Unauthorised Absence for one day.

[mrsjavierbardem]

I have to take 2 dc out for one day, I don't want the palaver of being refused so do most people just phone their kids in sick?
I hate doing it but I don't see what choice we have now, I think to be allowed to take your kids out for one day every few years should be allowed, but it seems mad to walk myself into a big fine.
So are other people just phoning in sick if it's one day?

After an argument with my ex - who is paranoid he'll be getting a fine because it's his day with DS, I sent this email to the head:

I have told the office that will be absent tomorrow. When I put in my request, it was marked as unauthorised. As a head, I think you should understand the implications of that on our family.

We are going to a family birthday. He lives a long way away so it is impractical to leave after school. So I decided that we would get the early train and go to London to see the British Museum. I always try to encourage education when we are out.

Classifying it as unauthorised has caused a lot of stress and friction. is worried about getting a fine and TBH, so am I. It is his day with but I am taking him. He is worried and has asked me to copy him in so everyone is aware that he is not responsible.

I am responsible. So any fine should fall on me. I do understand why Gove has introduced this and the role of absences figures and OFSTED. I have worked in schools with 50% attendance. But we are not taking advantage of cheap term time holidays. We are just asking for a day off to attend an important family event.

We are supporters of the school and are very conscientious of and ensuring he takes school seriously. The alternative was to tell school he was sick. That would of course be encouraging lying and that is not what we do.

I really hope you understand the effect of this policy on families. Your decision has caused arguments and friction. Yet when I was teaching, we had children off for the Yorkshire show and that was authorised because it was a good thing to do.

*** will not be in school tomorrow. It would make our lives a lot less stressful if it was authorised but I understand if your hands are bound by bureaucracy.

Plucks at the heart strings

But I do think Heads should be aware of the impact and stress this causes.

H/T are parents too and I think they are well aware of the stress that this causes. the intention of the legislation was to allow them to have the discretion to give time off for things like you describe. however, whilst there are a lot of sensible/sensitive heads out there, there are also some who are so shit scared of Ofsted marking them down because they have given too many authorised days off or the LEA taking them to task on it, or other parents giving them grief because X got a day off and they didn't. plus the whole issue of discretion relies on supportive governors. by taking away the discretion element and saying "not normally given for holidays" it really ties the hands of h/t even those that are reasonable.

If it is necessary, ie a hospital appointment for the child, a close relatives funeral, a close relative being sick or for reasons beyond your control, ie 2 foot of snow meaning you couldn't get into school fair enough, but if its for an outing then they need to be in school.

However proving your child is ill seems a bit much, if a child wakes up poorly it doesn't necessarily mean straight to the doctors does it? some things are common illnesses which you wouldn't bother the doctor for and is probably adding to the GPs list where parents are needing to get a sic note

Be honest. If you have a really good reason the school should authorise it. Even if they don't it is very unlikely you will be fined for a single day. The school has to follow rules set by the LA when fining people. In every LA I have looked at you would only get fined for an extended absence or repeated absences. You would not get fined for a single absence if attendance is otherwise good.

The families I feel most sorry for are those who have chronic medical conditions. Not every asthma attack or allergic reaction etc needs a trip to the GP for "proof" iyswim. Not all immune systems are created equal, especially with so many preemies surviving nowadays.

My God daughter was a sickly child with weak lungs for whom every sniffle & cold turned into a major chest infection when she was younger. A day at home in the warm with a couple of steam treatments was often all that was needed, whereas the trek out in the cold to the GP's could be what turned a day's absence into a weeks. I still have fond memories of her old HT, as often I'd run over to the school with her Mum's note or to pick up some work for her to do.

She's now finishing up her midwifery training, having always been encouraged by school and her Mum to keep up with her school work. I pray her own little son hasn't inherited her weakness, or I can't see his school days running as smoothly as his mother's did.

Under the current regulations I just can't see a child like my god daughter achieving such a good educational outcome as it was SO dependent on the excellent relationship between parent and school. (Though to be fair she's always worked very hard!).

At my son's last school there was an outbreak of chicken pox, and the parents of all kids with over a week off sick because of it, got called into a short meeting with the HT. How many working parents did that irritate the pants off? I got lucky as my own DS only needed 3 days. Chicken pox is not even an excuse you can lie about as the faint scars stand as evidence for anyone with an ounce of common sense.

I hear too many anecdotal stories of EWO's & nasty letters etc nowadays. Especially in nursery KS1, not all children have the immune system of an ox. (I remember being shocked when one of my old neighbour's children caught chicken pox for the third time!). I just hope their parents are not feeling forced into home education nowadays. It's worrying enough if you have a child that's constantly poorly without additional outside aggravation.

School shouldn't be a prison sentence, why on Earth should families have to justify occasional (one or two day a year) sort of absences.

We lost three days one year because school can't set it's heating thermostat so the pipes don't freeze.

Ah. But if school does something, that's fine.

Like when DS was off for the whole day to go to Young Voices. He missed lessons but went with school so that's ok.

Or when DS missed lessons to sing at the care homes. That's ok because school organised it.

Or when school takes DS on a trip. It's ok because school do it.

Or when assembly runs over. Or they have extra playtime. Or reading a story. Or just watching a DVD. That's not missing education because it's at school.

But dare to take your child out of school and you become a criminal.