyspringyay · 06/05/2022 16:04

Just get it marked as unauthorised. Don't call them in sick, they know what you are doing already.

FWIW LOADS of schools here are going to LL on Friday, end of SATS celebration, it will be busy.

TheVanguardSix · 06/05/2022 16:05

Seriously. Life is short. Call in the morning. They're both unwell. Off you go to LL. Have fun!

TheVanguardSix · 06/05/2022 16:06

Just get it marked as unauthorised. Don't call them in sick, they know what you are doing already.

Or take the above advice... unauthorised. Just go and have a good time. Don't sweat it.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General education
Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 06/05/2022 16:08

A holiday unless the request was timed to fit in which medical treatment, army leave or for funeral will never be approved. Just because it’s unauthorised does not automatically mean it’s a fine. In our LEA a holiday won’t be approved but as long as attendance is over 80% you won’t be fined.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 06/05/2022 16:08

Schools can't authorise for a trip to Legoland just because it suits you. There are some situations in which a school can authorise absence but these are really specific and the head will have to justify it.
The parents who went on holiday may have applied and met those conditions or the school may have refused and the parents took a chance or were willing to pay the fine.

Notanotherwindow · 06/05/2022 16:13

They aren't allowed to authorise it.

I'd have just called them in sick tbh.

OnaBegonia · 06/05/2022 16:21

Is this an English thing, asking for permission to stay off school?
I'm in Scotland and never had to do this, only time I'd notify in advance if it was more than a day.

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 06/05/2022 16:24

OnaBegonia · 06/05/2022 16:21

Is this an English thing, asking for permission to stay off school?
I'm in Scotland and never had to do this, only time I'd notify in advance if it was more than a day.

Yep. Too much time off and parents can be fined or taken to court.

Original poster
Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:25

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 06/05/2022 16:08

Schools can't authorise for a trip to Legoland just because it suits you. There are some situations in which a school can authorise absence but these are really specific and the head will have to justify it.
The parents who went on holiday may have applied and met those conditions or the school may have refused and the parents took a chance or were willing to pay the fine.

I've just told them I'm taking them for the day anyway, so they are aware of what is happening.

Their absence policy states that a situation is exceptional if "being of unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value to the child which
outweighs the loss of teaching time" which this is. It's the first trip they have had for over 2 years, and will mean far more to their wellbeing than a day of school.

I could understand that if I had booked a week or 2 yeah, but it's one day

OP posts:
LouisRenault · 06/05/2022 16:26

I'd have just called them in sick tbh.

What's the point of doing that? The school will know it isn't true as soon as the dc start talking about their day at Legoland.

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 06/05/2022 16:26

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 06/05/2022 16:24

Yep. Too much time off and parents can be fined or taken to court.

Show quote history

Here are the details
www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/legal-action-to-enforce-school-attendance

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 06/05/2022 16:27

Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:25

I've just told them I'm taking them for the day anyway, so they are aware of what is happening.

Their absence policy states that a situation is exceptional if "being of unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value to the child which
outweighs the loss of teaching time" which this is. It's the first trip they have had for over 2 years, and will mean far more to their wellbeing than a day of school.

I could understand that if I had booked a week or 2 yeah, but it's one day

Show quote history

Surely they would argue that there are 13 week of holiday in the year when this could happen. I do take my kids out of school for holidays but I know it’s not essential and it could be done at other times.

Original poster
Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:28

No other parents that Ive spoken to have had better circumstances than a holiday. One of my friends had 2 weeks allowed for a trip to Disneyland, did not coincide with anything else going on at the time.

Another friend had a week off last month to go to Centerparcs, no other circumstance apart from that at all.

OP posts:
Quartz2208 · 06/05/2022 16:29

It annoys me as there are plenty of other parents who have taken their children out for either 1 or 2 weeks for holidays and that has been fine, yet I ask for ONE day and its rejected.

They would have had the same as you - down as unauthorised.

