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?

but they are not behind though? ( I am not stupid- im not suggesting that my DS is actually at the end of year 9)- but he has working at grades at end of year 9- so he isnt 'behind'??

Barbarian we camp a lot.

A watertight,warm tent that sleeps 5,ground sheet,5 sleeping bags,5 air beds,camp stove,clothes x5,towels,blankets,crockery,cutlery and various other bits of equipment cost money and involve the use of a large car or a trailer.You need a bs re minimum as being cold and wet x5 isn't clever.

In August sites cost £££££.Petrol costs,rainy day activities cost......

Numpty - Gaslighting? I have no idea about your life or you - 'cept what you have posted - your posts to me sound angry and hurt - or actually outraged would be better ... You know little about me 'cept I disagree that the fines are an ooouuttrageous liberty and I have no massive issue with restricting holidays to school holiday periods for school children. I don't think the fines are a massive money making scam either as a success would be no fines not lots of fines.

I am not ignorant of mental health issues - not going to go into the why and wherefores - doesn't actually matter what you think - except I want you to know that I wasn't attempting to mislead or confuse you - just wanted to state my opinion and my interpretation of what had been posted. How you came across in your posts will probably be read differently by others - that is the thing about text - it is open to interpretation and once it is out there you cannot control how people read it. I have come a cropper many times which is why my nn is so apt.

No, they're not behind - I just personally wouldn't think that level 8s in year 8 (for example) necessarily mean a child would not lose out from missing a chunk of school!

My DS has had the equivalent of nearly a fortnight off school in G&T enrichment courses.Why shouldn't his sister or other children be allowed to be enriched?

yes and that is the thing about handing over private information about yourself. some will be respectful of it and not misuse it. some will see it as tool to undermine you and damage your credibility. therefore i choose to be selective about who i share such information with and rarely gamble when it is in a situation as important as my son's education and my credibility as a parent.

Re the trip to Australia for wedding, in the guidelines from our school it says attending family weddings abroad are not exceptional circumstances. Obviously you can apply for authorisation but be aware you may not get it, discuss with your brother having the wedding in the school hols or pay the fine.

I don't think I would count G&T enrichment as being 'off school', though?

according to theorginal he'll be missing out retro because even if he's bright he won't have covered that particular bit of the curriculum yet.

Well, he won't, will he?

Numpty, did I read right that you're a teacher? How do you get term-time off, in that case? Or did I misunderstand?

The letter from my sons school and my partners sons & daughters schools clearly states the fine is per child per day, so 1 day for 2 children would be £120. It is not per week. We asked for consent to take the kids out for 1 day to go to an agriculteral show full of learning opportunities and were denied and informed if we took them out anyway we would recieve a fine at the daily rate for each child removed.

However YABU OP to go on holiday in term time sacrificing your chikds education for a bit of fun.

original you don't think G&T enrichment from a qualified parent would be ok though? how would it be less 'ok' than with paid staff?

i'm a teacher and it doesn't make me suppose that parents are idiots who could never be as capable as me of educating their children.

I didn't realise we were dealing in the very specific area of a parent qualified to teach G&T taking a child out of school to do G&T enrichment - I thought we were talking about 2 weeks in the sun?

As someone who has worked in primary education I find it more time consuming for children to be off for a couple of days ill in the week and then have to catch up when they return later in the week as a lot of the numeracy and literacy isbuilt upon in the week. If they are off for a week they just catch up on it when it is next revisited.

I think 1 week holiday a year is fine.
Think 2 weeks together is a lot as most half terms are 6 weeks so missin a third of a half term.

I value family time, which seems to be eroded away with a 7 day working week. Parents can be a good educator and even if it is a beach holiday, things can be learnt. People can't always get time off work in the school holidays, aswell as the cost.

This rule is penalising the majority because of the minority.

i wasn't teaching in a state school last year when we took the holiday.

however now i'm teaching mon-weds in a state school and yes i will take my son out on a thursday if needs be if it means the difference between a holiday or not.

missing a small section of the curriculum is not disadvantaging for a child who is working way ahead on levels. do you really think that for a child who is say working in decimals and percentages and fractions that missing a week on number bonds to 20 will leave her behind?

its only been in recent years this obsession with taking children on holiday in school time. I'm not that ancient (37) and remember one child going on holiday in school time it was not normal thing to do and everyone went on holiday in the school holidays.

Now the mindset is so different and people don't like being told what to do, and feel they have a right to take holiday whenever they want. WHy disrupt your child and take them out of school? Since having dc, well since getting divorced really as could afford school holiday holidays abroad when married, I have adjusted where we go, we stay in cheaper hotels, or a caravan. We still go abroad just in the school holidays and not term time. When you had children you knew they would be required to be educated, so in turn accepted that holidays would be restricted.

Theoriginalsteamingnit - I think this is the first thread with an education based focus where I have agreed with everything that you have said. We agree .

I find it quite amusing that a teacher (numpty) would be happy for children to swan off on holiday during term time. As a teacher numpty would it affect your end of year results if a different child from your class was off school every two weeks (for a full two weeks). Would you have to repeat things constantly or would you just leave the child with that gap in their learning?

theoriginal - every single family has specific circumstances. that's the issue here imo. that blanket rules don't work and individual cases and specifics are the real consideration.

Yours circs sounds exceptional - without being damaging to your credentials. But if your HT/ school cannot be approached then as long as you keep the holiday to a shortish break you won't get fined (kick in is 6 days unauthorised absence ) which if you include weekends (even better a bank holiday there is one during summer term I think???? not sure) could equate to a 10day holiday w/out a fine...

Norude - isn't it nice when that happens?

Numpty I'm surprised as a teacher that you don't feel you add any value to children in your class - that seems a shame.

Numpty - if a child who can do decimals, fractions and percentages is only working on number bonds to 20 in your class then I would argue that you are failing to stretch the child adequately. A child being ahead of the general class population doesn't mean that they are more entitled to take two weeks off school for a holiday. A child always has something new that can be learnt.

Numpty - yes every child is different, that is why heads can authorise time off if they consider that thee are exceptional circs. They can take all that into account. A lady on another thread just got authorised for a week in the sun in jan. It does happen!

norude: 'swanning off', 'every two weeks(for a full two weeks)' really? did you read the thread?

Retropear holidays cost money. And despite trying I have yet to find a foreign holiday that costs less than camping in the UK. Usually we go as a 4 with the car, but sometimes I've taken the kids on the train/bus.

I don't camp cause I want to, I camp cause its cheap. I'm not alone in this.

I don't buy into the 'forced to go abroad in term time because can't afford the UK' thing nearly as often as it gets trotted out. Yes, there may be the exceptional family for which its true but honestly, most of the families in truly difficult circumstances I know are not the ones this ruling will effect because the only holiday they go on is an out of season caravan weekend in Skegness.

i add plenty of value - i don't own parents or their children though and i respect their rights to make choices so long as they can demonstrate they are not detrimental to anyone.

not every teacher ends up with a god complex.