School asking for flight details after unauthorised term-time absence abroad

[PersonalData]

We went abroad mon-thu last week, ds (10) was in school the week before and went back on Friday. We let them know and obviously knew it would be unauthorised. As it was 8 sessions we don’t qualify for a fine. His attendance is usually 100%.

They asked on friday before and after for us to provide proof of the flights and other details for ‘safeguarding’ but he was back in school and clearly fine ?? We declined as this is private personal data. They replied back that we must submit the evidence by the end of tomorrow?

Is this usual ?

How does the referrer know what level it should sit at though? In my experience, some people consider a child not having gloves in winter to warrant a S47?! Surely that’s not their call to make. It’s the SW TM who decides whether to call a strat if/when the referral gets to them?

But who can be arsed to get into a debate over it. I assume they are well meaning (even if it’s a bit over the top). I say, unless you’re a criminal or undercover, just share your details and move on. I’ve got too many other things going on in life to engage in debate with the school:

I've never been asked for flight details.

If you had gone away in the UK you wouldn't have flight details.

Schools should have enough training to know the difference, Im only talking about schools here or other agency bodies like police. I wouldnt expect the next door neighbour to understand the difference.

But your comment about the gloves is spot on!!

Well exactly . So unless you have anything to hide, just give it. They can't exactly stop him going now.

I expect they want to show he was away with family not just playing truant alone.

Oh god, someone has thrown in a curve ball!!!!

Quite right, and no holiday booking either because you were staying at aunty Barbara's glamping tent in her back garden and you were picked up by uncle Stan so dont even have any petrol receipts.

Whats the school to do!!!!

sounds like it’s regional and maybe linked to how far along your authority is in implementing the reforms. Ours hasn’t separated the FH and MACP teams yet so maybe that’s the difference. Anyway, not really linked to the point of the thread! Just interesting how different places do things.

Ah well we havent either, this is our current system. There is a public referral route and a route for professionals. The route for professionals has 2 portal pathways and you're to say whether you have consent and if not why not and if it is a CP concern then to set out who your safeguarding lead is and confirm you had a consultation with them and that they agree with the referral.

However, front door will always have a consultation if professionals are not sure.

I think this one is just about the box ticking the school has to do over absences during term time, they are just lost in their little power trip IMO.

And if that were the case, what would providing flight information change!?!?

School attendance had gone mad in some areas, they are policing every single absence.
unless there’s patterns of excessive absenteeism I think it’s up to the parents to decide if they keep their child off occasionally.

Oh I quite agree, I’m thinking of my recent SG training, and there was more emphasis on FGM and radicalisation than before.

Yes, they should accept a parent's word.
If the school believe there is an issue they should make a specific accusation.

Exactly, this school is coming across like fuckwits so far, 2 out of 10.

It wasn't for 'safeguarding' for goodness sake it was so they could authorise it!

I could understand if it was a policy across the board to check every absence but I have never heard of anyone I know being asked for proof of their term time holidays - which leads me to think there must be more to it in OPs case.

If a person has to prove to a school that her son is undergoing a brain operation and subsequent time in hospital why is it such a big deal that OP unwilling to provide a simple flight number ?

Right so asking for the reason for the absence could be argued to be 'safeguarding' of some kind. But the proof of the absence is solely for record keeping. Not for safeguarding. So when they say they need the flight info for 'safeguarding' they are in fact lying. Or being as charitable as possible, they are confused.

Because the purpose of the request is different. Schools can authorise absence for various reasons, but in order to authorise they need proof. That's not why they are asking for flight details because the absence is unauthorised either way.

I wouldnt have thought so, not all schools operate the same way at all

But as someone has helpfully pointed out, you wouldnt have flight details if the holiday was UK based, you may not even have a holiday booking as such if you were just stahying with someone else

And you wouldnt announce the holiday in advance if this was a case of keeping a child off school to cover harm.

Im wondering what proof schools will now be asking for, for sick days. Because GPs wont be giving sick notes for children off for a week or so (quite rightly).

So a child is off for a holiday for a week, flight details were a 'requirement'

A child is off sick for a week with a cold, whats the requirement?

Hotel and travel details still a massive overstep and no requirement to give them this, their only power is to report absences over the allowed limit and let a legal authority make some token noises/small fine/ do nothing.

Read further on and I see you're talking from the social work position not the referrer position so ignore this

Because the child would be missing a great deal of school and will likely need adjustments around them when they return, may need school work sent home as best the child can complete. Completely different. That is to support a child

This family went on holiday, the school dont have to (and in fact cant for a holiday) authorise the absence, asking where the child was, quite right. Demanding 'proof', nope. Not entitled to that.

Personally if I were OP it would bother me more to be asked by a school to do all those other daft things schools demand these days....like the dressing up in costumes for World Book Day for instance. Id also be bothered about all the education missed due to child being taken out of school following an 8 week Summer vacation.

You know social workers can't actually agree for schools to withold children from people with PR in the absence of a court order? And if a child discloses abuse to you in school, of course you need to refer it to social services immediately but only police can actually provide immediate safeguarding to a child? I'm really unclear why you would be waiting 5 hours to ask a social worker if you can release a child to their parent after they disclosed physical abuse? And honestly, if you don't get a same day strat and a planned CP medical from a referral for physical abuse you need to be escalating that to the very top because that's a basic failure of the service which I literally can't imagine happening in my department, it would be unheard of.