Term time holidays - one child missing 2.5 days WWYD?

[NutsForMutts]

Hi, WWYD if DC had different holidays. Saves a whopping £950 on airfare to go 2.5 days before one DC gets out. This DC is top of their class according to every teacher at last parent's evening and has missed 1 day due to illness. And if you would do it, how would you report it to the school, and when? They operate an email system to report. So I could just say - we are leaving and DC will be out rest of week. Or feign sickness although I don't like lying/sending wrong message to DC.

I would just report that you were going on holiday. I wouldn't bother lying about sickness.

What year is the child missing class in?

If primary years 1-5 not such an issue. Year 6+ I probably would wait unless they’d finished their exams for the year and were not doing much at school.

we’ve just booked our summer tickets and DS (year 4) will miss 1 day of school. I’ll just tell the school closer to the time we’re leaving 1 day early due to holiday.

Even in year 6, 2.5 days will make absolutely no difference whatsoever. I’d call and report them absent each day without committing to a specific reason if you’re not comfortable “lying”, I always alluded to a non specific feeling of unwellness. In the new term no one will care and no one will ask. My children are late teens now and I routinely took them out one or two days before the end of term at least once or twice a year. No one cared.

I don’t know if it makes a difference with the changes, but at least as of last year, you could be absent 4 consecutive days (8 sessions on the register) before a fine kicked in.

I took mine on holiday for 4 days and just told them we were going on holiday. It was marked as an unauthorised absence and that was that. Don’t lie. If you’re going to do it, I think you have to own up to the decision.

We are in Scotland so no fines here so we take the kids out of school for holidays.

we are always honest about it and say that we are going on a family holiday

don’t lie because then your kids have to lie

They'll miss whatever is being offered and covered those days, which will be equal to, but different from, any other days. Either you value that or you don't. What's the point in lying about it.

Fines are only issued if you miss 5 days. So just take them out. Doesn’t matter the reason

I wouldn't worry at all if the child is y8 or below. And probably ok in y9 and 10. I'd tell the school the truth.

The DC is in year 8 and it's a private school. So is it better to send a note now and say this is happening in three months, and it's because of the huge savings, and we're going to see family (all true)? The school hiked their fees massively from the VAT so that has made a real difference to our budget. (I appreciate many people are not sympathetic.)

We take our kids out for holidays if it's near the end of term as you've discovered the flights are often so much cheaper. We never lie, just say they won't be in and we're going on a family holiday.

Absolutely fine, especially in Y8. Just say you are going on holiday.

I often take mine out for the last day simply because of the savings. In fact we are in February. I will tell the primary school, maybe the day before. EX will ring the secondary as the lines open when we're mid flight. Or I might send an email but they're useless and will probably still ring

We are going away for 10 days in August, but also in May half term and taking them out the day before as it's 1k cheaper

I don't think the fines apply to private schools, only state schools.

It's not consecutive days. If you take 4 days now and then a 5th at a later date for any reason, the fine will
kick in at that point.
In the state system, anyway.

I would 100% do it. The life experience of a holiday is worth more than the few days. No fines where I am and lots of people do this. Including a teacher whose kids are in the same school, she works week on/week off so takes the kids for her week off.

I am taking them out for 3 days, saved us £800 on the holiday. I always tell the school.

I would, I remember saving £1600 years and years ago by taking my DC away two days before schools broke up.

This. Just do it. Don't lie.

Thanks so much for all the thoughts and advice. I'm going to go for it and just let the school know the truth. TY!

Private schools don't fine, do they? So just say you are taking the child out for those days.