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Education

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Original poster

So headmaster is being power hungry and insisting on unauthorised absence...

54 replies

Koumak · 09/12/2010 19:41

Hi, not sure if this really belong in the education thread...but I have sent the headmaster of my son's primary school, he is in year one, saying that we have a family wedding on 22 dec (last day of term) and that ds is not going to be in on that day. Got a reply today saying: "As you have not sought persmission for ds's absence, it will be marked as unauthorised absence."
I have obviously not used enough "please" and "could you possibly"... Well, it is first time I have done anything like this. Ds has obviously missed some school due to ilness when he was in reception but all I had to do was to call the school office on the day and explain that he is not coming in. He also missed a day when his little sister was born and I would've thought that all the above absolutely reasonable. So why is he making a point? I have never asked for a time off due to an early or late holiday if you know what I mean? Obviously I want to appeal this. What do we think?

OP posts:

Original poster

Koumak · 09/12/2010 20:02

Thank you all for explaining this to me. I see we just have to have more sick days... I wanted to do the right thing as it is the last day of term and rather obvious that people would be wanting to leave for Christmas early.

OP posts:

panettoinydog · 09/12/2010 20:06

It doesn't matter one bit but I'd be miffed by his arsey attitude, I'd phone and ask if another code such as domestic circumstances or similar wasn't more appropriate.

ISNT · 09/12/2010 20:06

Problem is, if you write again and ask nicely, and actually he is being a twat, and says no, then you're even more stuck!

Leave it IMO, just take the day off and put it down to experience.

Original poster

Koumak · 09/12/2010 20:12

Thank you girls

OP posts:

Original poster

Koumak · 09/12/2010 20:14

At the end of last term he announced he was retiring and I was actually worried what the change is going to be like etc. But now cannot wait for somebody younger and open minded!

OP posts:

pozzled · 09/12/2010 20:20

He is being an idiot really, but I wouldn't bother contacting him again, just let it go. One day of unauthorised absence won't matter to your son.

kalo12 · 09/12/2010 20:22

honestly doesn't matter. one unauthorised absence is not going to have any impact I promise. am teacher in school wher we have loads of unauthorised absence - you have to put some register code in, thats all

nancydrewrockinaroundxmastree · 09/12/2010 20:22

He is being a twat. I would write to him along the following lines:

Dear Mr. X

Following our conversation yesterday and your indication that despite my having written to you regarding a family wedding on 22 December you do not consider that letter to be a properly worded request for the authorisation of my sons absence within the terms of the school rules please regard this letter as such a request.

If the above is not satisfactory then please been informed that Y will, in any event, be absent and you are a twat

Hand the letter to the school secretary. Don't bother with an envelope and then everyone can have a snigger at what a knob he is (although I suspect they already know)

It will make absolutely no difference to your son being absent unless this is the end of a long string of unauthorised absences.

CupcakesHay · 09/12/2010 20:24

Can you not just apologise, and say that you didn't realise there was a set procedure, etc, and that you will know for next time - but hopefully won't be a next time?

goingroundthebend4 · 09/12/2010 20:27

he is being a twat dd Ht has agreed to dd missing half a day next week So i can go watch ds3 xmas play and no way could get back for dd in time to pick her up

MaudOHara · 09/12/2010 23:19

I think it is the wording - if you ask then they can classify it as authorised - if you tell them then they can't.

We have to fill in a form stating reasons and what the DC will benefit from the absence - they can then classify it as being of some benefit educationally and authorise the leave.

crazymum53 · 10/12/2010 09:22

Is the wedding in a different part of the country because schools here finish on Friday 17th December ? Perhaps the people organising the wedding thought it would be school holidays?

clam · 11/12/2010 16:35

He is a twat. Either you meet the criteria for an authorised absence or you don't. I don't see what the wording of the letter has to do with it, other than to massage his ego.