PEople do it all the time - it isnt unusual and they wont have thought anything of it.

Getting authorised leave tends to be for funerals etc. As much as you think it is justified they cant simply ok it

But enjoy the day - literally no one will think anything of it. And it is better unauthorised then sick as they can talk about it

Sirzy · 06/05/2022 16:31

You are taking them out of school unnecessarily of course it will be unauthorised.

don’t lie to school but don’t expect them to change the rules just for you. Go and have fun and don’t worry about attendance codes.

Original poster
Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:31

LouisRenault · 06/05/2022 16:26

I'd have just called them in sick tbh.

What's the point of doing that? The school will know it isn't true as soon as the dc start talking about their day at Legoland.

I did think of that, and we are there for 2 days as opposed to a single day. But trying to do the right thing instead of lying and it gets denied. Their attendance is good anyway, they have only had time off for covid and that was when they werent allowed to go in, as opposed to me keeping them off.

And yeah I get the point about being 13 other weeks of the year, but at double the price and as a single father that was just not possible, I would have been saving for another year to be able to go in the holidays. As it is, I am only going for 2 days as I got an offer where if I booked the hotel then I got the 2nd day free.

OP posts:
EduCated · 06/05/2022 16:35

With the best will in the world, a trip to Legoland just isn’t a significant emotional, spiritual or educational occasion. It’s not a funeral, or a university interview. It’s a nice day out.

But as others have said, go and enjoy, and just accept it’s unauthorised (as those who took holidays will have done).

Original poster
Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 06/05/2022 16:41

EduCated · 06/05/2022 16:35

With the best will in the world, a trip to Legoland just isn’t a significant emotional, spiritual or educational occasion. It’s not a funeral, or a university interview. It’s a nice day out.

But as others have said, go and enjoy, and just accept it’s unauthorised (as those who took holidays will have done).

I get your point, but I guess it depends on how you look at it. I know it's going to mean the world to them as we never get to go anywhere like that, so theres no way Im not taking them.

Thanks all

OP posts:
Sirzy · 06/05/2022 16:42

But you didn’t have to stay in one of their hotels. If you had wanted to you could have stayed down the road for much cheaper and done it in the holidays.

you have chosen to take them out. That’s fine. But it doesn’t make you a special case.

felineweird · 06/05/2022 16:47

I'm a school secretary and we would categorically NEVER authorise a trip to legoland. Who says the 1-2 week holidays were 'fine'?! They were almost certainly unauthorised but went anway

LisaSimpson73 · 06/05/2022 16:55

I get your point, but I guess it depends on how you look at it. I know it's going to mean the world to them as we never get to go anywhere like that, so theres no way Im not taking them.

But literally nobody on this thread has said that you can't go.
Even school hasn't said that you can't go, they're just refusing to make it an authorised absence because it doesn't meet the criteria.

Don't ask the kids to lie and stop moaning about what other people do and don't get (you have no idea what their circumstances are!)

Just go to Legoland, be honest with school, they'll tell you in a slightly grumpy way that it's an unauthorised absence. You nod and say you understand and off you go.

No need to turn it into a drama.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 06/05/2022 17:13

being of unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value doesn't really include a jolly to Legoland. And it may not have included 2 weeks at Disney but the family knew they could save more on a term time trip than they'd pay in fines.
Just do it and accept those are the rules.

Goldijobsandthe3bears · 06/05/2022 18:15

There is no way loads of other people have had 1/2 week holidays authorised. They would all be unauthorised but just gone anyway

balalake · 06/05/2022 18:24

I don't think a trip to Legoland is exceptional. Regardless of that, I don't think lying and claiming a child is sick is appropriate.

Accept it as unauthorised, and if you think the policy is being inconsistently applied, contact one of the governors if you feel strongly about it.

abblie · 06/05/2022 18:40

My daughters school rejected 3 days in June for a holiday that was cancelled twice due to covid my daughter is going on holiday