AIBU to request a day off for DS re cousin's wedding?

[tigerdriverII]

DH's nephew is getting married in a few weeks on a Friday morning. DH and I are close to his DSis and her husband. We've been invited to the wedding alongside DS (15, Y10).

I can't for a moment see DS's school agreeing to this absence. He's not a star pupil, by a long chalk and after all, it's just a cousin and just a wedding.

Pulling a sickie won't work mainly because DS won't be able to keep it quiet, and also because it'll be all over Facebook and he'll be tagged. And also because I don't really approve of sickies, I'd rather be truthful.

AIBU therefore to seek permission from school for the absence and if, as I fully expect it to be, it's refused, to take him anyway? He won't have had to make up the sickie, can feel ok to talk about it with his friends and the responsibility for breaching the refusal is mine.

Any thoughts? I'm not, by the way, interested in the ethics of all this: just the practicalities.

You can just take him it would go down as an unauthorised abcence. So long as his attendance is ok then it shouldn't cause an issue.

Ah, good point: his attendance is generally pretty good, marred a bit by a nasty bug last term, but usually high 90%s or 100% ( I suspect that some of his tutors would actually prefer to see less of him at times!)

Could somebody pick DS up from school and keep him until you get back from the wedding?

I think at 15 he's more than capable of getting home himself!

No, the point is that he wants to go, his cousin wants him there and we want to take him. Blow that Friday weddings have become a thing!

I just want to minimise the fall-out, if any, for him at school.

You didn't choose the wedding date, it is a family wedding. Just take him. Life is too short to worry about school absences for things like this!

I'd take him if he has no exams coming up. Teachers haven't much interest in pupils who have no exams upcoming at this time of year anyway.

It's up to you, providing you are aware you may be fined.

Just say he isn't coming in. It's one day for a wedding. I took my DCs out for a day this week. We had tickets to something that required travelling. I don't feel guilty, it was something amazing that they loved.

Just keep him off. No need for drama.

You don't get fined for 1 day. It needs to be 4 days or more.

Just take him. Send a letter telling them he wont be in due to going to a family wedding.

DS is going to a football match on Friday...they will just get a polite letter saying he wont be in

Perfect. And frankly I'd be pissed off if there was a fine but it wouldn't stop me. I'll tell them the day before, so there's no time for arguments.

I'm not sure what fall-out you think there would be other than a potential fine, which you don't seem bothered about?

Ask for authorisation, if you don't get it then I wouldn't worry as it is only one day unauthorised and wouldn't meet the criteria for a fine unless he has other unauthorised days, and go anyway.

Just take him. Family wedding will be more memorable than one day of school.

15!!!!! sorry I missed that

Penfold007

No worries : it did rather amuse me though!

I think my mind's made up - thank you all

I have never asked the school in advance for authorisation. I would just phone in and say won't be at school that day due to family wedding. It will go down as unauthorised but that's what it would be if you asked and they said no