Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To invoke the ‘otherwise’ option for school absence?

413 replies

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 10:58

AIBU to send this letter in and request temporary de-registration?
WWYD if you are a Headteacher and received this?
Dear Headteacher,
I am writing to inform you that for the period xxx 2026 to xxx 2026 inclusive, my children, [Child’s Name(s)], will be receiving their education otherwise than at school, in accordance with Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which places the legal duty for securing a suitable education on me as the parent.
Section 7 states that:
“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”
During this period I will be exercising the “otherwise” option. As such, my children will not be attending school between these dates. You may therefore treat them as temporarily deregistered for this period, as their education is being lawfully provided by me.
This is not a permanent withdrawal. My intention is for them to return to school-based provision on xxx 2026.
For clarity:
Parents are the duty-holders under Education Act 1996 s.7 with the right to elect for education “otherwise”.
Elective Home Education does not require the school’s permission (DfE Elective Home Education Guidance, 2019).
Temporary periods of home education are legally valid where the parent is providing suitable education under s.7.
Compulsory school attendance requirements under s.444 apply only where the parent is relying on school attendance to discharge the s.7 duty, which is not the case during this period.
Please confirm receipt of this notification for your records.

OP posts:
FcukBreastCancer · 20/11/2025 14:45

Sorry op, both you and your letter sound bonkers.

Exam11support · 20/11/2025 14:45

Depending on where you are, absences can now lead to a criminal conviction and prosecution for both parents. Usually if the holiday is over 15 days. Please keep this in mind as this can be the first option even if you’ve never paid a penalty fine in the first place.

WeNeedToTalkAboutIT · 20/11/2025 14:46

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:24

So ‘we’ as the non travelling community have fewer options available to us! If the system can support alternative ways of life such as this it can also break the mould on term time attendance and the current one size fits all system

Show quote history

No. You have the options to:

  1. Attend state schools in a programme designed for the lifestyle of somebody with a single permanent residence and abide by their rules, or
  2. Attend private schools if you can afford to do so, or
  3. Home educate.

Traveller communities can;

  1. Attend state schools in a jigsaw-like pattern in a system that is not geared towards people who life a multi-location lifestyle 2)Attend private schools if you can afford to do so, or
  2. Home educate.

Are you aware of the average reading age and number of qualifications that a somebody who has been raised as a traveller has?

State school provision for traveller education is a desperate attempt to bridge the education gap, not something to be aspired to.

Onekidnoclue · 20/11/2025 14:46

You’ve picked the wrong audience. Your request isn’t legally valid. You’ve been told this. You want to protest to get the rules changed, that’s a different system! Speak to your MP join an existing campaign for change, get yourself elected and change the system. Your schools head may agree with you but even if they do your letter won’t help you either get the time off school approved nor will it change the system.

Frynye · 20/11/2025 14:48

Barrenfieldoffucks · 20/11/2025 11:29

I'm getting Freeman of the Land vibes here.

I’m getting
“I want a term time holiday but I don’t want it be fined vibes”

hope it works for you op. I disagree with school fines (as a blanket rule with no leeway), I don’t think it will though

Teddybear23 · 20/11/2025 14:48

It sounds perfectly clear as far as I can see, I can't see why the school would be offended etc.

HildegardP · 20/11/2025 14:48

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:21

So ‘we’ as the non travelling community have fewer options available to us! If the system can support alternative ways of life such as this it can also break the mould on term time attendance and the current one size fits all system

Show quote history

OK, I'll try to find small enough words.
Deregistering your kid because you imagine yourself a campaigner will achieve nothing to change the law, it's unlikely even to arouse the curiosity of a Reach hack.
Sending any of your LLM walls of text will only make you look silly to the school.
Education is provided for your child's benefit, not your convenience.

newbluesofa · 20/11/2025 14:48

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 13:23

Thanks again for the replies. I do understand the concerns. However to clarify this is not about avoiding a fine for a holiday. It is about recognising the attendance system we are all working within was made for a society that no longer matches how families live work or travel today.

