School Abscense Fine - huge amount

[PMDD]

If I am correct, if you take your child/ren out of school without prior agreement, there is an automatic fine of £60/day/child/parent?

So for us, a family with 3 children, a 2 week holiday in (say) June, would cost us £3600 - or double that if we don't pay within a certain amount of time!

Is it me to think that is totally unreasonable?!

That is a huge amount. The people who take their children out normally can't afford the hike in holiday prices, so how on earth would they afford the fine?

If you decide to waste tax payers money by taking your kids out of school you should be required to refund the state"

What a bizarre way of looking at things.

ubik. I was going to say, I don't see Scotland falling by the educational wayside!

If you read the particulars if of this case, the father was unable to be part of any family holiday during the school holidays because of the nature of his job. He also frequently missed Christmas and birthdays. Given that they were experiencing problems with their eldest, they decided it was important to have a family holiday all together. It was for one week and, as a previous poster noted, has improved the child's behaviour and attendance following the holiday.

Whilst I don't think that regularly scheduling holidays during term time should be condoned, I also disagree with a blanket ban. If discussed with the school beforehand (and the children can be given work to take with them) then I do think that family circumstances occasionally mean that a short time away from school during term time is the best thing for the child and their family.

It also probably happens far more than is reported since I'm sure that most times the parents and school work together on school absences for such thing as relatives' weddings abroad etc so that it never gets to the fine/court/media stage.

My three are missing three days of school at the end of term in June. This is the only way we can get 2 weeks in the sun as all a/l denied through June/ August

All they do is watch DVDs while their teachers pop antidepressants fir the lady wek of term anyway...

If you decide to waste tax payers money by taking your kids out of school you should be required to refund the state

This comment actually makes very little sense- you could apply it to any concept-

If you decide to waste taxpayers money by sitting in A&E on a friday night pissed up with a head wound through drunken fighting, you should be required to refund the state

if you decide to waste taxpayers money by calling 999 for a cat stuck up a tree you should be required to refund the state

etc etc.

And as a taxpayer I already do 'fund the state'

Whats is your point?

"I think it's a shame people prioritise sitting in a classroom over quality family time."

And this attitude is one of the reasons Britain is falling behind the rest of the world on the education front.

By the time our children grow up the world will be so much more competitive and we will have fallen even further behind. I want my children to be able to be globally competitive and have a comfortable life.

Education is key. There is nearly half the year that schools aren't open for family time.

Tiredemma

And do you think it's right to waste tax payers money by sitting in A&E pissed up on a Friday night?

cold Thank you. Socialising was a priority for us. We always said that if (when she was older) she wanted to go to school we would let her make that choice. It was important to us that she go to school if she wanted.
HE isn't easy (although I loved it and miss her terribly? And expensive. But for us it was worth while.

She has some lovely friends and loves her school.

Winter half the year the school isn't open it's too expensive to go away with a family!

I was going to ask the teacher for copy of worksheets they are doing in class

Argh this drives me absolutely mental. Don't ask me for worksheets because there aren't any. No decent teacher is going to be able to provide enough worksheets to cover all the topics that your child will miss in the time you are away. So no matter that you think you're being responsible and think you'll take work with you to do on holidays, it will be me that has to do the extra work to catch your child up when you get back, and I bet I won't get an apology or thank you either.

When did tiredmama say she was pissed in a&e? I'm confused

tiggy has hit the nail on the head. As a parent I should be able to choose what is right for my child. Unfortunately some people abuse and their kids do suffer.

I went to school witha girl whose attendance was 20% and nothing was ever done. These cases are why they are cracking down.

It costs the tax payer £12 a year for 2 kids schooling. Collectively the country has put that money towards education.

Why (apart form special circumstances) should it be wasted?

I think if people were physically paying for things like the NHS and Schooling in this country attitudes would be very different.

I've a friend who has taken her children out for a month do she can visit family abroad. The children will attend school in that country. School were perfectly fine about it.

It's supposed to remove the temptation of "cheap" term time holidays, so people like you will wait until the holidays to actually take a holiday.
Some people need sanctions to be persuaded to do this, unfortunately.

£12k not £12

winter. I've just paid my tax bill, believe me I AM physically paying for schools and the NHS!

Boreoff456

It is not your right to disrupt the learning of others and make more work for already over stretched teachers.

It's a bit different if you're sending them to school while you're away, but two weeks in the sun with 'worksheets'? Daft.

If you send your child to a school, you sign up to its terms (in both senses), IMO.

Thatisall

Well you must be a very high earner then because most people won't.