To not feel sympathy for this mum?

[imreadytodive]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-school-holiday-criminal-record-37163490.amp

a mum has been given a criminal record after taking her daughter out of school for two weeks to “see her sick grandmother” and refusing to pay the fine

Surely she realises nobody buys that excuse? If her grandmother was that unwell why wouldn’t she travel to Turkey in the 6 week school holidays leading up to September? I’m

I think it’s the opposite, with kids dropping out to be home schooled all over the place

this was the first time I’d taken her out of school and I think it’s disgusting the government is penalising parents like this and treating us like criminals,” she says.

It was the first time I stabbed someone your honour....

You just said yourself that “if you can’t afford it that’s life.”

Quite possibly she couldn’t afford it.

She should have just paid the fine.

However I think there should be 5 holiday days allowed per school year. That means every family would have a shot at a week away without such high prices. You used to be allowed to take children out for a week no problem.

These fines are keeping the children in school who miss loads of schooling they are just picking the families or take a week or two away in term time which misses the whole point of why the fines came in if I remember correctly.

It was to stop the children who are regularly truant but they all still get away with no fine because “reasons”.

and no I’ve not taken mine out for a weeks holiday we pay the August prices.

Enrolling your child in state schooling is coercive in the first place. Tax you and then give you your money back in the form of state schooling that you get no choice in. Add VAT to make the hurdle of parent choice even harder. Try to home school in desperation, find out there is a lot of suspicion and irritation there too.

So yeah, I think state schools need to be more accommodating to parents. Schools shouldn’t trump parents. Children belong to families. Not the state.

If that's true then what's the point?

Yet she could now?

Its such a thinly veiled lie that she’s spun

Possibly couldn't afford to go immediately. I know if there was something like that I wouldn't have the funds at my disposal straight away. In Scotland we don't get fined.

I do think she should have just paid the fine though. Does anyone know that if you don't have the money that you can make a payment plan, or do you have to pay in full?

She couldn’t. She said the father sent her the money.

The needs of a single parent who is contractually required to be at work should definitely rank higher than the needs of a child to be in school. Children are not employees and the school is not going to be critically “short-pupilled” by an occasional child being allowed time off in special circumstances.

In principle the school here could have replied immediately to the mother’s request on writing. The school office assured her that if she heard nothing it was going to be ok thus the mum didn’t realise she needed to chase it up.

The school had twenty whole days to reply. What’s the excuse for making a decision on the day of the trip itself?

Probably the HT was on holiday herself and didn’t get round to replying!

I agree. So many school refusers just suddenly become home schooled and poof problem gone.

I’ve never known so many children be home schooled. I know around 10 home schooled children.

All of them missed a good year or more of schooling time prior with zero fines as far as the parents shared. One in particular made a huge deal of well if they fine me then I’ll just quit my job and homeschool them, watch them get their money then… I mean she only worked 2 hours a day but still she would of told us 😅

Lots of posts on my fb of home schooling from these parents involving baking, printed math sheets and taking pictures of wildlife. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Oh and one lad in particular has a huge interest in Nazi history and weapons… not in a good way.

Yes, the HT was probably enjoying her unpaid break in August.

You agree to the terms when you enrol children in school just like you sign a contract when you start work. You can get another job, but children don't get a second shot at their education.

@ImImmortalNowBabyDoll typically teachers receive a monthly salary. They are not unpaid during the holidays.

The salary is calculated for 38 weeks of work. It is split up into 12 payments but they are not paid for the holidays.

@ImImmortalNowBabyDoll I disagree with this too I’m afraid. It’s possible to get an education throughout your life.

I signed the ridiculous contract the school sent me, because it was conditional on joining the school. I was told I had to read it to my 4 year old and he should “agree”.

There is a legal concept of “onerous clauses” and I believe that this holiday nonsense is one of them.

How can my child agree, age 4, to a contract that says he can’t take time of school to see a very poorly grandparent?

How can I reasonably be expected to agree to that on his behalf, when it’s against my culture and faith and personal morality?

If parents are neglecting their children then this should be pursued by social services, as appropriate. It’s total state overreach to be issuing fines and prosecuting parents for unauthorised absence.

Provided it isn’t neglect or abuse, parents should be able to make decisions in the best interests of their children.

I’m other side of this now with a dd at University.
Her private primary adopted a very sensible approach and looked at overall attendance, academic achievement, bigger picture. It fostered good relationships between school and parents as there was no need to lie. We didn’t often take her out but some things wouldn’t have been authorised in state school.
She went to state secondary with no flexibility. I had a couple of exchanges with them where absence should have been authorised (and eventually was) but I can see why parents just cba and call them in sick.

A poorly grandparent who loves him so much that they've not seen him in 7 years?

You have 13 weeks to take holidays. If you choose to go outside of that 13 weeks, you have broken the contract and pay the fine.

Or you can choose to go to battle with the system and get a criminal record.

Schools do operate unique rules. But the time is paid.

If you leave your teaching job at end of summer term, for example, and by providing the correct notice - you will still be paid until 31 August since you worked all your contractual hours for the year. So effectively your non directed time is paid.

It’s the same in my job - if I take four weeks holiday in August, I’m still paid for that time, even though I have not done any work all month.

Kids aren’t learning anything from 10 days all inclusive though really are they? They won’t speak the language, most won’t eat anything other than their normal food. They’ll have a great time and make memories but let’s not pretend it’s some enriching world experience. I take my kids out of school, I save a fortune, they have a great time and we pay the fine cos thems the rules.

so people take the piss 2/3 times going on a holiday in term time these are the ones that should be fined not just once a year people

@ImImmortalNowBabyDoll I never said the child had a loving grandmother, don’t put words in my mouth. And many people wish to heal family relationships in all sorts of difficult circumstances. Of which you have absolutely no idea. Remember Covid fell in that period - that’s two years of seeing no relatives. And there had been a relationship breakdown between the parents.

I know plenty of people whose absent parent has got in touch after years and contact re established. It’s not always straightforward.

Exactly. If you own it and hold your hands up and say you want to go and sit on a beach, fine. But don’t act like you’re teaching your kids anything 😂

Rapists get less.
Kids are left in abusive homes to be beaten raped and murdered by their parents.
Businesses and richy rich folk refuse to pay tens of thousands in tax and don't even make it to court.

A woman took her kid on holiday and we're wasting our time and money to call her a criminal. Fuck me.

The closeness or not child to gran would have been irrelevant with evidence.
Mum could have filed with the court the girl’s birth certificate showing Turkish man was dad, dad’s birth certificate showing name of his mum. Letter from Turkish Dr (translated) saying gran has cancer and is on end of life care, witness statement from dad (translated) saying my mum is dying and dying mums wish to see child one last time.
With evidence the LA may not have proceeded to prosecute and if they did reasonable prospects of court finding exceptional circumstances.
Instead mum hasn’t got any legal advice or representation and has turned up in ct to tell her version of events with no evidence. She was always going to fail.