  1. Outdated system versus modern realities
  2. The current model assumes parents work fixed hours in one place, that families only travel during the school designated windows, that travel outside those windows is rare and that education must happen in a school building Monday to Friday. That framework may have made sense decades ago but it does not reflect the United Kingdom in 2025.
  3. Modern family life global mobility seasonal patterns and real constraints
  4. For many families today travel and family time are shaped by real world factors rather than just cost.
Take Spain as a very clear example. Spain welcomed around 85 million international visitors in 2023 which was about a 19 per cent increase on the previous year and which went beyond the pre pandemic figure of 83.5 million in 2019. The income from those visitors reached about 108.7 billion euros. Spain received roughly 17.3 million visitors from the United Kingdom, 11.8 million from France and 10.8 million from Germany. The country is now dealing with overtourism in regions such as Catalonia the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands where residents feel the impact of very high visitor numbers. Spanish authorities have started to bring in measures to spread visitors more evenly across the year and to reduce pressure from intense peaks. Working patterns have also changed. Many parents now work remotely or in hybrid roles or with international teams in different time zones. These jobs do not align neatly with the United Kingdom school calendar and coordinating family time inside the rigid structure becomes extremely difficult. This is not luxury. It is the reality for many modern working families. Seasonal and climate factors also affect some travel. For example reliable snow in the northern hemisphere now tends to fall later and less predictably than in previous decades. This means some families cannot fit certain activities into the narrow half term week without overlapping with term time. This is not about extravagance. It is about how travel timing and seasons have shifted.
  1. The legal right to provide education otherwise and the relevance of the 10 day proposal
  2. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states parents must ensure their child receives efficient full time education suitable to their age ability aptitude and any special educational needs either by regular attendance at school or by education provided otherwise.
This legal route means ta parent is authorised to provide education outside school when they choose to and still meet their duty. There is currently a call for families to be allowed up to 10 days of term time absence without penalty each year. This mirrors the idea a parent might elect for education otherwise for a short defined period without it being treated as a permanent move out of school. Recent reporting has shown strong public support for this type of flexible approach.
  1. School place the 10 day holding period and why this is seen as a loophole
  2. In practice parents are aware that a school cannot simply erase a child from its roll the moment they are not in the classroom. There is a period, commonly understood to be around 10 school days, in which the child’s place is effectively held while the absence is clarified and any decision about the roll is made.
From a parent perspective this creates a de facto safety window. If they exercise their right to provide education otherwise and the absence is contained within that same 10 day span, the school is still treating the child as having a place. The child does not instantly lose their place and there is no realistic risk of it being handed to another family inside that time frame. That is why many parents see the combination of Section 7 and this 10 day holding period as a VALID loophole. It allows them to provide education otherwise, for up to 10 days, in a way that is within the law, while the school still has to hold the place. This lines up exactly with the petition request for 10 days of flexible term time absence and shows that the system already contains the shape of a workable middle option. It is just not openly acknowledged or sensibly structured.
  1. The absence of any meaningful middle option
  2. Currently parents are left with two extremes. They can request authorised absence which is almost always refused unless the circumstances are exceptional. Or they can elect to provide education otherwise under Section 7 which is lawful but is often treated as a major step because of how the school roll and place holding are normally managed.
There is no formal structured option for short term flexi schooling or educational travel aligned with global work and modern family mobility even though the practice around 10 days on the roll shows that the system could support it.
  1. The core issue
  2. A modern education system in 2025 should reflect how families actually live travel and work. Instead the current attendance framework forces every family into a rigid model that no longer matches the reality. That mismatch is what leads some parents to consider short periods of education otherwise. Not because they want to undermine schools but because the existing system offers no viable alternative.
Until reforms bring the policy into line with real life, it is therefore very possible for families to rely on the lawful option that Section 7 provides and on the practical 10 day window in which the school still holds the place. It is not misuse. It is a rational response to a system that has not kept pace with society.

You sound educated yet lacking in common sense. Yes you can temporarily deregister. But the temporary status doesn't hold a place at a school. It indicates to the local council that it is temporary. But you'll lose your place at the school and it will likely be given to someone else that wants it. As a former teacher I actually think many school staff would agree with these issues, it's not within their control to change though.

Seelybe · 20/11/2025 14:48

@KuanKaKu to be clear, EOTAS is alternative education arrangements for learners unable to attend school (usually for medical reasons) and the LA remains responsible. EHE is a parent taking responsibility to educate at home rather than have a school place. So no, you cannot manipulate holding the school place as others have said to suit you wanting a temporary period out of school
This is CF behaviour.

CautiousLurker2 · 20/11/2025 14:49

FcukBreastCancer · 20/11/2025 14:45

Sorry op, both you and your letter sound bonkers.

I think this is a case where someone thinks they’ve found this previously missed loophole to allow them to take their kids out of school in term-time. Because not a single professional lawyer representing parents being taken to court over fines for unauthorised absences had the genius to try this…

IchiNiSanShiGo · 20/11/2025 14:49

OP, you’ve obviously spent some time researching here, but have you actually had a conversation with the school about this? Do you know whether they are over subscribed? Do you know which other schools in your area may be able to offer your children a place if their current school can’t?

