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 ?

I did this without being asked tbh, we asked for a day for my brother's wedding which was abroad, I sent the flight details which showed we'd booked a flight after school Friday and back Monday morning, the wedding was Sunday. It was authorised because they could see if done everything I could to minimise time out of school and he was only off for one day, no different to if it was a closer family wedding in the UK. I don't get the personal information thing it's just a flight booking, and you trust them with your child. Redact anything you feel is too personal if you like

Wtf?

Sound like the school is massively overstepping.

If you were away - you literally could not take your child to school

If you weren’t away… safeguarding would kick in

It’s none of there business and they are CF for demanding this.

🙄

Did you give them a heads up before taking him out? Or just call on the first day of absence?

This is...not how safeguarding works
The school doesn't need evidence that he was actually on holiday for any kind of safeguarding.

I think people who work in schools often get very full of their own power. Often they are also people who have never left school - high school, uni, straight back to school. Just don’t answer, what are they going to do?

They probably know where we went as if they’ve asked ds he would have said ! We’ve not told him to keep it a secret.

What do you mean 'safeguarding would kick in'
What does this mean

Just give them the information.
As someone upthread said your week away "on holiday" could actually be hiding your child at home because they're covered in bruises.

But if there was no reason behind the absence - then there would be a responsibility to probe further. Why, why didn’t your child come to school?

What personal information is there on a booking confirmation, apart from the names which the school presumably already know?

This isn't how ANYTHING works. Just no.

It could be that a child has been kept off school as they’ve received a non accidental injury and their parents are hiding it from the school. This is what happened with Sara Sharif.

4 days of unexplained absence would not elicit any kind of safeguarding procedures for a child with otherwise 100% attendance and no other safeguarding concerns

I've been involved in sentencing for school non attendance and also, at the other end promoting school attendance and I've never heard of this

Do they have any reason to believe it’s a safeguarding issue? I’d just hand the info over, it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.

What do you mean?
A child is off school for a week.
The school will want to know why. You say "oh yes we were on holiday".... should they just accept that?
With no proof?

Oh yes, the heady unlimited power of being a teacher just imagine what we can do 🙄🙄🙄🙄

I’d call their bluff .
There’s no logic to it , what would it prove ?
That you didn’t lie ?
That you weren’t lying low at home instead ?
and what if you were?
I’d be absolutely infuriated by this .

The SGL would have a responsibility to probe further to find out why the hell this child wasn’t in school for this length of time and the parents had lied

No idea whether this is normal or not as I wouldn't allow my child to miss school, but it doesn't seem unreasonable. I hardly think details of a flight you've been on are exactly private and confidential.

I wouldn't risk a strained relationship with school, life's hard enough. This is a battle I wouldn't pick

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