To take my kids out of school for three weeks

[scratchingheads]

We have an incredible opportunity for a once in a lifetime trip with family next year. It would mean taking my kids out of school for three weeks. They are 4 (reception) and 5 (year one).

It would be one week at end of term and two weeks at beginning of the next term.

Has anyone done this, what are the chances of the school going for it, and what else do I need to consider?

Someone on here or Reddit took their kid out for three weeks and it resulted in court action due to the length of time. Dependent on area I’m sure but something to think about.

When will your 5yo have turned 5? they only reach compulsory school age on 3 set dates after they turn 5. So if they turn 5 on September 2nd, they turn compulsory school age on January 1st. If they turn 5 on April 2nd, they aren't compulsory school age until the following September.

So depending on when their birthday is, it may be you are fined for neither.

If this was before the statutory instrument of 2013 and the SC ruling in 2017, then your advice does not take into account new rules, including the 2024 DofE framework. These established that any child in either state or private school must attend regularly according to the school attendance criteria. The 2017 ruling established that the 1996 Education Act had always given LA’s the power to prosecute and since then that is what they have done. Even private schools are bound by this (I used to get a letter from the LA despite for my DS despite being in private school as he had had covid 4x +glandular fever and, although his absences were authorised, his attendance percentages triggered the LA investigating us - this was 2-3 years ago.)

@scratchingheads please do not look to advice or let people who have nothing to loose incite you to proceed without exploration of all the facts.

Speak to the HT, establish whether deregistering your children from the school roll, registering them as ‘educated elsewhere’ with the LA will absolve you from criminal liability, and then ask if they are likely to have places for your children upon your return if you reapply for places via the LA website (it may be a poorly subscribed school or low birth year making this entirely feasible).

Be aware that a family holiday is NOT considered ‘education elsewhere’ - you would need to have evidence that you are following a KS1/2 programme - perhaps enrolling them with an online/home schooling provider, and taking work books with you etc. And yes, it seems idiotic that at 4 and 5, when kids in other countries are still in informal education and not legally required to attend, that this would be an issue here… but you live in the UK with all the benefits and privileges that provides.

Speak to HT, establish the rules and find a way to work within them.

Are you in England? I don't think fines apply in Scotland or The Republic of Ireland.

Kids are now in secondary school (Private) and we continued doing this - straight after their end of year exams in May - did it past few years including last year and doing it again this year - already had approval. I didn't advise the OP - i stated they should be honest with the school.

I think you should go for it. They are so young, in many countries they wouldn't have even started school yet at that age

It's immaterial what happens in other countries. She's subject to the laws of the country in which she lives, whether she agrees with them or not.

You call in sick for the last week of term. You apply (and get denied) the first two weeks of the next term as holiday. You duck up the fine and don't do it again for at least three years. Kids will be absolutely fine xx

Do check how they will tally it up in your local area - more than two fines in a three year period can trigger a prosecution now, and one week is enough for a fine, so if they were to count it as three separate fines (I don't know if they would or not and I think it can be LA dependent) you could have to go to court.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/fines-for-parents-for-taking-children-out-of-school-what-you-need-to-know/

It’s okay, we don’t need your pity as we won’t get fined and our kids will be in school to learn.

Not quite sure how you can work in attendance and promote kids missing 30 sessions of school for a holiday so lightheartedly? Surely you’d be surrounded by the pressure to keep attendance up?

So you had approval? Different scenario, then? It was an authorised absence. If your HT chose to withhold approval, you would be subject to an LA investigation and the same risks would apply.

In State Schools the OP will not get an authorised absence - the LA will not allow HTs to provide it.

Tbh, you were very lucky - our private school absolutely refused to give authorised absences for travel for more than a day at either end of a term/half term. And even then there had to be a very very good reason why we couldn’t travel a day later.

Yes it's definitely not what teachers generally say! And as a fair few PPs have said, four and five year olds won't actually remember this once in a lifetime experience.

I don't think they will go for it. You could deregister them if the year groups aren't full and then just re-register when they come back. But you are taking a chance that the spaces will go.

I did it, youngest was 6. They were fine.

You really think missing 40% of school time has had no effect?
It’s a wonder you bother sending him at all 🤔

I don't think there's any harm in taking the kids out of school for 3 weeks. People saying they be at a disadvantage because of it are just being dramatic.

But, they are only 4 and 5. Its not going to be a life changing trip for them at that age - the likely wont even remember most of it. So its mostly for you that you will be going (which is fine).

"my children are unlikely to ever get this opportunity again"

From experience, they won't remember any of it. That's not a reason not to go but it's a once in a lifetime experience for the adults. For the kids, not so much.

I work in a school. I’d never take students out in exam years at ks4/5, but otherwise I’d definitely take them when I could. The fine will just have to be accounted for in the total.

School wont authorise it but meh, go for it 😃 they'll be fine

Not really lucky, our school is just using common sense. We have a lot of immigrant parents in our school who get approval to go back to India/Pakistan for a couple of weeks - as long as the children are performing well academically, have good behaviour, and attending school otherwise there really isn’t an issue. Thankfully our school thinks outside the box and doesn’t tarnish everyone with the same brush.

The school aren't allowed to authorise it. It's not their decision.

Ex teacher. I've done it, though my children did some work every morning. To me, it depends on the children, the type of trip and how confident you are working with them (or employing a tutor if needed) to make sure learning isn't missed.

'trip of a lifetime' often depressingly means Orlando so I hope it's not that... People have depressingly low aspirations for their children if they think that is the trip of a lifetime. Agree with posters who say they're unlikely to remember much of the trip at that age vs the educational impact at a key stage. But I'm against taking children out of mandatory education generally.

Whats the point of taking them on holiday for so long at this age as they won’t remember it.
Then in the next breath
And they will miss so much crucial lesson time in school they can’t ever catch up!

A few of us have said that our now older kids cant remember much if any of their holidays when they were very young. I think at that age holidays where mainly a change of scenery for parents.They were for me anyway! I just never took them out of school abd this was before fines were introduced.
I did all the 'its a cultural expierence, they will learn loads,' well they probably did at the time but like most things if it's not used or remembered regularly a lot gets forgotten.

OP, do what you want,this is always going to be a controversial subject on MN

YABU,
It may be the experience of a lifetime for you, but at the ages of 4 and 5, will your children even take it all in or remember all of it.
Can you not go for a shorter time? At that age, I would be far more concerned about the children missing out on friendship groupings in September when they go back to school.