Are you prepared to fully home school your children yourself when you get back from your 2 week holiday until a place can be found? Will you have enough leave from work in order to do this? What school work are you planning to do while you are away?

Original poster
KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:50

Marinade · 20/11/2025 14:20

You are coming across as annoying, entitled and obtuse. There are many things in life that we feel could be changed to accommodate our particular whims and preferences. Most people are mature enough to realise that individual wishes shouldn't and cannot override institutional rules and policies that provide the framwork to govern things like school education that affect multitudes of people. Just grow up.

Show quote history

You’re coming across as complacent, old fashioned and set in your ways… out with the old and in with the new! Time will tell.. younger generations will not accept these antiquated policies

OP posts:
HelenaWaiting · 20/11/2025 14:51

@KuanKaKu Why are you trying to persuade people on Mumsnet? You need to persuade the school/LA. You asked if you are being unreasonable and have been told overwhelmingly that you are. Incidentally you don't effect change by trying to wriggle through loopholes to avoid obeying rules that the majority have no problem with. You effect change because the status quo is unjust. In this case, it isn't. You will never get mass support for your campaign. Your child's education is more important than your jollies.

Waterbaby41 · 20/11/2025 14:52

What an irresponsible way to play fast and loose with your children's education.

PurpleThistle7 · 20/11/2025 14:53

Oh I hope you send it, the teachers will have a good laugh. How totally ridiculous.

NimbleDreamer · 20/11/2025 14:54

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 13:23

Thanks again for the replies. I do understand the concerns. However to clarify this is not about avoiding a fine for a holiday. It is about recognising the attendance system we are all working within was made for a society that no longer matches how families live work or travel today.

  1. Outdated system versus modern realities
  2. The current model assumes parents work fixed hours in one place, that families only travel during the school designated windows, that travel outside those windows is rare and that education must happen in a school building Monday to Friday. That framework may have made sense decades ago but it does not reflect the United Kingdom in 2025.
  3. Modern family life global mobility seasonal patterns and real constraints
  4. For many families today travel and family time are shaped by real world factors rather than just cost.
Take Spain as a very clear example. Spain welcomed around 85 million international visitors in 2023 which was about a 19 per cent increase on the previous year and which went beyond the pre pandemic figure of 83.5 million in 2019. The income from those visitors reached about 108.7 billion euros. Spain received roughly 17.3 million visitors from the United Kingdom, 11.8 million from France and 10.8 million from Germany. The country is now dealing with overtourism in regions such as Catalonia the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands where residents feel the impact of very high visitor numbers. Spanish authorities have started to bring in measures to spread visitors more evenly across the year and to reduce pressure from intense peaks. Working patterns have also changed. Many parents now work remotely or in hybrid roles or with international teams in different time zones. These jobs do not align neatly with the United Kingdom school calendar and coordinating family time inside the rigid structure becomes extremely difficult. This is not luxury. It is the reality for many modern working families. Seasonal and climate factors also affect some travel. For example reliable snow in the northern hemisphere now tends to fall later and less predictably than in previous decades. This means some families cannot fit certain activities into the narrow half term week without overlapping with term time. This is not about extravagance. It is about how travel timing and seasons have shifted.
  1. The legal right to provide education otherwise and the relevance of the 10 day proposal
  2. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states parents must ensure their child receives efficient full time education suitable to their age ability aptitude and any special educational needs either by regular attendance at school or by education provided otherwise.
This legal route means ta parent is authorised to provide education outside school when they choose to and still meet their duty. There is currently a call for families to be allowed up to 10 days of term time absence without penalty each year. This mirrors the idea a parent might elect for education otherwise for a short defined period without it being treated as a permanent move out of school. Recent reporting has shown strong public support for this type of flexible approach.
  1. School place the 10 day holding period and why this is seen as a loophole
  2. In practice parents are aware that a school cannot simply erase a child from its roll the moment they are not in the classroom. There is a period, commonly understood to be around 10 school days, in which the child’s place is effectively held while the absence is clarified and any decision about the roll is made.
From a parent perspective this creates a de facto safety window. If they exercise their right to provide education otherwise and the absence is contained within that same 10 day span, the school is still treating the child as having a place. The child does not instantly lose their place and there is no realistic risk of it being handed to another family inside that time frame. That is why many parents see the combination of Section 7 and this 10 day holding period as a VALID loophole. It allows them to provide education otherwise, for up to 10 days, in a way that is within the law, while the school still has to hold the place. This lines up exactly with the petition request for 10 days of flexible term time absence and shows that the system already contains the shape of a workable middle option. It is just not openly acknowledged or sensibly structured.
  1. The absence of any meaningful middle option
  2. Currently parents are left with two extremes. They can request authorised absence which is almost always refused unless the circumstances are exceptional. Or they can elect to provide education otherwise under Section 7 which is lawful but is often treated as a major step because of how the school roll and place holding are normally managed.
There is no formal structured option for short term flexi schooling or educational travel aligned with global work and modern family mobility even though the practice around 10 days on the roll shows that the system could support it.
  1. The core issue
  2. A modern education system in 2025 should reflect how families actually live travel and work. Instead the current attendance framework forces every family into a rigid model that no longer matches the reality. That mismatch is what leads some parents to consider short periods of education otherwise. Not because they want to undermine schools but because the existing system offers no viable alternative.
Until reforms bring the policy into line with real life, it is therefore very possible for families to rely on the lawful option that Section 7 provides and on the practical 10 day window in which the school still holds the place. It is not misuse. It is a rational response to a system that has not kept pace with society.

