Taking kids out of school for a term

[Whenthechipshitthefan]

Possibly the wrong place to post- if so sorry!
Has anyone had any success in taking their kids (legally!) out of school for a term or even a half term. I want to take 2 x DDs (Yr 4, Reception) to my mums country for a long stay. They don't know the culture and I'm aware that we are all losing that connection. The flights are expensive, and it takes at least 24hrs to get there. Its a big country so that if we go over I want them to see a lot, experience a lot and see everyone.

Has anyone applied and been successful? Is it just headteacher opinion that matters? What can I promise to keep their place and not get taken to court. Happy to pay a fine!

If it is a once in a childhood trip, I would wait a bit longer. A reception age child is more unlikely to remember a trip like this by the time they are an adult. It's a lot of money to not really remember it later.

I completely disagree. I was taken out of school to a vastly different culture for an entire year to move abroad (and didn't attend school) and it was the most enriching, educational and exciting year ever. I also returned to school miles ahead academically because my parents did an hour of school every day.

Travel is one of the best ways to learn and have an appreciation for the world around us. The children are at a perfect age to soak everything up like little sponges and will amass memories for an entire lifetime. What a wonderful opportunity for all of you.

I think if @Whenthechipshitthefan can commit to making sure her little girls don't fall behind then it is absolutely fine and they will have the added joy of experiencing a new culture, learning about the world and spending time with beloved family.

Do it!

If summer holidays wouldn't be feasible, then you'd be almost certainly looking at being de-registered for that length of absence, and then having to think about whether to home educate or enrol at whatever school has places available.

Some people do home educate for periods of time, and home ed can be great, but it's a big commitment and you need to be confident you can do it. If you'd consider a term or year of home education and then returning to school, you could check out the Home Ed board here to find out more about what it actually entails.

Our school has required several families to de-register their children for similar trips.

With the possible impending exodus of private school children into state schools, I'd be really careful you're not already in an over-subscribed school within easy reach of expensive private schools...

Travel isn't part of school curriculum. With respect, I completely disagree with you

I think it is worth asking. I know children who have been allowed to do extended holidays to visit family in Pakistan and India

Won't work. Offsite education is specifically

A pupil can only be recorded as attending a place for an approved educational activity if:

• the activity is of an educational nature;
• the school has approved the pupil’s attendance at the place for the activity; and
• the activity is supervised by a person considered by the school to have the appropriate skills, training, experience and knowledge to ensure that the activity takes place safely and fulfils the educational purpose for which the pupil’s attendance has been approved.

As set out in the DfE’s guidance on ‘Providing remote education’. pupils who are absent from school and receiving remote education still need to be recorded as absent using the most appropriate absence code. Schools should keep a record of, and monitor pupil’s engagement with remote education, but this is not formally tracked in the attendance register.

There should only be limited circumstances where a pupil is unable to attend school but is able and well enough to continue their education remotely. These circumstances should only involve a short-term absence and might include: pupils recovering from shortterm infectious illnesses, pupils preparing for or recovering from some operations, or pupils recovering from injuries where attendance might inhibit recovery.

Taking a long holiday to meet Grandma doesn't meet any of those requirements.

It’s obviously a cultural thing as it appears that English schools and parents are fixated on attendance and other pointless petty rules and have little appreciation for the value of cultural enrichment.

I think the idea that they’re missing vital learning is laughable to be honest, especially when you consider the poor standard of written English on social media.

Speak to your school and see if they administer admissions. If the LA coordinate in year admissions speak to them too. Some LAs you can apply the term prior to starting so technically you could leave and reapply for the following term. But all LAs work differently and it will depend on whether there is a waiting list.

There isn’t a case to put to the head as he or she has to follow Department of Education guidance.

This is the guidance, it may help you understand what headteachers are working to.
This includes dual placements, number of days before being taken off role and the legal duties for headteachers about maintaining the school register.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance

Children don't have to attend reception so you can legally go without permission but you'll probably need to reapply for a year one place when you get back.

So much ridiculous frothing at the mouth from posters on this thread! It's ridiculous!

Go talk to the school and see what they say. I doubt they will be booted off role if your open and honest with them about your intentions and are committed to keeping them learning.

We are so ridiculous in the uk about not recognising the value of traveling and experiencing other cultures. Your kids will learn so much in the time they are away and have lifelong memories of the trip. A good head teacher will understand the value in travel. In other countries travel like this isn't uncommon.

In other circumstances where children are off school for prolonged periods due to illness they are not off roled.

Go talk to the head. And see what they say. They may also have a preferred window for you to go. If you want to go for six weeks perhaps go two weeks before the Christmas or Easter break and return two weeks after? Then they actually only miss 20 days of schooling and they then can't be off rolled anyway

Really poor advice.

Have you read the Department For Education guidance, above?

I know a family who moved to South America for a couple of terms for the dad's work who was a lecturer.

The head teacher was in support and think they technically were off the register or whatever, but then re joined. I don't have all the details but it wasn't counted as an absence.

Life it too short to not spend with family and it isn't as if they are mid GCSEs.

They are primary school children.

Yes of course attendance is important, but equally spending time with family.

I'd speak with the head and be open about your plans and see what they suggest.

can you put the case as visiting family and understanding their cultural heritage. You may well lose your places but you can do it if you are willing to risk that

My friend did this with children of similar ages. They were lucky the school wasn't oversubscribed so they got places back but in reality both kids had a hard 6 months when back, and by the end of primary school the younger one could barely remember the trip.

And that's relevant because...?

Traveller children are included in the Department for Education guidance.

They are expected to attend another school when they arrive at the next destination. I work with children with registration in more than one school. Of course, like anyone else they can deregister to home school.

How will it impact on other pupils?

Ask the head. It's their discretion as to whether a holiday of longer than 2 weeks, is a holiday or requires de-enrolling. They would also probably tell you whether the year groups your children are in have a waiting list or not. Then you will probably have one of these answers:

• Yes go, we'll hold your kids' places
• We'll need to de-enrol your kids', but will most likely re-enrol them when they come back
• We'll de-enrol your kids and it's most likely that there won't be space for us to take back one or both on your return.

Based on their answer, you can then decide whether:

• the kids will still have places and all is good
• the kids will probably still have places, and it's a risk you are willing to take
• the kids likely will have to move schools, but it's a risk you are willing to take
• the kids likely will have to move schools, and the upset that will cause outweighs the benefits of the trip so you won't go

lol at those saying "why can't the family just come here to visit?" and questioning why it's a potentially once in a childhood opportunity for OP's children. Based on the (limited) details that OP has provided, I suspect that this is somewhere that costs a LOT of money to travel to/from, and from where it's not a given that a UK visa would be granted to OP's family.