To take dd out of school

[Whatwouldmumdo]

Name changed.
Ok we've had a rubbish Xmas health wise and a number of very stressful events recently. It's taken it's toll on myself dh and dd (11).
We need a break, we really do but funds are right and it's a long time until half term anyway.
There are some great deals if we travel in the next couple of weeks, as in a week away with Travel etc for less than £400. We'd get some sun, some peace and it is just what all three of is need.

Dd is doing very well at school, exceeding all targets set for her. We've taken her out of school (with permission) for a long weekend holiday once before but that was years ago and she's since moved school.

I hear that the new school is quite strict about this.

What exactly can the school do if we take her out without permission?

If we go, I'm not inclined to encourage her to lie and say she was ill so if we did go away we'd be facing their reaction head on.

I know that school is important and a privilege and I'm not taking her missing school lightly. The decision isn't yet made but I do think it would be beneficial to her after such a rough few weeks.

Christ, i wish i could get some clarity on this - DD's school is vague to say the least - i took her out for a week in year two and was told it wouldnt be authorised. I wrote to the govs anyway but never heard back, i think the secretary "lost" my letter - her absence for that year was marked down as illness .

But i really would like a holiday this year and it will only be a sun holiday - i got the impression that if your child had more than two weeks off for illness then every day after that becomes an "offence" unless its authorised but you can only get authorise absence if you are actually dead so .............. see, vague!

Unauthorised absence = truancy.
What kind of message are you giving your DC about the importance of education?? Year 6 is SATS year. Secondary school will surely look at your DC results when deciding to offer a place?
When times are stressful the best way for kids to cope its by sticking to their routine.
My DD had an awful start to her schooling in that a close relative died suddenly. She did not miss any school and her teachers were fabulous and supportive. Why don't you speak to yours rather than pulling your DC out of school. Half term is only a few weeks away.

How is it vague? It seems very clear. Non sickness related absence must be authorised. Authorisation only given in exceptional circus. If you go on holiday without authorised time off, you may be fined. Clear as crystal. I am taking mine out for a holiday for 4 days. No exceptional circus, expect to be fined. Pay £120. Job done

As a school we have not actually imposed a fine, via the LEA, at all as yet. We do have unauthorised absences - just never been taken that far.

Professionally:
As teaching staff (ex teacher, now TA) - reality is that missing a week or two of school will have no real negative affect on your child's education, either short or long term. Nor will it affect the education of the children in her class, or really even the teacher. Seriously - even in a SAT year it will not be an issue educationall. Not for the odd absence.

Own experience:
I missed 1-2 weeks of school every year all my childhood. My dad's factory had shutdown and back then it wasn't in school holiday time, so term time holiday was the only option. Me and my two siblings all did well at school, went on to get GCSEs, A levels, degrees and went into our chosen careers.

The legislation as regards the offence is here

The legislation re the fine is here

"Unauthorised absence = truancy."

No it isn't.

Oxford Dictionaries def: a pupil who stays away from school without leave or explanation.

There is an explantion - coming from a parent.
There is notice of leave - from the parent.

Much as I appreciate the advice, I am absolutely sick of people telling me that sending my dd to school, sticking with her routine, is 'what's best'.

You don't know my dd, you don't know me, you don't know my dh. You don't know exactly what has happened or how it has affected each of is as individuals and as a family. You don't know that a short break won't help, you don't know that dd's SAT results will be affected, you don't know that NOT taking a break and carrying on with no real acknowledgement of how we're feeling won't affect her SAT results.
I DO know my dd and I know that she will do brilliantly regardless but her results pale into insignificance when I consider her emotions which are much more important to me at her age.
Personally I believe that this is the right thing to do for her. We are asking and hoping (probably in vain) to get permission so that dd doesn't even have to consider whether she is 'truanting'.

Pale into insignificance is a bit strong. I take that back

Yes OP but you asked if YABU to take your dd out of school. Some people have told you you are, and now you're getting stroppy with them!

Why did you ask?

I wouldn't in SATS year.

