£1,000 fines per parent per child to be trialled in Lancashire

[mummymeister]

Aibu to think that this will disproportionately hit poorer families, those not in private schools (where fines don't apply) and those people with jobs where you cant just take time off in school holidays.

Not sure how many people have seen this news item but it was pretty inevitable that the fines would go up massively to deter days off in term. The trial is for £1,000 fines per parent per child - so £4,000 for a family of 4 making it less attractive to take the odd day at the start/beginning of a holiday.

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/parents-to-be-fined-%c2%a31000-for-taking-children-on-holiday-during-term-time/ar-BBSuKFY?ocid=ientp

Swimming what council is that? In every council I've heard it always 10 sessions?

Some of these posts are hilarious. So entitled!! As though school is just something that should be attended as and when is convenient to you and if you think it's worth your / your kids while or not!!
It's a sense of entitlement which is so detrimental to kids these days. My DH interviews loads of young people who seriously have the attitude 'what can you do for me' and then can't understand why they're not getting job offers. You go to school when it's school time and that is that. Doing anything else just shows your kids a really bad example.

Plus by per parent per child they are meaning both parents have to pay even if they are together? So a family of 3 have to pay £6000.

Our LEA fines on 10 sessions consecutively or 10 separate sessions accrued over a 4 month period.

They also fine per child (so single parents don’t get stung twice!)

ofsted will look at the amount of authorised absences.

some schools may have been able to get away with it in the past and the arbitrary "1 week a year " or whatever is the case in your particular area.

this is about standardisation. no discretion to say 1 week a year or a term or whatever.

every council has its own rules still some places fine for a day some don't. is that fair either?

Jacques - so is it fair that your council do this and another council will fine per day for the first day of absence even though they are both supposed to be doing this under the same legislation?

it isn't fair at the moment. it wont be fair if the fines go up.

I have a better idea than a fixed fine.

I think they should look at what price the same holiday would have been in holidays and fine that plus a percentage. That way it wouldn't be any cheaper in term time.

However if someone is taking (eg) a caravan/tent in Kent in May, then they should be let off. However I haven't yet heard anyone say they couldn't afford a holiday if they didn't go term time that isn't having a holiday far more expensive than any we've been on in my life (and that includes my honeymoon).

so is it fair

What is fair with regards to our education system?

@BarbarianMum well we aren't all teachers or MP's with 6 week holidays for starters!

I work in an industry that is busiest in school holidays (not tourism) and there are plenty of industries that are busiest in holidays-

• events
• certain retail
• anything involving a major family purchase eg car sales

Added to that if you are in a team where everyone is a parent of school age kids you can't all be off at the same time, it is really hard to get time off even though I am senior and entitled to it! Even harder aligning it with my husband's leave.

A stable family is one of the most important things in a child's life so we shouldn't undervalue the importance of family time. If parents are working 60+ hours a week as we often do it is really important to get that time together and sometimes that is just not possible in school hols. I value my child's education but i also value our time together.

Parents have 3 choices when it comes to educating their children:
Home ed
State school education
Privare education

All have pros and cons, inc when it comes to holiday prices. The cheapest way to get your children educated and go on holiday is to educate them in a state school. If you do that then pack in whining about the increased price of your week in the sun. Or pick another option.

I’m not bothered about the holiday being cheaper in term time, it’s great for me, don’t get me wrong. But the cheaper holiday isn’t why we go in term time.

It’s a bloody liberty, as a parent I judge what’s best for my child, not the LEA and if that’s a week holiday every few years then so be it. To talk about fining £4000 for a family of 4 is obscene!
In addition, the people who think up these policies don’t live in the real world where things like ‘holiday rotas’ exist, or self employment means you can’t take time off in the school holidays.

To me parents taking their children on holiday in term time is not a problem that needs to be solved.

One or two weeks off school a year is not going to have a massive effect on anyones education.

I dont think it needs to be "punished" at all.

This again? I don't understand why people give such a fuck what other people do with their children. Get a fucking life and stop frothing at the mouth about someone taking their kids in June to Ibiza for a week crying "but wHaT aBoUT tHE cHIlDrEn!!1!"! You don't give a fuck about their children, you just like shoving your nose in!

I do not care if Sharon from Hastings takes her kids to Majorca in term time, if that's when she can afford it and her kids get a break good for her.

Nicknacky I hope they don't have gcses or Sat's then.

A week block missing from school is fine enough. I'm a teacher and can deal with that. The worst attendance pattern is a day off every week. That impacts far more on learning.

dermy thats clearly not down to holidays though is it.

@BarbarianMum most people can't/ don't want to home ed - you know maybe they work? Most people also can't afford private school. So those that have jobs that can't always get leave should never go on holiday ever again. Great for family life and wellbeing.

This doesn't have to be such an inflexible policy. Even if there was a grace period of 1 week as there was when I was growing up it would help. Not everyone would use it but it would really help some families.

And when schools choose to close on a whim for polling day, staff funeral, etc we just have to suck it up.

State education yes accept that but we aren't in communist Russia which sometimes these rules feel like. It's just reflective of those in power not understanding the real world - again. The fines were brought in for persistent truancy but now are rarely used for that as those people don't pay them anyway!

marymarkle and NickyNacky

I understand. But many posters here are saying that the prohibitive costs of holidays during school holidays means that some children are missing out on holidays, and stressed out parents are missing out on a much needed holiday.

Teachers can also be parents. So if they also, like others, can't afford a peak season holiday then their children are also missing out on going on holiday.

I don't see why kids absolutely have to have expensive holidays abroad. If parents take their kids out during term-time to jet off somewhere exotic, I have no issues with the fine.

However, I do think unlimited compassionate leave should be available - time to spend with very ill relatives, funerals, that sort of thing. If anyone gets fined for spending time with their grandfather before he passes away from a nasty illness, that would be all kinds of wrong.

I also think if a child has a traumatic incident at school, like being bullied, and the parent feels that the child needs a mental health day, that should also be OK. Otherwise the family are getting punished twice by the school - once for failing the child and second for the fine.

I think what it comes down to is that headteachers need to be empowered to use discretion. Some people are clearly chancers, others are just going through a difficult time.

dermymc They will be 12 and 6.

Although I’m not stupid enough to book holidays when there are exams on. And we don’t have SATS here.

I took my boys to the museum of Natural History during a school holiday and it was a huge disappointment. They could barely see the dinosaur stuff properly because of the insane number of people. I accept that the schools have to have these rules, but it does make things difficult.

Nicknacky

I think your job and people in the armed forces should get special consideration anyway.

I am only talking about those taking term time holidays for financial reasons.

weetabix Thanks.

But I do see why people do it when it is so much cheaper. The discount you get for term time is massive.

But I do see why people do it when it is so much cheaper. The discount you get for term time is massive.

It is much cheaper. But then some children will never go on holiday, teachers might not be able to afford to take their children on holiday - it isn't a right is it?

weetabix So what’s the answer? Parents shouldn’t take their kids because the teacher can’t?