Taking kids out of school early

[Mybedislisting]

Are any of you thinking about taking your kids out of school early to allow a quarantine period to see relatives at Christmas?

Usually I wouldn’t ever consider this as acceptable but FIL wants to come to us for Christmas and he has stage 4 bowel cancer.

He is just about to have a scan to see how his first lot of chemo has gone. We believe he has 12-18 months if this chemo has worked. It could legitimately be his last Christmas.

What do you think school would say? Would this absence be unauthorised?

DS is 5 so his first year at school.

I agree that I should overrule my OH however that's easier said than done ☹

I know I'll be furious if we get told to isolate over Christmas because of a burst bubble when I wanted to pull him out.

I have everything crossed that the govt close schools early.

I think you're doing the right thing OP sending you

I would do it, I would also be truthful with the school.
Majority of schools would be supportive in these circumstances.
And as you say you have online learing from the school already.

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady

It would be terrible if you lost your sense of smell or taste in the final week DC should be at school

In your situation I'd do it and let school know.

Do it .
Just lie and say he’s isolating

I would do it in your circumstances. Some things are more important than school, and this is one of them.

I wouldn't give a flying fuck about the school

I agree that OP is right to withdraw her child early in these circumstances (again, those who are able shouldn't mix so that families and individuals in this situation are more able to safely mix).

But this attitude towards schools is horrible. If you are aware of the working conditions and the work teachers and schools do, you'd have more respect. This is the attitude you get when used to treating schools as convenient childcare rather than valuing the work they do for YOUR child.

If this is your attitude towards school then stop wasting their time and withdraw your child so they can focus on children and parents who do value them.

Yes i wouldn’t hesitate for a second in your position

Primary Head teacher here...

If a parent came to me with your set of circumstances, I wouldn't hesitate to authorise the absence. They are exceptional circumstances and HTs are given the leeway to make these decisions for a week. As he is not statutory school age yet, if your HT says no and won't authorise it, they can do that as you have accepted a full time school place, but they cannot fine you. hopefully though, your HT is compassionate enough to use the discretion that they have been given and authorise it. I would always appreciate families coming to me and telling me the truth about situations like this, as it helps build a great relationship between you and the school.

FWIW, I've had an email this afternoon from the DFE asking for urgent information about families who would need technology support in the event of school closure - I have feeling in my water that the timing of this email and the urgency of the request means something...

Op I've lost both dp I would not think twice about it.. What a shameful twisted country we have become..when it comes to education.

Fine to dump kids without anything at all, for months... Then saying one 5 year old can't go and visit sick dying gf? And take one or two weeks out?..

Op at 5 it was very easy to keep up with their work and infact bring them on via short 1:1 time.

Do it x don't hesitate the time at school will never have the same impact as your fil seeing his gc.. At this time..

I'm thinking of taking mine out from the 14th.

Ilikeitwhenshegoesboo

But maybe your school has had lots of cases? Or your area? Why does this have wider implications do you think? (d of e).

Also re op going to the head it depends on the head, how stressful if they said no.
But op they would have to be ghastly to say no, in the middle of a natinal crisis... World crisis...

Sorry if I've missed this elsewhere in the thread but isn't there a big problem with saying you're self isolating and then having to come up with a story for why you haven't had a test?

Considering doing the same as I'm in similar circumstances but our school is really keen to get test results asap if the child is isolating and I don't know how to handle that when challenged. Considered just saying she has a tummy bug or something.

OP I would absolutely do this in your position. I would tell school but do it whatever they said.

However for those saying a week here and there doesn’t matter it absolutely does and I wouldn’t do this in normal family circumstances. Face to face teaching time makes a massive difference to progress and also impacts other children.

In OP’s circumstances though these issues are more than justified and can of course work to be mitigated IMO.

Lying to school would mean asking children to lie too which I would have trouble with, not sure how people navigate that one!

Lumeune I always think it will teach dc what's important in life?
And sometimes we do lie, especially when the system forces us too.

