Would you expect a school to authorise an absence to attend a parent's graduation?

[CottageBearskin]

Just that really.

Child is 13, so non GCSE year
Parent is getting their doctorate

Not authorising funerals is disgusting.

I'd just inform them that your child will be absent that day.

Yes. My dc had an authorised day off for dp's graduation.

I think it’s a reasonable request! Not sure what I’d expect as I don’t know the school’s policy etc

I think for a teen it’s a good reason to be off, and also shows them the rewards of hard work.

For a primary kid, I wouldn’t think it was worth them going, unless maybe yr 5 or 6 if they were a sensible sort of child who’d appreciate the day.

I doubt they'd authorise it but if you want your child to attend then take them anyway. However, imo graduations are deathly boring and not an enjoyable experience at all.

Why would it them any good over school?, they are not the ones graduating and the ones I have been involved in are long and boring

Great for the people graduating but with parents having kids off for lots of things is there any need for this to be another?

I wouldn't even bother asking them.
I'd just phone in sick and take them.

Schools can be weird. When I think to some of the trips they took my kids on while normal classes continued for everyone else, there’s no way I’d not take my children to something like this. Your child will remember it forever and the impact on them will not be able to be measured but will be immense. Have you showed them photos of yours too?

If you wanted to make a point, you could email the school and put a paragraph about his subject and the level, the impact it’s had on your child by watching the father striving for academic success and how your child will have his own academically challenging times in the future (GCSEs, A-levels etc) and that’s it’s a shame the school doesn’t share your vision for what inspires your son.

And if/when you get a fine, appeal.

If a member of staff finished a PhD, would they be allowed a day off work for graduation? I bet they would.

Our LA list it as an authorised absence reason…. 1 day for immediate family members (parent or sibling).

Yes but they won't be allowed to. My sons school was only allowed to authorise the day of his Nans funeral, not the day after

Yes. I graduated in summer and both my children’s schools were happy to authorise the absence. It’s really good for children to see that education can be lifelong!

With a politely worded email, our school would authorise it, and you would probably get a personalised congratulations message from our Head, but he is pretty good like that. I have asked him for time off for things that are basically a jolly and he has approved them as paid leave, but I suspect it's because I don't take the p over other things and do go the extra mile.

However, if yours is a tosser and despite the email, it is unauthorised, just go anyway.

Technically you can be jailed.

I wouldn't, and it would probably depend on the situation if I'd take them. Do they want to go? Is it so far to travel that it would be difficult to do the school run? If I needed to take them and/or they really wanted to go, I would take them anyway. If they didn't particularly want to go, I'd rather them be in school.

I took my eldest out of school to attend my citizenship ceremony. I can't remember now if the school allowed it to be an authorised absence, but she was my 1 permitted guest and I made the case that I thought it was an important civic exercise to be apart of. We went, it took like 30 minutes, I dropped her back at school just before lunchtime.

Authorise no.
Doesn't meet the gov criteria
Warmly congratulate you and hope your child enjoys it - yes

In consecutive years I was allowed a day off for my sister's 2 graduations. I was in year 9 and 10

Our school wouldn't authorize it. My dc weren't allowed the day off to attend their great grandparents funeral because he wasn't a close enough relative (they saw him 3 times a week minimum). I asked for a day off to take my suicidal son with 100% attendance to the silverstone grand prix but that was refused too.

I hate my graduation photos! She's seen them at my parents house though. I have shown her my 3 inch thick thesis though 🤣

The lifelong learning thing that others have made is a good point. When I was at secondary we had a few teachers with a PhD that we're known as Dr Blogs. But I didn't think much of it, until my maths teacher got her PhD and was celebrated in an assembly, and we all had to call her Dr Smith instead of Mrs Smith in lessons. She must have been in her 50s. Until them I'd not really considered the possibility of returning to or continuing education as an adult.

It's really interesting to see the split in opinions here; that some people don't think it's in the kid's interest to attend a parent's graduation ceremony. I agree with you all that the ceremony (minus the 30s your loved one walks past) is fairly dull. That doesn't feel like a reason not to attend though!

Thanks again for the replies

Yea I would hope they would. That's such a big achievement for the parent/ family and a great way to introduce them to uni life.

Can't imagine asking a 13 year old to sit through something so boring when they don't have to.

I wouldn’t ask. I would just inform them that they will be absent that day. Whether they choose to make it as authorised or unauthorised is their call.

A school is really doing itself a disservice marking down music exams as unauthorised absence. Why on Earth would they artificially increase their absence stats when they could just mark it down a “educated otherwise offsite” (there’s a specific code for it) as they are supposed to?

I work in a school and yes we would and do. But only one day would be authorised.

This, entirely.

It’s a completely different situation from having a week off to go on holiday.

A child should definitely be at their parent’s graduation, big floppy hat or otherwise!

No