So you want to take them out for a holiday then.

Marinade · 20/11/2025 14:55

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:50

You’re coming across as complacent, old fashioned and set in your ways… out with the old and in with the new! Time will tell.. younger generations will not accept these antiquated policies

Show quote history

Okey dokey. Would bet my bottom dollar that time will NOT tell and that the status quo will remain. You are not Rosa Parkes fighting for injustice with courage and dignity. You are just another out of touch person who wants their own way, which in this instance, means a nice sking holiday in term time.... Crack on OP.

Oioisavaloy27 · 20/11/2025 14:55

What an absolute load of shit op, your ai generated letter sounds ridiculous, do yourself a favour and keep your children in school.

wordler · 20/11/2025 14:55

@KuanKaKu I started to read your post with interest thinking you were hoping to use this option for a family emergency or need with a large chunk of the school year - ie four months or more.

For example being sent abroad on a diplomatic mission, or a family emergency abroad. Or the chance for an experience of a lifetime like doing one of those tall ship adventures.

That’s where your ‘otherwise’ exemption could work. And you’d commit at least one parent to teaching, monitoring and reporting the educational development of each child during this period.

That it turns out you want a ten day skiing holiday is ridiculous - how many hours per day were you planning on doing school work in those ten days???

Itsallstressstressstress · 20/11/2025 14:56

How do you propose the education is provided consistently?

Elleherd · 20/11/2025 14:56

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:50

You’re coming across as complacent, old fashioned and set in your ways… out with the old and in with the new! Time will tell.. younger generations will not accept these antiquated policies

Show quote history

Then they will find themselves with their children either on forced school attendance certificates, parental supervision orders, forced to home educate or having to pay to provide a compatible education to meet their childrens needs.

I have sympathy for family life matters. But that's why we have the right to use systems other than state provided education.

Doobedobe · 20/11/2025 14:57

We went to another country for a period of 7 months. We had to deregister them and then hope the place was still there when we got back. The school was undersubscribed so we felt confident it would be but it was a risk.
You can't temporarily remove and hold a place. It doesn't work like that.
Neither is it fair to hold a place open. As there is no guarantee that you will come back and another family might move in near the school desparately wanting and needing a place. And its not fair to hold places open for if and when you decide to come back.
What if every one did this?

Dockthepeek · 20/11/2025 14:58

I sincerely hope you are a bot, OP, because the thought that you are an actual parent, responsible for actual children and their wellbeing is, frankly, depressing and terrifying. Spaffing incoherent AI slop into an email makes you neither clever nor informed and it certainly isn’t going to effect any change in the law. But you knew that.

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 14:58

KuanKaKu · 20/11/2025 14:50

You’re coming across as complacent, old fashioned and set in your ways… out with the old and in with the new! Time will tell.. younger generations will not accept these antiquated policies

Show quote history

You haven't managed to give one single argument on how the actual education would work and be beneficial to the children?

aside from you wanting to swan on cheap holidays whenever and for how long you fancy, but having teachers available to do the catch up with your kids when you finally feel like coming back.

I cannot wait to hear how your new and better system would work.

elevenpiperspiping · 20/11/2025 15:00

Use private schools - they’ll hold places for you as you’ll still be paying fees. Over the years I’ve known children have a term/year off for travelling during a sabattical or returning to a home country. You just need to be happy to pay to keep your place. The onus would also be on you to ensure that your child can keep up with the curriculum on your return.