To ask for UNauthorised absence for my DD (also please help me with what to say in letter)

[boringnickname]

My DD is in year two and had 1.5 days off school since she started reception (apart from snow days and a teachers strike). I know its not the done thing and im not asking if i should take the absence, i know IABU. We haven't had a family holiday for three years due to finances and not being able to afford it. We have saved enough clubcard vouchers for a weeks holiday and i have booked it, knowing that the school wont authorise. (School under pressure from ofsted i think).

I mentioned i was going to a friend and she said to just write and ask for UNauthorised absence. But i wonder if this sounds a bit like "well, i know you wont authorise it but im taking her anyway" type thing?

Please don't flame me or get into a whoo haa about whether i should take DD out of school, i just want to know how to approach it. Our relationship with the school is good.

BoffinMum, I'm glad to hear it, but that's how they have interpreted the law! To my knowledge, no-one has been fined to date.

My school has a zero policy towards holidays during term time, there are exceptions e.g. child in my class has just had two weeks off before Easter to visit relative abroad who was ill and this would probably the last time they could see them. This was authorised and marked in register as circumstances not holiday, the same would be put for funerals etc.

Parents have now been told children who take holiday in term time will be taken off the register and their place given to someone else we have an extensive waiting list.

I would disagree that having a couple of weeks off doesn't matter, the child in my class who had this time off is a very bright child but has come back today and is struggling to do simple work.

DS was only in pre- school then, but once I asked to take him from school because I was travelling for work and it coincided with where his grandparents lived, and so DS could visit his grandparents.
It was true, btw.

You could also ask to take some homework and point out the cultural benefits of the holiday you picked.

Btw, my mum was a teacher and we sometimes misses the last week of term.