to take dc out of school for 1 week every year

[manechanger]

dc has second choice secondary. was quite happy as closest school, didn't put first because it felt a bit gimmicky. have just found out it has different holidays to rest of schools in county and breaks up on 1 aug with 2 weeks off during oct half term. I have a 9 year age gap betw oldest and youngest and for financial reasons we often go camping so prefer july than aug because of wasps.

what would be the consequences if i take dc out of school for a week every year until the oldest is at high school? is it just a fine?

there are two schools in my wider area who dont have entrance exams, this one (didn't research holiday dates as was unaware of the possibility they could set their own - even academies) and another which is a good bus ride away and takes from the wider county so friends would all be a drive away rather than from local community. We had to put down one of them as we just moved here and hadnt paid for any extra tuition - others generally tutor for 2 years pre exam - dc is ok academically but not good enough for the majority of local schools.

As I said I am, wasps aside, annoyed that there was an illusion of choice, I may have been stupid not to look at holiday dates but it would have been unrealistic not to put this school down.

so I'm guessing the wasp thing isn't really going to be grounds to appeal then?

You could always try

£120 fine is a lot extra for camping. I take my children out for 4 days each year so not against it in principle but this is madness.

YANBU. Quality family time is more important than the last week of term when minimal learning will take place anyway.

You're funny OP. I'll give you that

Yes I agree! You sound like a really good egg and have taken the wasp ribbing in really good spirit (and indeed carried it forward with the flying ant trope). I do hope you get it sorted and have a wonderful wasp free time whatever you end up doing!

WTF? Funniest thing I have read all day!

Well I must admit I would find completely different holidays very odd. If it was a private school, I would check it out, but for a state school? It wouldn't be something I'd have checked.... not before this thread, anyway.

From the noises the government have been making this is likely to be (wasps aside) an issue that many more people face as school are being almost encouraged to have different holiday dates.

ooh i thought this was a dead thread nice to see a few more posts as i wanted to add that I asked dh and he had presumed we would lie and say dc was sick!! apparently at 11 they can't bugger it up for you and are now accomplished liars so it's alright . He also said I should never have mentioned the wasps and deserved everything I got...

it's state school and I think now with proliferation of academies it seems this will happen more so prob worth looking at - though for people with only a 2 year age gap it'll be a benefit, just not with a 9 year one and term time working.

Wasps, no.

Now, if you'd said hornets we'd all be behind you (and a bloody long way behind you at that).

Psssssst!

flaps arms and runs away like a girl

would it surprise you to know that I spent the majority of family picnics eating in the car unless of course it was july?

When I was about 16yrs old, I actually ran into the sea, fully clothed to escape a wasp

It was just sort of hovering by my head and would not fuck off now matter how fast I ran or what I did.

Turned out my hairspray attracted them.

fuck i never go in the sea. jellyfish.

As a teacher I'm obviously biased to a school's POV, but it is a proven fact that missing school, even at the end of term can affect a child's progress quite significantly. In fact there have been numerous reports (by the government and from ed psychs) that if a child attends school less than 95% of their academic year, then over their secondary schooling it reduced their chance of gaining 5+ GCSEs at C level or above. We have continual CPD in this matter at my school and as a form tutor all students have 95% as a target.

If you wish to remove your child then you must ensure that he catches up with all work that they will miss so that they maximise their potential.

Like I said, I am biased as a secondary teacher to think YABU, especially if it is to avoid wasps (which I know are beastly things!) or due to other DCs dates. Be careful your DC doesn't let on though or the school can put the absence down as unauthorized and you could be fined.

However, if you have such issues with the school, you can always apply to be on the waiting list somewhere else and tutor them up?

11th on list for other school but looks like very slow movement from now on. the exam is taken so too late for tutoring. i do understand about children not missing school pupils regularly missed 3 weeks at a time or more at our old primary for family weddings/funerals in other continents and their behaviour was dreadful as well as it clearly impacting on their learning. I haven't yet experienced secondary as a parent so that will be interesting.

But it is really important that schools recognise the logistics of family life. As schools are no longer governed by a central LEA there wont be consistency there was before and that will make things more complex for working parents. I used to use breakfast/after sch clubs, childminder for preschooler and a different holiday club for primary kids so I moved to term time working to make life easier. I guess this is mainly a transition thing again as secondary was always going to bring a new routine for us.

I understand the transition is tough for all involved. You also might want to check, if you are going down the 'sick' route, that the school won't insist on a doctor's note for a lengthier absence than 3 or so days (ours does at the end of terms when it happens more than once).

And as for 11th, a lot can change - we've had 6 students leave one year group this year for various reasons and we are a very oversubscribed school atm.

Op this is wind up yes?

I wonder what amazing results I would have gotten if only we hadn't gone skiing every year (in term time).

ps: I think it's a wind up too. Just because OP is too jolly.

no it's a proper first world problem

according to a google search we spend 180-190 days at school so 5% is either 9 or 9.5 days. dc has missed 3 days in whole school life so Im reckoning 3 or 4 days at the end of the school year if not particularly ill that year is not going to affect chances of achieving 5 gcses significantly. Prob wont be able to do that once more than one kid at the school anyway unless it's a mystery family wipe out bug.

ps: I think it's a wind up too. Just because OP is too jolly lljkk

Since when was being jolly and unreasonable mutually exclusive??

agree with stephenmanagan (who I thought was mangan or am I getting mixed up with lucy??), I am happy to accept I am unreasonable but I just wanted to know if I was, I remain happy and I'll probably remain unreasonable. Not winding up and I really wanted to see if this was something I could appeal on. I also now accept and think it's funny that I was being entirely ridiculous to even think that but was massively grasping at straws.

I also think it is a delicious twist that dh plans to keep bees - sorry if drip feeding insect related details.