SATS determined what sets the child is in when they go into high school, I would not want my DC to be in a lower set because of a holiday.

I'll take YABU all day long, I asked the question. But 'your dd will be better at school' etc is annoying me. I'm sat here looking at her now, thinking you don't know her so how can you say that? Say I'm unreasonable, say what you would do, say what you think is best for your child.

Dd has already exceeded the level expected of her age group. I'm assured by several teachers on here that SATs do not determine high school sets

Why did you ask.

You clearly will be taking her out of school regardless of what poster here who have taken time to respond to the thread.

I'm assured by several teachers on here that SATs do not determine high school sets

Even if they did, it would only be for a few weeks. By half way through the first term any child in the wrong set would be picked up on and moved.

But if they are saying YABU they will follow that with the reason/s why they think YABU.

testks2.com/importance-of-sats/

These data gathered from the different levels achieved by your child will then follow them throughout their secondary school years. When your child reaches year 7, they will usually be placed in sets in English, Maths and Science. Each set group has students of the same level. The year 6 SATs’ results will be used to place your child in an appropriate set corresponding to their ability, ability judged by their SATs’ results.

I have checked my councils website and this is what they say: A fine of £60 for each child is issued to each parent or guardian. If the fine is not paid within 28 days, another £60 fine will be issued; both must be paid within 42 days of the date the original fine was issued.

For example, if a family of four (two parents and two children) goes on an unauthorised holiday during term-time, each parent must pay £120 if paid within 28 days, rising to £240 if paid later.

In Belgium, dd gets ONE DAY without a sick note. I would lose my school place if I took her out for a week to go on holiday.

In many schools SATs are not used to put children into groups at secondary.

Of the 5 different schools DD and her friends went to locally NONE used SATs results infact - handy actually as DD and her friends didn't do SATs anyway - not a requirement at their primary school.

All of the 5 secondaries put them into mixed ability groupings/clases initially. They have all done their own assessments in the first term - internal, MIDYIS and CATs, etc and have now begun to set in core subjects, one in almost all subjects.

Do people really honestly think that 5 days out of school mean dd will not have enough knowledge to do well in SATS? What if she is taken out of school on the 5 days they aren't doing sats work, because she cant be learning it all term if those 5 days are so vital.

bowlers. And some reasons are valid and is appreciate them. However I do take exception to people people presuming to know my daughters nature. Every child is different, everyone reading my OP is entitled to their opinion but the comments about how my dd will best recover/deal with stress are really frustrating.

It's not 'children react better to this' or 'I know my child would be better off at school that week' that's annoying, it's 'your dd needs this'.
If I sound stroppy it's because I am, we've had a horrendous time and we're all tired and stretched to the limit, all three of us.

And already said, any half decent secondary school would have fluid groupings anyway. They will be continually assessing pupils. A pupl in the wrong set would be noticed and should therefore be moved to a new set accordingly. No school should have ability groups which are set in stone.

I also doubt there are many pupils who would suddenyl do really bad in their SATs because they missed 5 days from school one year. It would be a poor primary school who only covered eah aspect of the SATs contents only once ever!

Also that week there are two team events (dd not involved) witch will take some of the children out of school. I doubt that serious SAT revision will happen that week with half the class missing. I did mention this elsewhere too

Funlovinbunster "Year 6 is SATS year. Secondary school will surely look at your DC results when deciding to offer a place?"

No. Places are allocated by the end of February in Year 6, long before the tests are even sat. And anyway, places cannot be given with any reference to a child's academic ability.

It's really not helpful when people post as facts what is actually just a vague idea or opinion.

5 days really is neither here nor there, especially if your DC is ahead of targets anyway - although I appreciate that the LEA can't be seen to consider that - but I do think that it could make more of a difference to some DC than others.

Thinking back to when I was 11, there were two kids in my class that broke their legs and had time off - at least a week each, and the one who was top of the class remained so, and the one who was average remained so.

As others have said, it's a pretty strange school that mentions something one week and never again!