So pissed off! Unauthorised absence

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

We currently live in Belgium and DD has been at her school for three weeks. Her previous school attendance has been 100%. I requested a day off for her in November so we could return to the UK for a family event. I've just had an email saying that her absence would be unauthrorised because it isn't for religious reasons. WTF. Had I known that, I would have phoned her in sick on the day. As it is, I've already booked the ferry tickets and the hotel. I am very cross.

Just phone in sick anyway and say it is a coincidence that she is sick on the day you requested off. I would!

Tell them it is a religious event in the UK?

What date? I'll find you a holiday!!

Does it matter?

i dont mean that in an arsey way, but what long term effect will there be with it being "unauthorised".

wtf, WHY does it have to be for religious reasons?

last year we went to the cornbury festival and as such my three school age boys had the friday and the monday off school.

i filled in the request form, but also spoke to the headteacher, explaining about the festival and the live music, activities etc and she agreed that it would be a good experience for the boys, and was more than happy to authorise the absence!

religious reasons my arse, what if you are NOT religious at all, can you not take any days off?

bigbadmummy, depending on where you live if you have unauthorised absences then some LEAS will FINE you, so yes it can matter, tho i am not sure what the rules are in belgium obviously!

Kreecher, if it's an International School, they will do squat about it anyway. Have a look at the end of term at how many go off on holiday really really early. Always shocks me at BSB that kids are off on hols 10 days before the end of term in some cases.

I realise that it is tiny in the scheme of things, but had I said it's because we are members of a cult that need to buy red jelly beans at Safeway in Dover on the last Friday in Novemberists, it would have been fine. I don't know why I am getting so cross, she is nine, not doing her finals.

You could ask if the school could provide your dd with work to do (its not usually much work to do at all at that age) and mark it as "educated off site", if you are worried about the unauthorised absence mark.

Lie. You seem okay with that.

Why should your absence be authorised if it isn't for an authorised reason? You can't expect to take your child out of school when she should be there and still get a 100% attendance record!!!

A days unauthorised attendance wouldn't bother me but I'd be pissed off if it was as it is in the case of the op. Why should it be authorised for religion but not other reasons. Why should religion be treated as a special case

meh. dd2 doesn't get an attendance certificate because she has physio. i wouldn't mind, but all the kids with attendance certificates get their names put in a jar and one wins a bike. it's the knowing that she is excluded that upsets her, rather that not winning the bike lol.

but it doesn't matter - just go. it's unauthorised, the sky will not fall in. she'll come back after and the teacher will say 'how was your family event?' there'll be no animosity, it happens all the time.

I don't know what the 'rules' are in Belgium, but surely that's against them? Which religions are you 'allowed' to observe and which aren't you - I'm sure there's one in the world that day

Our school said in their letter that the children are entitled by law to 10 days per year, but to please think carefully before using them, in a really nice way :) Yet I know other schools wont let you take them? It's all a bit hit & miss here.

I would just carry on with your plans as they are - what are they going to do - shoot you? If they say anything, just say that you accept it wont be recorded as aurthorised by the school, but they'd been told that she wouldn't be in that day and as her mum, last time you looked, that did give you 'authority'.

What does it matter if she has unauthorised absence? It looks worse for the school than it does you.

DD had 100% attendance last year EXCEPT for 3 hospital appointments over whcih we have no control - so, missing half a day of school for each of these 3, she did not get her 100% attendance for those 3 half terms. I spoke to the head who explained that even for medical/authorised absences, it still does not count as 100% on the computer - DD now gets a "very good attendance" certificate instead

keep your kid off for whatever reasons you like, but dont expect to have 100% attendance on their school record.

also, phoning in sick when you have asked for a day off is a very bad thing to teach your kids, as making a habit of this at work can be a disciplinary offence

good habits start young

chippingin - are you in the UK? state school? if so, the idea that children are LEGALLY ENTITLED to 10 days off is wrong. The head has the discretion to ALLOW a MAXIMUM of 10 days off - IF THEY SEE FIT. Even the head cannot authorise more than 10 days off.

some do allow time off for holidays, special events etc, some don't - I have known people told that if they take the holiday unauthorised, the school will give the childs place to someone else!

PerpetuallyAnnoyedByHeadlice, not having 100% attendance, and having some unauthorised attendance (when the parent hasn't accounted for why the child isn't not in school, or the school has not authorised holiday) are two completely different things.

I tell the school if my child isn't coming in, and let them decide if it's authorised or not.

Hostpital apt's are always authorised. An afternoon off to attend my brothers Friday wedding wasn't.

And when I had enough off dragging DS1 into school kicking and screaming, and told the school I was exhausted and would be giving us all a break from school for a week it was authorised. And when it was the OFSTED inspection, and the secretary suggested that I might like to keep DS at home, that was authorised too.