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Original poster

taking children out of school for holidays is ILLEGAL

588 replies

zippitippitoes · 08/03/2006 10:03

interesting news report here \link{http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2075270,00.html\ High Court Ruling}

so will anybody still be taking those unauthorised breaks and days off?

Will schools get tougher

and does your school say no at the moment?

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 08/03/2006 10:06

But they learn so much on holiday.

And they don't learn much at the start/in the middle/at the end of term.

Teachers can give them work to do on holiday if they're that worried.

chipmonkey · 08/03/2006 10:20

I used to say I'd never take them out of school for hols but this year we took them out for the first few days of term to go to Lanzarote. We hadn't had a holiday in 2 years and ds1 and ds2 were looking pale even though they were eating well etc. Well, they missed nothing in school so far as I can see, they look way better but I think God Punished Us because we got 3 days of good weather during the week and ds3 was sick for 5 days. (No washing machine either!) How's your ds1 now hunkermunker?

notasheep · 08/03/2006 10:22

dds school allows 2 weeks a year to take off for an out of season holiday,makes sense to me.

With hunkermunker-those 2 weeks she will learn far more

SoupDragon · 08/03/2006 10:24

It's only illegal if it's without the permission of the head teacher.

DSs have occasionally missed a friday to visit grandparents in spain but I try to avoid this. head teacher v understanding so long as you're not abusing it.

SoupDragon · 08/03/2006 10:25

I think HM was being sarcastic....

WideWebWitch · 08/03/2006 10:27

I've never taken unauthorised time off. Our school authorises if we fill in a form. I only have twice, once when we got married and once ds had a bit of a morning off to go and get Darth Vader, well, the bloke who played him, to sign Star Wars dvds at Virgin megastore. Where are enid and cod then, this is one of their parp subjects iirc.

tiredemma · 08/03/2006 10:32

we are allowed 10 days per year off, we write a letter and the head ok's this.

I think that if the head says no, then it is illegal.

Caligula · 08/03/2006 10:37

Hasn't it always been, if it's without authorisation? What's changed?

prettybird · 08/03/2006 10:42

On the one occasion we have done it (ds is only in P1) we informed the school and got permission. There wasn't a problem.

Ds has also received his certificate for perfect attendance in the August-December term :) - althugh he won't get it for the current term! Wink

Original poster
zippitippitoes · 08/03/2006 10:51

There is no longer any ambiguity in the law

I think what has changed is that as in this case, the mother successfully claimed that she didn't fail to secure her daughters' regular attendance..

she took them out for holidays and other reasons
and the magistrates said they couldn't convict her

but the school appealed and the High Court have directed that any unauthorised absence for whatever reason is unlawful

so birthdays, treats even spurious medical reasons if the absence is unauthorised then schools know the law is firmly behind them

so I wondered whether this would mean that more schools would now refuse permission more often, as the law would be clearly in their favour

OP posts:
Enid · 08/03/2006 10:52

good

NikkiH · 08/03/2006 10:53

Our school will generally authorise 10 days absence but don't like holidays in term time.

We've steered away from it so far for educational reasons and also as my dh and I both work, we'd only have to find child care for them for the whole of the six weeks summer holidays instead of just four!

A friend of mine applied for permission to take her kids out of school for three weeks for a trip to Oz and got told the school could only authorise 10 days absence and for anything more she'd have to apply to the LEA. I don't think she did and they went ahead with the trip as planned. As far as I know there wasn't any come back.

Piffle · 08/03/2006 10:54

My ds's (secondary)school is REALLY strict. But that said when ds is planning to go to NZ with his Dad over xmas this year for 3 weeks, using 7 days of term time, they have said ok. Aging granny and all that, plus his aunts wedding. Extenuating circs apparently.
But I've never ever taken him out at any other time, its always his dad (xp) who asks!

alexsmum · 08/03/2006 10:55

i think if the parent asks permission , the school is not likely to refuse it just because they can.this would lead to very bad parent/school relations surely?

foxinsocks · 08/03/2006 10:57

will the families be prosecuted then?

can just imagine police teams dragging families off planes in June!

expatinscotland · 08/03/2006 10:58

My family lives abroad. I'll take my children to visit them when I see fit, not the government.

biglips · 08/03/2006 10:58

is it true that parents get fines if they take their kids out of school without permission?

Enid · 08/03/2006 10:59

agree with alexsmum, cant see dd1s school refusing lightly as they ahve a falling role as it is

refuse one Mark warner holiday in termtime and the kid will be whipped out and sent to the private prep quicker than wink Wink

Original poster
zippitippitoes · 08/03/2006 11:02

they could be prosecuted in the same way as for truancy, because the High Court has ruled that there is only effectively one kind of unauthorised absence

not good truancy and bad truancy

so parents taking children away on holiday without school permission are the same as feckless parents who don't ensure their children attend school regularly

OP posts:
Hausfrau · 08/03/2006 11:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
zippitippitoes · 08/03/2006 11:34

apparently a lot of people do book and go on holidays without asking permission they assume they can have 10 days

has anybody actually used the every lesson counts scheme to book a holiday this year? Or is it just fluff and flannel?

OP posts:
GDG · 08/03/2006 11:37

I wouldn't take my children out of school for holidays anyway - I just think it gives the wrong message tbh.

However, I was taken out of primary school, at least one time I can remember, at the end of term and I didn't suffer (I was cruising through school anyway though).

I suppose it's easy for me to say though because I can afford to go away in the school holidays - even though the price increases are still very annoying.

sandyballs · 08/03/2006 11:56

I'm taking my two out of their reception class in June. What on earth are they going to miss in 5 days? Family holidays are hugely important (and can be educational) and it would mean not having one if we had to do it in the school holidays.
Bit different when they are older and doing more serious studying.

Wordsmith · 08/03/2006 11:57

What's the every lesson counts scheme?

Original poster
zippitippitoes · 08/03/2006 12:03

it's a scheme jointly run by government and travel operators to stop parents taking children out of school...it's the carrot rather than stick approach

\link{http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/educationandlearning/rightsandresponsibilities/behaviourandattendanceyourresponsibilities/everylessoncounts/\ links ot free child places}

the 10 day rule for authorised absences is supposed to be for holidays in exceptional circumstances only(I've been looking this up)

I'd be interested to know if anyone has failed to get permission

OP posts: