Do you agree with school absence fines?

[Dreamyseptember]

I honestly don’t have a strong opinion either way. I work term time so I can only go away in the school holidays anyway, plus I’ve never been keen on mine missing school.

However, I can totally understand why for many people they want to go on holiday during term time. A family holiday can be a magical experience, visiting somewhere new, spending proper time together, experiencing new things, getting away from the daily grind. And for many this would be unaffordable in the school holidays. The other thing is that parents can’t always get the time off work.

I do think it’s important for children to attend school, I know they missing large chunks at school can mean them falling behind, miss out on learning as well as time with friends.

But tbh, I know people whose children missing large chunks school frequently anyway. Any sniffle, tired day, weather too hot or too cold and the parents are ringing them on sick. There are other children who attend 100% of the time and is one week away for a family holiday, possibly at a time of year when learning is wrapping up anyway, going to really make that much difference.

When I was at school in the 80s/90s it was quite normal for children to disappear for 2 weeks for a holiday abroad and no one batted an eyelid.

I’m sure that there are lots of arguments either way but do you think it’s right and fair that parents are fined for taking their children on holiday during term time?

Yabu - the fines are correct
Yanbu - it should be the parents decision

I wouldn’t really expect school to police it.

What was the system in the 80s and 90s? I don’t remember the schools policing term time holidays or them being a huge problem either. Some children did have a holiday abroad but it really wasn’t treated as a big thing.

Where does the money for these fines actually go? I think it should go to the schools.

I think a child should be allowed to go on holiday each year just once providing they have good general attendance. £80 is hardly much of a detterant per child per parent.

Honestly I’ve had two children both go through different schools and the schools have been obsessed with attendance.

Offering everything from prize draws for bikes, iPads, PlayStations, shopping vouchers, regular letters and pleading messages in newsletters.

It seems to me that it isn’t really the term time holidays that are the problem but more the persistent absence caused by other reasons.

It would have no end. Christmas trees are way cheaper in January than December. Demand is a reel thing. It can't be changed easily.

Yup. Precisely this. Many of those schools overseas also give homework to be completed during standard holidays. And many of the parents in those regions will be proactively asking the school what needs to be covered if their child has to take time out of school due to illness but can still use a pen and focus for an hour. The whole context is different.

You don't need to do 6 hours 1:1 and most parents I know keep up homework if away from school.

A lot of parents work as hard as teachers. Many don't earn more. Teachers aren't saints.

Obviously you can't do this, kids need to be educated

So you expect a teacher, in spite of their already ridiculously heavy workload, to make up a special study pack every time a child goes on holiday in term time?

i’m a bit torn. My daughter’s primary won’t authorise but generally wishes people well. Left up to them I don’t think they would fine but obviously now have no choice re the people hitting the 10 session threshold. They seem to be quite pragmatic and we have taken the odd day either side of a holiday but never a full week. I know lots of people who have taken children out for longer.

I really disagree with the focus on 100% attendance and crazy approach. Kids get sick and need rest. Attendance is important but going totally hard core seems to be against the welfare of the kids. Where parents are flakey or there are other issues there should be better support.

I disagree with people saying it’s the holiday companies’ fault. They are private businesses who don’t have any sort of obligation to create affordable holidays. It’s just supply and demand and if anyone tried to regulate them, the cheap weeks would just become as expensive as peak weeks or they’d go under.

I’d also say while the fines themselves might not be that much of a deterrent the escalation and threat of prison most certainly is. If it was just about a fine I’d be more inclined to risk it but I wouldn’t risk court proceedings.

They can have both a decent education and a holiday.

Mum to one here. Single parent. I cant understand this drama about kids falling behind with school work for 5 days. Its ridiculous to suggest this. Too right I won't spend my time on holiday doing homework. My child has never fallen behind let alone due to a holiday.

The parents with choatic lives who are late to school or fail to take their kids to school are completely different issues.

Oh sorry, I didn’t realise that missing school to go to on holiday was special time off that didn’t contribute to missing school 🙄

In the school system DD2 has attended since Christmas (we relocated from UK) you just follow the school app and hand in any homework online. Same if you were present in class. Teachers aren't really involved if it's a holiday of 1-2 weeks.

Yes! 👏 One of my DCs started at Secondary and we had a great spiel about absences and how bad they were, along with ridiculous charts showing percentages of days missed - completely OTT! But then, in the first half of the Autumn term while all the children were settling in and getting to grips with their work, they had a completely unnecessary - and disgustingly expensive - school residential trip!

A bit off topic, but I bloody hate school trips! Quite apart from the whole “Oh, the absence is fine if we say so” attitude, it just means we’re hundreds of pounds short of money that could go towards family trips or days out 😡

The 47 pages? Does it say anything about a student missing a week or two?

Council not school.

Fully agree with it but can’t see it being enforced. I’d make it per parent per child per day if I could

I can see both sides too, and I am dreading being confined to certain dates for the next decade, but ultimately I think it is there to protect the education of our kids. I can see how disruptive it is for a learning environment if kids are coming and going, although I can't say it hugely troubled me when I was at school in the 90s.

All that said, I am planning a big trip to Japan for my 40th in a couple of years, and DD will miss a few days to make that happen at a time of year I want to go. It will be a one off, I'll pay the fine, and we will abide by the rules for the rest of our time in the British school system.

Well considering there's all this outrage surely the money should go into the school pot for education.

Yes but it doesn't.

Another thing is that independent schools don't fine. Or DS went to one and they were absolutely fine with 1-2 weeks holiday in term.

Homework is still not the same as having the subject taught by a teacher. Homework is just to build on the original concept which the child won’t have been taught as they’re on holiday.

Who would? We are in an academy system now where the local authority has very little control over schools.

I imagine it was the local authorities in the 80s and 90s. You can’t really compare the system we have now to that. Not just attendance but attainment and results - there is just more accountability on schools since then. Rightly so, lots of young people were failed in the old system but then it leads to this issue with attendance being constantly monitored or punished.

I honestly don’t know what the answer is as I fully understand why parents want to but I also see the disruption in school.

Absolutely but preferably the holiday during the school holidays not during term time.

the councils claim that the money for the fines goes in paying for the expense of administering the fines.

But considering its a standardised letter that's simply been mail merged with a name/date and then posted, I'm not sure how thats £160 quids worth of administrative fee per family

Honestly, I can see a scenario where parents just say to a head teacher, look it's going to be £1,000 cheaper to go in term time, i'll give you £300 for the school if you authorise it" At least that way the school would benefit

The way it is right now clearly doesn't work

it hasn't stopped people going away, because the price of term time holidays are so much cheaper that I think people just factor in the fine into the decisionmaking

Quite frankly, I think it should just be "we'll authorise it but only in primary school, and only once per school year up to a maximum of three days"