We shouldn't have too, fines should be removed, that's the humane solution... No one should be forcing dc in, in a global pandemic and leaving dc out some of them.. Thins out school population... And makes us safer.

This gov and their advisors are liars and they are clueless.

Mrs muggins mate.... Yes I'm wondering this too.. I think its safer to string out some stuff.. Perhaps d and v then something else?!

@Lumene

Lying to school would mean asking children to lie too which I would have trouble with, not sure how people navigate that one!

Usually I would agree but they won't see school for about 3 weeks with Christmas inbetween so they wont really be asked about it.

I teach and I'd have no qualms about this.
I totally understand why people may do so in order to see family who may be vulnerable.
In your circumstances I would definitely do so.

An unauthorised absence at age 5 means nothing.

I suspect we will have a number of children off in the final couple of weeks. I imagine we will have a few parents calling in to say their child has to self isolate.

And sorry but for many people there most definitely is a difference to seeing someone, or leaving someone alone, in the 25th December and the 3rd January.

Stellaris22

Apologies I should of elaborated. I wouldn't give a flying fuck about the schools attendance policy (which I'm sure is gov policy rather than the school).

Lots of respect for teachers & education, not so much for the the rigid attitude of the education establishment towards time off school, especially with children so young, but that is a whole different debate.

I think it's fine in your circumstances @Mybedislisting.

I would be pretty pissed off if schools are told to close early without needing to though, as some people are saying. Either cases are high enough that we need to continue some form of lockdown and we can't meet family for Christmas, or they aren't and schools should stay open.

Education must come before Christmas and our children have already missed so much. Some schools provided very little in lockdown, and some children didn't engage. 600,000 children are already off school at the moment. Imagine if your child had to isolate from next Friday - an 11 Dec school closure would see them off for 5 weeks. As another poster said, it is the most vulnerable who are always the worst affected.

Also what about all those parents working in retail/hospitality at the busiest time of the year suddenly having to find extra childcare.

This is one Christmas. Most of us, not in the OP's situation, can suck it up.

@MrsMigginsMate

Sorry if I've missed this elsewhere in the thread but isn't there a big problem with saying you're self isolating and then having to come up with a story for why you haven't had a test?

Considering doing the same as I'm in similar circumstances but our school is really keen to get test results asap if the child is isolating and I don't know how to handle that when challenged. Considered just saying she has a tummy bug or something.

The reason you have to isolate for 14 days is because you’ve had contact with a positive case, and in those circumstances you don’t test unless you get symptoms.

I wouldn't even think twice tbh. Life is absolutely precious.

I think it’s reasonable in your circumstances, I hope you have a lovely Xmas.

Unfortunately I think the reality for most is they’ll take kids out for 2 weeks, realise isolating at that time of year is a nightmare and decide to take the kids out and about to entertain them. They’ll still go ahead with the family Xmas and it will be a nightmare with cases.

People are fickle, they’ll think it’s great idea, then shit weather and 2 weeks isolation with bored kids will be recipe for disaster. (Not you Op though, I mean generally)

I agree. It'll be the same people who argued they could go on holiday because they'll quarantine, then just not bother as it got boring and kids started complaining.

OP is completely right to want to see family in her circumstances and think she is right to do so. I'd hope that those in 'normal' situations (no MH issues, extreme illness in family) would stay in their bubble for Christmas, but doubt many will. We should stay in our bubbles to make it safer for others to visit who genuinely have reasons to.

Usually I would agree but they won't see school for about 3 weeks with Christmas inbetween so they wont really be asked about it.

Schools will be following up on children who claim to be ill or self isolating, to see if it turned out to be Covid. Because this has knock on effects to others. So it won't be a single "white lie" that you can then forget about.

I'm finding it very ironic that there is another thread on the board about how young children can't possibly be expected to stay at home for 2 weeks and then we have one encouraging a parent to pull her young child out of school so he can self isolate for 2 weeks ...