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?

It looks like, then, that you can pick any term time week with an inset day and take them away that week and won't be fined because that'll be 8 sessions, not 10. Or could take a half term with an inset day attached and turn it into a two week break, or any week with a bank holiday in it.

And the fines seem to be per absence exceeding 10 sessions so the same fine for a week or two-three weeks.

And that only for repeat offences 3 times in 3 years can you be taken to court, so with holidays thoughtfully spaced could take a 2-3 week holiday during school pretty much every year just incurring some fines that are still small compared to the difference in holiday prices and not risk legal action,

Helpful info.

The principle still stands though that the sheer audacity of an Education Secretary to introduce this given the state of the education system - and of staff who go along with it just like they go along with the discriminatory behaviour towards so many children that denies then any safe access to education at all but see no hypocrisy here because they believe different rules should apply to them even when they are in a professional role and should be complying with ethical standards - is quite astonishing.

I was only taking issue with part of your post.

Yes. Blame the teachers for funding levels. How dare we try and do our best for children and make do as best we can.

Striking clearly didn't raise awareness of these issues.

Yes. Blame the teachers for funding levels. How dare we try and do our best for children and make do as best we can.

I'm afraid that isn't a valid legal defence for breaking the laws on disability discrimination. Professionally qualified people have ethical codes set by their professional bodies that they are required to follow and are individually accountable for doing so. They are also responsible personally for ensuring that they comply with the legal framework governing their role. "My boss told me to" or "we were finding it hard" is not relevant.

Striking clearly didn't raise awareness of these issues.

The strikes were about teachers' pay. That is the only reason they are allowed to strike. To pretend it was for the benefit of the children is absurd.

Also very ironic that you'd bring up teachers striking when attempting to defend schools criminalising parents for children missing school because apparently their whole lives will be ruined if they miss a few days of it.

Striking was for pay and conditions.

I was only taking issue with part of your post

Ah, I see. Fair enough!

Well you've just invented that in your head. I've never said such a thing. I'm not defending schools. I'm correcting your ignorance.

I'm doing my part turning up each day and going the job of four people. What are you doing?

Yes. The conditions of teachers.

Not their pupils. Has the teachers' payrise benefitted the pupils? No, it's taken more money from school budgets so the provision in schools is now even worse.

I think teachers should be paid more, and central Government is responsible for not funding the payrises properly. All public servants should be given a huge payrise just to bring them back to inflation-adjusted levels in my opinion but that is entirely irrelevant to the points I made about pupil absences.

I'm correcting your ignorance.

If these are the people we have working in schools, with this kind of attitude and conprehension and ability to converse, then a large part of the problem with trying to get any rational discussion from them over the last year about them bullying a very vulnerable 5 year old suddenly makes more sense.

Teachers can't take action about what happens to students, only their own pay and conditions.

Teachers can't take action about what happens to students, only their own pay and conditions.

Exactly. That's what I said in my own post, above. The strike had nothing to do with the wellbeing of the children. In fact, it caused many yet more harm.

“In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.”

First week = £80
Second week = £160
Third week = prosecution?

If you took three weeks out over just under three years it would lead to this?

Seems pretty heavy going to me.

Unless as you say you use inset days or bank holidays. Or end of term half weeks.

The strikes were about teachers' pay. That is the only reason they are allowed to strike.

@echt I have copied that part my own earlier post given that it seems missed it. I think it's perfectly clear.

“In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.”

First week = £80
Second week = £160
Third week = prosecution?

If you took three weeks out over just under three years it would lead to this?

I will check the regulations themselvea but based on the .gov link posted it says "for each absence exceeding 10 sessions" (i.e. 5 days). It wouldn't matter if the absence was 5 days or 15 days, it would be one fine. So may as well make the most of it and take a nice long holiday...

If I'd known they'd continue to put my daughter through this mental torture for 3.5 months last year and deny her any safe access to school that entire time before agreeing to even have a one hour call with her advocate and SENDIAS and the Local Authority about it - despite all of us requesting it multiple times throughout - I'd have taken my son out as well and gone away for a month.

Meanwhile having the Head Teacher trying to record the absence of the 5 year old he'd caused to have a mental breakdown as "unauthorised" - in breach of Department for Education guidelines and ignoring all of the information from her doctors and specialists and Ofsted registered nannies and GP - and trying to get the Local Authority to prosecute me. Wisely, they declined to do so.

It would have been better for us all to go on holiday and ignore the gaslighting from these so-called "education professionals" and have some rest.

The hypocrisy of it all is just stunning.

Coming back to your questions, it seems the fine is per absence, not per week/ per "10 sessions". Just that you are only fined if you miss 10 sessions or more. So if you're going to do it, may as well make it more in one go. Or, just take a week away when there's an inset day so you only miss 8 sessions.

I remember four years ago, during Covid days Mumsnet was very active with certain teacher-led discussions advocating loudly for full school closures. The poster couldn’t wait to get the kids out of school fast enough and yet they are one of the most vocal people on this thread lecturing parents on the importance of school attendance.

The funniest part of the link posted was:

Before that, your child’s school and your local council are expected to support you to improve the child’s attendance before any measures are put in place.

In fact there's an entire guidance document on this one point. Do they comply with it? Nope.

Do they comply with the statutory SEND Code of Practice? No.

Do they comply with the Equality Act 2010? No.

Do they comply even with EHCPs? No.

Education Act? Anybody, Local Authority or school? Hahahaaa

There is a big tendency with teachers and Local Authorities to be disparaging about parents when they are utterly failing in their moral and legal obligations. Perhaps once a functional education system is put in place there might be some merit to moaning about children being absent but until then, maybe focus on doing your jobs adequately and in a legally compliant manner, safeguarding children properly and ensuring that they are not denied their legal right to access education.

Once you've done that, parents might be more receptive to your complaints,

Is it 10 absences in total over the year or term, or 10 absences in a row?

For children who face complex barriers to attendance, schools should have sensitive conversations with children and families and work with them to put support in place for their individual needs.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

3.5 months of refusing to have a phone call about it. How "sensitive" and "supportive".

Those working in schools need to take a long, hard look at themselves and what they do to children before even considering criticising parents.

That's a quote from the .gov guidance posted earlier. Hilarious.

Exactly! All those posters saying "well just don't go on holiday"... Education is important, but people are not meant to be just cogs in a machine. I want to have time to enjoy my life and my children!

I provided full time education for my students online...my own children had to go to school as keyworkers children.

I provided full time education for my students online...my own children had to go to school as keyworkers children.

That's great. But not all children were provided with a full time education remotely or at school during that period.

Ten consecutive sessions of absence is what it says, i.e. 5 school days in a row.