For the record, I would never in a million years have opened the letter in his sight. And anyway, so it's unauthorised. And? The only one that this will affect is him, as his school will be marked down by Ofsted if there are too many. Makes no difference to you in the slightest.
You go, and have a stonking fine old wedding.

camptownraces · 11/12/2010 20:52

There are only certain reasons for which an absence can be "authorised". This is just because of the rules to which the school has to work. (There are very slight variations from one local authority to another, and in some areas Heads have no discretion to authorise this kind of absence). However, the school IS judged on the total number of unauthorised absences, and these figures are published.

It's not within the Head's gift to authorise that absence. Sending him the invitation will make no difference.
Just don't let it fester so much that you don't enjoy the wedding.

Yulephemia · 11/12/2010 21:32

What a twonk. What's he going to do, call Social Services on you? He wants to focus on what matters. In the school I work in kids are regularly absent with no advance warning for: parental holidays; it's their birthday; three and a half snow days so might as well have another, it's Friday anyway. The HT doesn't create a stink, she's just glad the families get the kids to school most of the time, she accepts that life goes on and isn't always at the school's administrative convenience.

OldAndUngraceful · 12/12/2010 22:29

what a tosser

BerylStreep · 12/12/2010 22:50

tbh I think you are reading too much into it. I wouldn't have opened it in front of him, nor would I have discussed it further.

It doesn't make a jot of difference to your son if it is recorded as an unauthorised absence. I think it is something the school has to send out, rather than the head making a point.

Our school has a standard letter they send out. We know, because we have had several . They don't know yet about the weeks skiing in March.

DandyDan · 13/12/2010 10:25

It's not within the Head's brief to authorise the absence, so no amount of letter-writing or contact will alter the tick-box against your son's name that day. It's just an official admin thing. Our LEA doesn't allow absences for weddings so writing for permission is pointless (one of our children lost their EMA for a week because they had to attend a wedding on a Friday at the other end of the country). Having a tick against one day isn't the end of the world though. Just so long as you have informed them of the absence (and it being only the one day), that's okay.

Tortington · 13/12/2010 10:30

DOES IT MATTER?

why does this matter?

are you annyed at the unauthorised absence or the fac tthat the head communicated to you in twattish meglamaniac ways?

if the latter - kick him in the manjo

if the former...i don't really understand why you care

IN FACT i would go to head and say - " yes my son is having a days unauthorised absence, look at mon visage...am i bovvered?"

DiscoDaisy · 13/12/2010 10:35

My year 10 DD didn't get authorisation to have 2 days off so we could go on holiday. Her head of year phoned me and apologized for not being able to authorise it but he hoped we had a great holiday!

Giftwrapped · 13/12/2010 10:35

I think his point is that you didn't ask them if it would be ok to have the day off, you told them it was happening.

DiscoDaisy · 13/12/2010 10:36

We also told the school she would be going rather than asking but apparently the school never authorise holidays whether there are exceptional circumstances or not.
The other 3 schools we told all gave authorisation.

Kitsilano · 13/12/2010 10:41

Somewhat similar situation with me. We have had numerous notes on the parents bulletin saying "Permission will not be given for holidays taken in term time etc etc"

I am taking my DD (yr 1) out of school for the first 2 days of term despite this so I sent a note informing the school that this was what would happen.

I received a stiff letter back saying "Please note, the protocol is to request permission well in advance, not "Inform" the school of intended absence." And I was told the absence would be unauthorised.

I wasn't fussed in the least about the unauthorised absence - fair enough really - but it seemed a bit contrary to tick me off for not asking permission after clearly stating that permission would not be granted...

I do think there's a bit of wanting to be sucked up to going on.

But I seriously wouldn't worry about the 1 day of unauthorised absence - pursuing it will probably just make the school more intransigent. Don't give the head the satisfaction.

TheCrackFox · 13/12/2010 10:45

Chuck the letter in the bin and enjoy the wedding.
Like a lot of people I inform the school, I do not ask permission.

BerylStreep · 13/12/2010 17:02

Actually I think that parents should be able to avail of up to 5 days a year 'grace' days where they can take their children out of school without repercussions.

Anything more than that, then the school should take it up with the parents. Why should the school be able to have exceptional closure days, yet parents can't have exceptional absence days?

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