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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Re. Holiday in term time

30 replies

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:23

More of a WWYD really. Back in November last year we booked our two week summer holiday for this year, in order to get it cheaper and have it paid upfront in advance. We checked the term dates, and our school hadn't published theirs, so we had to go by the ones issued by the local council. They did have the caveat that individual schools were able to make alterations, but broadly speaking all state schools in the county follow them.

Friday July 18 was down as a PD day, and by booking to fly out that day we saved ££££s.

Last Friday our school FINALLY published the summer term dates. And ARGHH - no PD day Friday 18 July. So now I am in a bind. The holiday is booked, and there is no question of us not going. Do I confess and throw myself on their mercy, risking a fine - or do I do what everyone else I know does and simply phone in sick on the last day?

I am generally very honest, and we have never pulled a dishonest sickie with DD. She has had only two days off this year (one when she banged her head at school and had to go to casualty, the other with a bug).

If I hold my nerve and say nothing, there is a chance that the dates will change anyhow. The School have form for adding/removing PD days at as little as one week's notice - but there is no guarantee of this, obv.

Now, I appreciate that we took a gamble and it didn't pay off, BUT I feel very annoyed that they didn't publish the dates earlier, given that they are not following the county standard ones. Even contacting the school office didn't get me any further. If you work and need to book time off for this stuff then you need plenty of notice. For those without bottomless pockets, you also really need to be able to book things like holidays a long way in advance to make them possible. Surely they know the term dates at the beginning of the school year?

So, do I lie and try to wing it (hating myself for doing so, because I am not generally in favour of term-time holidays) or do I confess and pay up?

OP posts:

JonSnowIsAProperLover · 26/03/2014 21:25

Lie and wing it.

Not ideal, but nor are a lot of things.

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:27

I am erring in that direction. I think I just need to hear other people say that is what they would do

OP posts:

byanymeansnecessary · 26/03/2014 21:29

Are your school issuing fines? I'd lie to get out of a fine, but otherwise I'd just tell them we were going.

FourEyesGood · 26/03/2014 21:31

I'm a teacher and I'd say go ahead - lie and wing it! (But what's a PD day? Is it a teacher training day?)

fs2013 · 26/03/2014 21:31

For 1 day I would just lie. Then again you probably won't get a fine for 1 day? By the time DD goes back for new term they will forget to ask her whether she was ill and she will have a new teacher anyway so she won't have to back up your lie! Enjoy your hols x

Littleturkish · 26/03/2014 21:32

shhhh just wait and see…and then lie.

With the new fine system, it isn't worth it for one day.

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:33

Sorry, yes - PD = Teacher Training/Inset day (not sure what it stands for, mind)!

OP posts:

Imnotmadeofeyes · 26/03/2014 21:33

I'd lie and wing it in your case. It the school have form for not being able to get their act together with giving notice of dates then they should expect people to go ahead and make plans.

This whole attendance thing is a two way street imo, it doesn't give them license to expect everyone to put their plans on hold till they've decided what suits them. It's a reasonable expectation for people to be planning their holidays/time off work at the start of the school year. Leaving it till spitting distance if Easter is just rude.

I'd be seething at a weeks notice for something like that, there must be a fair majority of parents whose childcare plans are thrown into absolute chaos by them. In exceptional circumstances (like a strike) fair enough, but there's no actual need for the school calendar to be so badly planned.

BadRoly · 26/03/2014 21:34

I'd be honest and say that you tried to find out term dates (I assume you asked at the school office?) and booked based on the council term dates, especially if your dc have good attendance anyway.

But that is based on our understanding and very common sensible (?) head teachers locally!

Sirzy · 26/03/2014 21:35

for the sake of one day I would just tell them they won't be in because your going on holiday

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 26/03/2014 21:35

Our school isn't issuing fines, so I'd wait and see just in case they might spring a last minute PD day on you and if not just be honest.

If they were fining then I have a funny feeling that our ds's might have been sick the night before we left

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:35

Consensus so far is to take the dishonest route, then

OP posts:

Imnotmadeofeyes · 26/03/2014 21:41

Thing is if you try honest there's no going back if they're dead set on enforcing a fine.

Balls to them, if they want to improve attendance they need to improve their organisational skills.

verytellytubby · 26/03/2014 21:45

Phone in sick. Our school makes them watch DVD's all day on the last day.

DancesinPuddles · 26/03/2014 21:45

Will you get a fine for one day's absence? I told my ds school that we were going on holiday and would miss one day and they just put it as an unauthorised absence. That was it.

GreenLandsOfHome · 26/03/2014 21:48

You are thinking about this way too much!

Call her in sick and enjoy.

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:49

I am not sure about the fine. My county generally comes down quite harshly, but everyone that I know who has had a term time holiday this year had consent dating back to before the regime change. I don't much like the thought of unauthorised abscence on the record, though. I don't think it is at all entirely our fault

OP posts:

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:50

GreenLandsOfHome - I think I am too law-abiding and need to learn to live dangerously

OP posts:

KickassCoalition · 26/03/2014 21:52

Lie and wing it! One day at the endogenous term is fine.

KickassCoalition · 26/03/2014 21:52

End of

curiousgeorgie · 26/03/2014 21:53

I would phone in sick.

But then, I'm not opposed to holidays during term time anyway so long as its not an every year thing.

Original poster

SpinCycle · 26/03/2014 21:54

Crikey. I justed googled 'endogenous' - I am assuming it was an autocorrect. New word for my vocab, at any rate.

OP posts:

consideringadoption84 · 26/03/2014 21:56

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't lie. I'd just say you assumed that's when the holidays started and that you've booked a holiday. It's only one day.

One of the children in my school went on holiday on the last day of our last term and an email came in saying, 'X will be absent on Friday due to an unavoidable appointment'. Our secretary sent a reply asking for the nature of the appointment for school records and the reply came back 'It was the only day we could get a flight to the location we want'!

I don't think there's anything wrong with what the parent did about the holiday. But lying about it just made them look a bit foolish. What's the point? It did give me an end of term giggle though.

JonSnowIsAProperLover · 26/03/2014 21:58

Oooo, everyone agrees!

Last time I said lie and say children were sick I was flamed.

Didn't learn from the experience though, still said the same thing this time round..!

Goldmandra · 26/03/2014 22:00

Definitely phone her in sick.

It's not like she's going to drop you in it by talking about what she did that day because six weeks will have passed.

If she's young enough you could even con her into thinking the last day was a day earlier so she thinks she went away on the first day of the holidays.

It's not like she's going to be missing any important lessons on the last day of the year. It's a bugbear of mine that they insist they attend and then shove them in front of DVDs for hours.

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