Holiday booked shortly after son starts post-16 placement, is one week okay?

[TheOpalFox]

My son starts a specialist post 16 placement . In September
we have a holiday booked for the end of September . Is that a huge problem? Just a week? :(

He shouldn’t go.

Well it's not ideal is it! Why did you choose to book for September when you knew he'd be doing a placement?

Has he told them about the holiday?
it could be tricky if it’s over some sort of induction period/ training etc but I guess it depends on the organisation how they structure things etc..

I mean it’s not the greatest timing if he’s just starting the course. Is it a full or part time course? Part time I guess he won’t miss too much.

Presumably a lot of other young people applied for it. Your son got it so his only focus until its over is being present 100% of the time and giving 100%. You go on holiday if you like. He can't

This

Ask the college or setting directly.

Post 16 placement- a job? If so, he should have mentioned it in the recruitment that he had a holiday booked. Given how hard it is to get post 16 placements, I’d let the holiday go. Either get it moved to August or you go without him.

Really bad idea. If your son needs a specialist educational setting then he needs stability and disrupting that with a week of holiday mid term is going to be really damaging. I also have a child starting a new post-16 setting this September and I wouldn't dream of booking a term time holiday. My child needs a good few days of "downtime" where nothing happens after any holiday so it wouldn't just be the week of holiday missed but the next week too for recovery time. Put your child's wellbeing first and pay the extra to have your holiday during school holiday time, downgrading the grade of accommodation/location if that is necessary to reach a budget you can manage.

He should not go. These kinds of placements are hard to get and he's fortunate to have it. Doesn't he want to impress them as much as possible with the hope of future employment?

What sort of placement is it?

Specialist post 16 placement as part of his EHCP? I’m assuming it’s an SEND placement?

putting him in and then taking him out almost immediately for a week seems like monumentally poor timing…

How has this scenario come about? Did you book the holiday first and then the post 16 placement came as a surprise later? Or did you plan the holiday knowing it would affect his attendance on placement?
it’s not ideal, I would be trying to move the holiday to a more convenient time or at the very least letting the placement know early so they are aware.

Move the holiday or he doesn’t go, there’s not really any other options.

As per pp, why did you book this holiday in September?

From memory, it was difficult to obtain this placement for your son, so I don’t know why you would choose to do something that would have a negative impact on it.

You're already worried about him starting at this post 16 provision that you actually appealed to get him in to. Why on earth did you book a holiday for the end of September?

Either it needs to be moved or he (and another family member) stay home.
the first couple of weeks in a placement like this (and tbh any school/college) are so important for making those friends, getting into a routine etc, pulling him out for a week so early on would be a bad plan.