to take DS on holiday even though I am more than likely going to get fined for it?

[TheLifeOfRiley]

DS is 5 (will be 6 by holiday date) and I have booked us a mon-fri holiday in May. Local rag had as it's headline the other day 'clamp down' on term time holidays a success. Fining parents £50 per child if they are taken out of school during term time for a holiday.

TBH I have just shrugged my shoulders. Paying a £50 fine on top of my holiday is still hundreds of pounds cheaper than going in school hols. Plus DS is autistic and would find it hellish going on holiday at peak time.

why not request holiday leave, your DS is only 5 and you accept that you won't be able to take him out of school when he's older blah blah blah. and if they refuse call him in sick :)

I wouldn't call him in sick. If you request and they turn it down then have the courage of your convictions and go. Your 5/6 year old is likely to drop you in it when you get back anyway.

And just because you call a child in sick doesn't mean you get an authorised absence. If I knew a parent had requested a holiday, had it declined and then the child was miraculously unwell that week I'd be unlikely to authorise.

Agree with CC, no point lying. Apply for permission knowing (but not actually saying) that you will be going either way, and list all the reasons you have given us.
I took my ds out for the last week of the summer term (end of yr 8) as I got my dates mixed up .
i had to ask the head to authorise it and despite the snotty tone of the letter I got back, it was ok'd.

i had requested a friday off for my son to go to his gran's caravan, this was the same week as the election (polling station) and the schools had also been shut on the monday, therfore a 3 day schooling week.

recieved a letter back from the head (think just a general type letter issued by the local council)stating that it really was unacceptable to remove children during term time but they did realise some work places have crackdowns on holiday times also so some circs were reviewd.

was a bit peeved with the letter due to the fact school had already been closed for two days, but it was such a huge issue i was wanting dc off another, not as thou much work would have been done (p.1)

sorry but i would call in sick should it be for one or two days,think i would reqest for a week or two.

good luck in getting your holiday hope you are granted it

you could always ring the night before and say your dc has terrible S&D and will have the week off

i dont see the difference between a child having 2 weeks with chicken pox or S&D or going on holiday

unless in important exmas,having 5 days off in a school year will not make that much difference in their education

Some years ago, a new head decided to stamp her authority by refusing permission for me to take my daughters out of school for the last day of the half term, in order to make an early start for our annual Whitsun trip to Cornwall. She said that it would be bad for the children's education to miss important class work.

We wrote to her and suggested that, as we'd already booked leave from work, it would be an ideal opportunity for us to come into the school for a few hours and see the changes she was making, as we'd previously had the impression that the last few days of each half term had been spent watching DVDs.

The following day we got a letter approving the day's absence, and we never heard about the matter again.

Oh, and on one occasion when said new head had written to the parents talking about the importance of every day of school, I wrote to her suggesting that as the school is owned by the diocese rather than the authority they could refuse permission for using it as a polling station, on the grounds that closing a school of 630 pupils (three form J&I) once a year is a three pupil-years lost each year. She seemed rather keener to harangue parents than the returning officer.