To unenrol my child to take them on holiday?

[NameChange547]

DC attends an undersubscribed, small village school. There are 17 children in the class, and they can take up to 30, so I’m not concerned about us losing our place. Is there anything legally to stop me unenroling my child from school, ‘home educating’ them for two weeks on holiday, and then re-enrolling them back in school, to avoid being fined?

DC is high achieving and I’m not concerned about the academic impact. They appear to spend a fair amount of the school day relearning things they already know like phonics (DC can read fluently).

Huge hassle for the school and for you! It's actually a ridiculous idea....sorry! Just pay the fine....

The bursar at my school would not be rushing with your application so expect your child to be off for a lot longer than you might think!

YABU

Seriously?

Just lay the fine

What a lot of unnecessary flaff !!

If I was school admin, I'd do everything I could to inconvenience you. How self-indulgent can you get?

Total waste of everyone's time. And what a great example to set your child !

Seems a bit pointless to me but the admin for the parent isn’t huge - de registering your child is literally just sending a letter to the school with the date you will be finishing. Re applying (at least in my council) is filling on an online form through your county council website. Total time for the two processes probably about 20 mins admin? No idea how much admin time it takes at the school’s end though.

Depends on your local authority regarding homeschooling and when they leave the actual school register. As you should formally declare to school and the LA in writing. But yes that is a much quicker route to off roll.

Applying for an in year transfer to get back in can take some weeks if it goes through the LA.

I work in school admissions for a local council.

Just pay the fine.

They would be instantly off the school roll if you haven't secured a new school place for them. However, this means you are then immediately responsible for their education. On your return, when your children tell everyone that they went on holiday, because they will, you have then still deprived them of sufficient education. Theoretically you would be liable for a more substantial fine or even an attendance order. Neither you nor the school can off-roll children for the sake of convenience. It is a criminal offence to take a child off a school roll or advise someone to do so for any reason other than changing schools or elective home education. Have no doubt that the school would be aware of your brilliant scheme that obviously no one has ever thought of before and wouldn't want to be liable for criminal act - their only way of avoiding that would be to report you.

Just ask the school to authorise it.

I once took the kids away to visit a relative in another country during term time. Wrote a letter requesting that the absence be authorised. Kids both top of class...they authorised it no issues.

Pay the fine

Here you send an email to the school, and that’s that. Once they receive it the contact the LA to inform them that the child has been removed from the roll.

So if you sent that on Monday morning and went on holiday, the child would not be considered ‘absent from school’, they would not be on the school roll.

Still more hassle than it’s worth for a holiday though.

Seems like a massive waste of time tbh.

School also loses funding so please don't do this

It probably wouldn't be good for your rapport with the school

Yeah no, this would cause so much work for the school and local authority and often triggers safeguarding etc just accept the fine.

Why can’t you just wait for the longer scheduled holidays? Easter and summer is coming up. Is it an emergency?

You may not be fined, it's not a given. I'd pay £120 to avoid the administrative hassle!

Pay the fine or don't remove your child during term time. The school could refuse your child. It's strange what you suggesting...

And probably raise some safeguarding flags …

OP, take a look at the price of the holiday you are booking - the total price.

Imagine there are no fines.

If that total holiday price was £120 more, would you not book it?

DD has been out of school loads of times with no fine. Just go on holiday

If you can't afford the fine don't go on holiday.

Yep, lots of hassle for the parent. Lots of hassle for the admin and LA!

Great idea OP, as if actual home edu actors aren’t under enough scrutiny as it is there are selfish fuckers attempting to take the piss.

Not strictly true- in the unlikely event that anyone asked what you were doing in the 2 weeks you were home educating, being on holiday is a valid response.

Home educated children are entitled to holidays in the same way schooled children are, and there are no stipulations on when they can or can’t be taken.

At most you could tell them all the educational opportunities that the holiday provided.

I say unlikely because it is unlikely that you would get contacted within the first 2 weeks.

Non of that makes it a good plan however.