Term Time Holiday

[RiverFlowers]

So my in laws have booked a holiday for all of us (five days, Monday to Friday) but booked it during term time. I have one child in Year 1 and another in pre-school attached to the main school, I can freely take the one in pre-school out as they aren't legally required to be in full time eduction but the one in Year 1 is and therefore any request I make for absence would be denied.

However, am I right in thinking if we sent the one in Year 1 in for the morning and picked up after lunch, we cannot be fined as they won't have missed 4.5 days - or sending them in for the entire day and leaving straight after - meaning they are absent for 4 days?

My in laws cannot move the booking and when I looked at the cost the week before (half term) it's £1.5k more expensive anyway!

Or do I just take them out, tell the school and risk the fine of £120?

I take my yr1, yr2 & yr3 child out for 4.5 days to avoid the fine. I collect at 12noon so they are marked as attending for morning registration.

Tell the school and take them in. The fine won’t be £1200

Spoke to the deputy at my son’s old primary. The LEA don’t have the capacity to fine everyone, they are far more likely to target those who are persistently late than one holiday knowing you’ll privately be in every day for the rest of the year. I’m also far from sure it’s a daily fine, I think you pay it once for however long they are off.

It's not a daily fine, it's £60 per parent - so £120 total.

We wouldn't be travelling until lunchtime anyway so I am not against sending them to Year 1 for the morning and collecting after lunch if that is a doable option.

Or collect after the afternoon registration depending what time that is. I remember, when the school went though an enthusiastic phase, dropping my child off at one gate and then going around to the office to pick them up for 10am hospital appointments so they just were registered and left, no lessons and wouldn't be back until 11am. The school preferred that for their records than me trying to get an 8.30am appointment and them being a little later in, even though the 8.30 was the first appointment and they could be in school for 9.30 missing just assembly and a few minutes of the first lesson. As long as they were there for registration they were happy.

I'd just pay the fine. 120 fine compared to saving 1.5k.

They only need to be there for registration so 9-9:30.

Just pay the fine. We went away last year in term time for the first time ever and just paid it. Job done