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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

unauthorised holiday ...so cross

215 replies

lostlilly · 03/04/2012 21:30

5 days I requested, I finished my degree last year and we havent had a holiday for 5 years!!! my dd is SO excited about going on a plane she burst into tears when I got the letter saying unauthorised. It states her attendance is 100% but it is unauthorised. I am really cross, we have to pay a fixed penalty, as if anyone can afford that at the moment!

OP posts:
Hopefullyrecovering · 03/04/2012 22:13

If avoiding telling massive lies is to be a joyless refusenik, then I suppose you must colour me a joyless refusenik. I'm sure you won't object to me colouring you a complete liar.

pumpkinsweetie · 03/04/2012 22:20

Hope u have a nice holiday op-its 5 days go for it-worry about the fine when u get back u might not even get one as your daughter has such great attendence.
Education is important but 5 days out of a year isnt much -family time is everything x

Facebookhurtsmybrain · 03/04/2012 22:21

Funny enough I had this same conversation with my dd's teacher at the end of last term. She made sense in saying that children that have time off during term time come back feeling lost. The teachers have a set timetable for each week and work through it, if a child has been away they might of missed work that was an important part of that timetable so therefore pushes them back by a week.

She also pointed out that if everyone took time off during the term then all the children would be at different stages and would be impossible to teach.

I think she has a good point. To you op it may be just a week but what if every parent of a child in the class with 100% attendance decided to take a week off? That would affect your dc's education.

I think there is not point in moaning about the fine. They are going to make it illegal soon anyway (something my dd's teacher also told me)... come back from holiday and you'll be arrested at the school gate. wow! now that's harsh.

lottielou39 · 03/04/2012 22:21

the GP will happily give you a sickness note; they don't need to see proof of sickness. (in fact, many GP's don't even want to see you, they'll issue you with a note regardless)
Thanks for calling me an idiot but I get cheap holidays in term time and I bet you perfect pollyannas don't

Goawaybob · 03/04/2012 22:27

Its interesting that the people who are so anti taking time off in school time are generally the ones who can afford to take holidays during school holidays. We can't. We haven't had a holiday in 4 years and my DD is desperate for a holiday - I am waiting on clubcard vouchers being delivered (hopefully tomorrow please god) and i will be booking one. This will be in school time as cannot use the clubcard vouchers in school holiday. We cannot afford to go on holiday any other way, we have had a shit few years and we are taking our DD on holiday, i don't care what the school says. I know they are going to say no. Oh well.

I will avoid sats time, but my DD is 6, five days off school is going to make no difference what.so.ever! I am going to try and take the holiday the week after half term as there is an inset day so there is only four days.

My DD has had 1.5 days off school in the three years she has been there.

McHappyPants2012 · 03/04/2012 22:28

It goes on the attendance of the school as a whole.
The head teacher would get into serious trouble if she ok the hoilday when attendance is low as a whole school

lottielou39 · 03/04/2012 22:29

yes Goawaybob, I agree completely.
And I don't think I'm setting my children a bad example for the record.
I don't want them to grow up as mindless drones who obey authority without ever stopping to ask themselves; who does this shit rule serve, really?

fatfingers · 03/04/2012 22:31

I don't think you will get a fine for 5 days absence out of a whole school year tbh. In my LA you have to have 20 school days absence due to holiday before a fixed penalty is imposed. A lot of children will be absent from school for 5 days across an academic year for a variety of reasons - illness, family problems, holidays. I don't think it is that difficult for teachers to help a child catch up when they have only missed 1 school week and I don't agree that a child with 100% attendance will struggle to fit back in after having 5 days off.

Goawaybob · 03/04/2012 22:31

It serves the school and their Ofsted report - which is why i know my DDs school wont authorise the absence because they slipped a grade in the last ofsted Hmm tough

pumpkinsweetie · 03/04/2012 22:33

That is true Goawaybob, ive noticed that in many a thread. The ones opposing it go on about saving-dead giveaway they are loaded (saving on most peoples wages these days-yeh right). Why pay £1000's or £100's more for a holiday thats exactly the same but in half term ? -when u cant afford it.
And as for arresting people at school gates-nanny state at its bestAngry

marriedinwhite · 03/04/2012 22:33

But OP how did you phrase the request? Did you say something like "DH works for a large organisation and this year has been allocated holiday during term time. Company decisions might be negiated but I hope you will appreciation that such negotiations are most sensibly used during years when dd will taking sats and her absence could have an impact on the school's results". On this occasion, as a family overall we are all in need of a holiday and I hope you will see fit to allow us to take this time as authorised leave.

