to not lie to the school?

[NorthernGirlie]

We're taking ds out of school for a week at the end of term because we've booked a holiday - it was almost £900 cheaper to go then than when he broke up from school

I want to tell them why we're taking him out, DH wants to phone in sick for him.

We're both teachers but our holidays are different to ds' so we're able to take advantage of the price drop

Aibu, or is dh?

My mum friend took her kids out of school in October last year for a week to go on a big family trip to Disney. So 1 week out of school, 1 week half term.

The teacher is still bleating on about how that one week off school has been oh so detrimental to the child's learning, it really hasn't and it's not the child's fault so why moan at the child for it when it's the parents decision?

My mum friend now just wishes she'd said he was sick for a week rather than put up with this crap and she wasn't even fined.

@ArseholeCatIsABlackAndWhiteCat not coming for kid but if you take the last week off in July and your kid grasses you up in September, I'm not your problem!
If you keep talking about your exciting holiday in July before you go knowing your kid will repeat it, again, I'm not your problem!

You work in a school where they waste 3 weeks of the children's learning time?

Uhmm, you're not my problem anyway.

1. Because I don't know you.

2.Because even if I did, unless I had significant other concerns about your child, your holiday doesn't bother me.

@ArseholeCatIsABlackAndWhiteCat 🤣🤣🤣 significant concerns?

What a ridiculous thing to say here 🤣🤣🤣

Just be honest. The worst that can happen is you'll get a fine, which will cost a lot less than the holiday would in term time. It depends very much on the school and the local authority as to whether you are fined or not. Kids always let things slip out in any case - I'd be embarrassed to be caught out in a lie like that.

Have a lovely holiday 😊

I’d lie

Kids know when they break up for the holidays. To use you're word most aren't that 'thick' not to know when all the fun stuff is on the last week!

@river Then tell them not to mention it, if they do grass you up... well what you gonna do?

I had 3 kids and always just phoned in sick

"Minor"?! It's £900!

If you say he's ill do you have to provide medical evidence after a certain number of days? At my work you can self-certify for 3 days but after that they want a doctor's note.

Or will you say you're away for the last 2 days (so the fine won't be triggered) and then just by coincidence he'll be poorly the weekend before and off Mon-Wed as well?

I'm interested to see your reply because I just got a fine by being honest and am kicking myself for not just saying DC was ill.

Well, I've never needed to as I just told the school when we were going away.

I was just responding to your point that kids aren't aware when they break up from school!

DS has been marked unauthorised because I recklessly kept him off for vomiting, oh and post-surgery infection that occured after he returned to school while still recovering. They know he had a phase of struggling with health from the state he was in on the days when I did manage to drag him in.

At least I managed to get him into school after going away during a school holiday before we ended up calling 999 for a flare-up of a chronic condition that kept him off for the rest of the week; they definitely know we hadn't tacked on an extra week!

Attendance policies are bonkers. As if you'd get a GP appointment because your child vommed a few times then rallied.
His chronic condition flared because we couldn't get a timely GP appointment as the GPs were off ill- they had 7 appointments for 4 practices that morning and sent messages saying don't bother trying to book anything.

On, I assume a several thousand pound holiday. Paid for by two parents on professional salaries. I wouldn’t sell out my integrity and teach my child lying to their teachers is ok for £900.

My cousin's kids missed a day of school for the same reason and were honest about it- they were fined. Just phone in sick

In our area they do a ‘welfare check’ at the home of the child is off for >3 days which I think is code for busting you if you go on holiday 😂just be upfront and pay the fine, you’ll enjoy your holiday much more being honest. Have a great time!

Two sessions off school, especially if with good attendance otherwise wouldn't trigger a fine in any LA!

Now if the kid was already at 86% or something...that's a different story.

I couldn’t lie about illness - like a PP I’d worry about jinxing it 😁

and yes £900 can make the difference between going and not going for heaps of people. Even if they are fined it’s still £740 cheaper.

im also impressed at how much learning posters think happen in the last week of term. Round here it’s movies, games and dossing about. Hardly detrimental to a kids learning.

id go but be honest.

They weren't fined because they missed a day of school, that doesn't happen

Why would you lie ?

To avoid a fine ?

Tell the truth

Don't make your child lie

If you take the decision to have a holiday during term time, you accept that there may be a consequence, because the school is not permitted by the local authority to authorise it, however much they may be sympathetic to it.

The fine does seem to vary from area to area, but I think lying about what you’re doing could come back to bite you.

Sorry - fell asleep! Ds is Year 7, he couldn't care less either way.

1 of his teachers is off this week because she's in Crete for her brothers wedding. 3 are on long term sick so he'll have supply again.

He wouldn't be lying, dh would if we did it!

As a teacher surely you'll know there's no point lying. Children always go in and say they've been on holiday. It's just embarrassing then them knowing you've lied and it doesn't look good. Just fess up.

No, I don't work in a school. In July they have lots of fun activities, sports and trips. And they would rather parents take their children away in July than September.

Here we get home visits on day 3 of a sickness absence so they would definitely find out. It's quite intrusive really.