To think the penalties for term time absence is ridiculous..

[JKbowling]

I got this in my email inbox today, sent to all parents and guardians.

"Failure to safeguard a child's education" appearing on your DBS, really?

As for term time holidays. If a family can't afford to pay for their one measly UK break per year to be had during the 6 weeks holidays (because the prices are hiked right up and become unaffordable) how does school suppose said family is going to pay the fine?

UK based and myself and my family moved to the other end of the country for career reasons quite a few years ago. It was a big decision to move our children that far from family (both before they had started primary). We miss ALL the family events because we can't be authorised to take them out of school. It makes me cross and sad when I see families taking their kids out of school and posting photos having fun abroad.

I'm mad at myself and the system and how some families don't appear to be penalised and we're here missing milestone birthday parties for immediate family members, weddings and births. I follow all the rules but I dont think I should, my kids are missing everything. They're both top sets so a few days or a week wouldn't cause them any bother educationally but maybe that's also why they are doing so well because their attendance is so high.

I wonder how many of the 450,000 will be fined? Does it happen? Do people pay? Does anyone end up in court?

We are going on the Thursday before midterm as it’s my son’s 6th birthday and he wants to celebrate on the top of the Eiffel Tower. His school is lovely and said have a ball🥰

…maybe that's also why they are doing so well because their attendance is so high

The biggest single predictor of academic progress is attendance. The evidence is very, very clear.

Imagine if all parents decided they’d take their children away during term time - the disruption would be immense. Thats why there are fines, etc. It’s a deterrent. Yes, holidays are expensive but there are several types from a caravan in Bognor to 5 star resort in the Carribean so surely you holiday to your means? If you can’t afford it, then there’s daytrips etc.
I have taken my DC - now adults - away twice - once dd in Reception (one day end of term and she wasn’t 5 yet), and another time when in primary due to grandparents hiring a place and it wouldn’t have worked going the following day (at Xmas).

I think people do end up in court but it’s like tv licence fines. They don’t want to send you to jail and will look at your finances and work out a payment plan and only if you fail to comply would they look at a custodial sentence.

You can’t go up at weekends? Are all the weddings midweek?!! 😳

You're never more than 8 weeks from a school holiday so a family that arranges all milestone celebrations to exclude one part of the family sounds like one for Relationships.

It can be really hard with extended family, juggling everyone's needs. Especially if not everyone is in England!

To be fair I'd be managing 1 every 3 years even if I went during term time, which I haven't yet because I haven't been able to afford it...

Personally wouldn't be taking them out of school to do a week in the sun, but I would to do something 'once in a lifetime'. We'd like to take them to New Zealand, or safari, or somewhere life is very different to here where they'd experience a completely different culture. At that point the difference between a £7k holiday and a £15k holiday depending on the date really does decide whether or not it's even possible. It's expensive enough just getting through the school holidays without going anywhere 😱Feels very sad to me that we're hoping to do one trip with DC during their childhood and we might not even manage that because the cost is prohibitive. Way more accessible for us to pay a fine, but then disrupting education isn't my top choice.

When a wedding is at noon on a Saturday and you live 400 miles away it’s hard to make it. I totally get what pp meant about being away from family. It sucks.

Yes, that's fair enough, but every wedding and birthday? I also live far away from family.

Not outlandish for celebrations to be on a weekend. Have just thought about it, and my DC have one family member who has a birthday in the summer holidays. My dad can sometimes fall in the May half term, but otherwise everyone's birthday is in term time.

Our family are all abroad. We go back for big birthdays and life events only. Not feasible or environmentally friendly to regularly fly in and out for one full day. Still would take us less time than getting to some places in the UK though tbh!!! It's sad to not be able to celebrate the in between birthdays (i.e. not ending in a 0, or 18, 21 etc) but that was the choice we made living here rather than there. If it wasn't frowned upon/disruptive/an offence then would more than likely spend more time visiting family and friends for those occasions. Perhaps leave Thursday night, come back Tuesday. Would also make the flights about 1/3rd the price!!!

No, but deliberately having them on a weekend during term time when someone can’t make it rather than the nearest holiday when they can…for years?

I mean, hard to say deliberately when it's someones date of birth...they weren't exactly involved in the choosing!

I don't think it's ever occurred to me to celebrate my birthday on a different date. It's just a fixed point in the calendar.

But which week? Not all weeks at school are created equally! I promise you that during the last week of summer term at primary school your kids are not learning anything new. They are watching films, playing games, colouring, etc. Missing a week 3 weeks in to the new autumn term, say, when new concepts are being introduced and learning consolidated, is a totally different kettle of fish. As the parent you make a judgement call.

Yes, if you were to look at kids with <50% attendance and those above, the relationship between attendance and success would be huge. But we’re not talking about actual truants and layabouts, we’re really talking about people who anally insist on 100% attendance versus 95% in a year.

Yes, if you were to look at kids with <50% attendance and those above, the relationship between attendance and success would be huge

The difference kicks in much, much earlier than 50%. 90% and you’re seeing a measurable impact.

It pisses me off when people smugly report that their child is bright and never has absences for illness so it should be OK for them to be allowed term-time off for a holiday.
So, what they're effectively saying is that a child who has the misfortune to have medical conditions necessitating time off, plus find the work challenging can't enjoy those same rewards?
Nice.

That's obviously ridiculous and unacceptable but outside of exams I really don't think it's an issue. As a previous poster has said "They'd rather have holiday in term time than no holiday at all." My ds has his gcse exams next Summer. This year we are going away the last week of school in December instead of having a summer holiday. They'll be winding down for school then and even at hugh school they watch the odd movie that week. my younger dd will not be doing the Xmas concert cause they alternate it between infants and juniors. She did hers last year.

That is a really good point. In fact, the numbers of parents deregistering their children from education across the UK to electively home educate, speaks volumes about the fact that the system is failing.

but this somewhat implies it’s fine if the child isn’t behind when they come back? TBH I think that would be a reasonable expectation to hold - if you take them out, they can’t require extra support on their return - you need to ensure they’ve met the week’s learning objectives.

I appreciate that’s not necessarily fair if the parent/child isn’t academically inclined but equally so is saying that parents who would put the time in should have to pay to accommodate those who won’t .

But why should the kids are who are ahead be punished for another's misfortune?

Can we also stop blaming schools?
It is nothing to do with the school or the teachers or head teacher who work in the school. It is the local authority.

Would it be ok for a family to keep their child at home to hang out in the garden? Make memories there?

If not, why not?

The problem with the fine, I think, is that it rather gives the impression that you can take your kid out of school as long as you pony up the required fee.