We have not had a family holiday for six years and this trip is very important to us."

fatfingers · 03/04/2012 22:35

Arresting at the school gate is nonsense. It just won't happen.

pumpkinsweetie · 03/04/2012 22:35

Our dcs school has got a bad ofsted report and i thinks thats why i was first refused an authorised absenceAngry

Purpleprickles · 03/04/2012 22:37

Schools and Heads hands are tied on this. Our LA has a blanket no authorised holiday rules which of course we have to follow. This is the 'price' to pay for term time holidays these days. However as a teacher I am not against term time holidays completely as time spent together as a family and different experiences are equally valuable to a week of school. Its unfortunate about the fine, that does seem harsh, we don't do that..yet. Is it enough to spoil your holiday though?

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 03/04/2012 22:38

Why do parents care about authorised vs. unauthorised absences anyways?

[stupid emoticon]

Is it

  1. The fine (how much and what happens if you don't pay it?)
  2. An unauthorised mark on your child's record (which is presumably reported to senior schools when applying in Year 6)
  3. Just not wanting to break the rules
  4. Setting a good example for your DCs
  5. Some combination of the above?
Heswall · 03/04/2012 22:38

Pay the fine at £1.00 a week, that's what I'd do if at all.

Facebookhurtsmybrain · 03/04/2012 22:38

Goawaybob I can't afford to take expensive holidays out of term time so we go camping in the uk. I would never dream of taking her out of school to go on holiday.

WorraLiberty · 03/04/2012 22:39

Arresting at the school gates? The teacher who told you that was on a wind up and has probably had a good laugh about it in the staff room!

How does anyone know how much anyone earns here?

We just about manage a caravan holiday for 1 week per year...but if I couldn't afford to go in the holidays, I'd spend longer saving for it rather than take my kids out of school.

I can understand those who say they have to take the holidays their work insists on...but the cost thing is a red herring in my opinion.

Eggrules · 03/04/2012 22:40

Feck it - go away and have a fab time.

I am taking my DS out for 10 days and am waiting to see if it has been approved but am expecting it to be.

It is too fecking expensive to go in term time. Whatever...

WorraLiberty · 03/04/2012 22:40

Heswall 'if at all'?

If you don't pay the £50 it rises to £100 and then to something else (can't remember) before you're eventually taken to court for non payment.

lottielou39 · 03/04/2012 22:41

it's straight out of the novel 1984: we're watching, and if you take your kids for a few days holiday in term time, we'll come and arrest you at the school gates.
Well, they can get fucked, frankly.
I'll happily break this rule...

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 03/04/2012 22:41

Married - we had a great reason last summer, phrased in exactly the right way and still got unauthorised. It was unavoidable - but still unauthorised. We did it anyways, sort of had no choice. This is independent sector too BTW where you'd think they would be a bit more flexible.

Goawaybob · 03/04/2012 22:45

The thing is, i dont see why we should grovel and reveal our bloody financial mess to the sodding school in order to take our DD on a holiday that our family desperately needs. My DP is self employed and whilst he CAN in theory take holiday whenever he likes, he had one week of last year, one week because he was so ill he coudnt even get out of bed :( having struggled the week before at work because no work = no pay.

They talk about "special circumstances" the letter will be reviewed by the board of governers (our school this is a group of middle class yes men who cow tow to the parish priest - don't get me sarted).

I wonder if i say we are going on a life enhancing trip around the world - culturally significant places. Great wall of china? Wailing Wall? Jesus' birthplace? would make a holiday more likely than a week in a caravan on the isle of wight?

Heswall · 03/04/2012 22:45

My neighbour got a fine for speeding 12 years ago that he's never paid. Every now and then they send around somebody to discuss the matter with him, he says he can't afford it and they leave it for another 2 years. People are so terrified of what they think can be done to them if they don't comply, nothing happens, nothing. Stop caring do much.

Goawaybob · 03/04/2012 22:47

But you see facebookhurtsmybrain I can't afford a weeks camping in the school holiday - the only reason we can afford this holiday is because it wont actually be costing us ANY money (due to club card vouchers saved for three years). So yeah, I stand by my previous post