Fines for school

[Vict405]

Hi, not to start a debate but we looking at taking the children out of school for a long haul holiday. My question is we would be taking them out for 12 days (24 sessions) just trying to figure out the fines we would be facing…..online isn’t helpful.

I know it’s £80 per parent per child is this also per week? So we would be taking them out for 2 solid weeks at school then an additional 2 days the following week - would this be £480 per child??
TIA

They are correct in what they are saying. It is very irritating when people write things as factual when they are not. The law is the same across the whole of England.

I’ve seen it applied differently but maybe that was before the country wide rules.

I taught my class right up until Thursday afternoon. Maths, writing , reading, spelling test and history. Then a party on Friday morning before a lunchtime finish.
I had parents complain I hadn’t let them watch a film and make decorations - you can’t win.

OP the fine is per parent, per child per holiday in our authority and you are fined by the authority not the school we don’t get to decide.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with relaxing at the end of term, everyone’s tired, it’s nice to have fun etc. Its annoying that watching a film, or going to a panto, or some other Xmas activity is ok and classed as educational if they are at school, but if you took your child out for the day to go to the cinema or a panto yourself it would not, you would get the missed education email. I think it’s maybe a bit hypocritical.
The school can say ‘this activity is educational’, but if you think something is educational and want to do it in term time, it’s just not and you get a fine.

OP, why on earth can't you take them over the summer holidays? Fines are the least of your worries here. Absences stay on a register for 3 years and any subsequent absences can result in parenting orders or prosecution. Doesn't feel likely you'll be sent to jail for a few holidays but having the state sniffing around in your business will not be pleasant.
If you need to be away at a certain time, just take a shorter period of leave. There's nowhere in the world that can't be reached within around 24 hours each way.

Yes , before August this year there was much more discretion available from individual schools and LA’s.

I agree the system is stupid, I was just explaining the legislation.

The system was never originally set up to penalise families who took term-time holidays, but that is all it has ever done.