we have just been discussing the implications of unatuhorised abscence at our meeting

[poisson]

adn our holiday thing is really gettign serious
its 94% - it shoudl be 98%

if it gets too low we can be identified as a failing shcool ON THAT ALONE.
aslo we can inform the edication welfaree officer.
bet some parents woudl find htat MORE shameful than a court summons

and STILl parents take theri kids way in sats week
if you agree witht ehm or not its hardly supporitve of the school

I'm actually too busy to comment>>>

but as it is my god knows for why pet topic

unauthorised absence is to all intents and purposes truanting even if it is condoned by/with parents consent

Has your school stopped giving permission for holidays in term time cod? Or do the parents just not bother asking?

At ds1's primary school, if a child has already missed s certain percentage of days (less than 95% attendance I think) then any termtime holiday requests have to go to the LEA.

Tbh the majority of parents at ds1's school really couldn't care less about league tables or OFSTED. Warning them that the school would slip down league tables would mean nothing at all.

When I was teaching any holidays sanctioned by the Headteacher were counted as authorised absences, not unauthorised.

Does your school refuse all parents who ask to take their holiday in term-time? Do the parents take the children out without the permission anyway? Or do they not even inform the school that they are going?

The only unauthorised absences were ones that the parents hadn't bother to cover with a letter / phonecall.

I don't have a problem with two weeks off for holidays in Primary. Agree with ropinpud that it just another of this governments obsession with statistics thats causing the problem. Parents taking children out in term time isn't just for financial reasons -when you have two parents wotking just finding a week that you can have off together is a bloody miracle IME.

Secondary is a different matter though- and as far as Sats go - I don't agree with them so maybe other parents think the same and choose that week in particular (wish I'd thought of that)

I am going to stick my oar in-there are cheap holidays out there. Our total combined holiday cost- one week in Devon and one week in Wales- total cost of cottages- £437.50, both in August, and both very nice. Yes there will be some extra costs for entrance to NT properties etc, but we keep it cheap by doing picnics etc and finding things to do that have no entrance fees. I am sorry but I really really disagree with taking kids out of school , although I do understand that getting time off work can be immensly difficult. I used to have to book over a year in advance- planning!!!!!

Actually avodinng the crowds can be a damnd goodreason for some famillies. Depends on the family- I get agoraphobic and crowds really are a no- no. We know where to go to avoid that (and how to cope) but just a thought.

personally, if you pick it well i can't see an issue within reason if they're not poor attenders generally. The last few weeks they've only done what we call 'silly season' stuff anyhow, and until Sam gets his statement he's not learning anyhow. he'd get far more out of a week away withbus but anyway (academic since not doing it, going first week of hols)

And Sam may well be absent for SATS, although ds2 and 3 won't be.

Having read through this thread no-one has mentioned the parents who cannot get holidays from work during school time. My DH and I both work shifts. His shifts and holidays are rostered into a 5 year shift pattern. For 3 of those years, his holidays are outwith the school holidays. We got a letter from HR advising the school of DHs shift holidays which were in June (our term ends just before end of June)so that we could have authorised absence of 1 week. We got knocked back but took kids anyway. I booked my holidays to coincide with him. Every midwife cannot possibly get school holidays.

What really hacks me off is that I dutifully make my kids attend until the last day, however this year they spent the last week of school watching DVDs in class. I relented with the older two, who registered then came home. I was texted by the school on the last day to be informed that my youngest was not at school. I phoned to say she should be so when they checked she had been overlooked at registration. I made her stay (12 yrs old). However, no comment was made about the other 2 who had not gone to classes!

Yes Peachy - my work takes me into loads of primaries and this last two weeks there's very little timetable.

A few years ago I asked about taking ds1 out of primary and was told by the deputy - no problem anytime after May half term, the timetable is pretty hit and miss anyway. Suddenly it's the crime of the century.

We took our children out of school for a week towards the end of June and although the school couldnt authorise it they did point out that as it was after 28th May when they collate the attendance records, it wouldnt actually show

Our school takes a very dim view on term time holiday requests although they do make occasional exceptions. It is n't enforceable among those Reception children who are not yet of legal school age anyway. Personally I wouldn't do it because it is a private shcool and we pay enough for them to be there, but others would argue the opposite and it should therfore be their choice.

Does anyone live in those LEA areas which have moved to staggered holidays , so that half term is 2 weeks and if so it would be interesting to know if that has made a difference or if they still get the same volume of requests.

If it is a one-off for a particular reason (like Piffle's ds) then fair enough, however many seem to do it regularly. SIL went away for Christmas and New Year (kids missed beginning of Spring term) and is still taking them out end of September as well. Her dp's job is seasonal so Summer months are busy for him but even so.

shoppingsecret - I think that's a huge generalisation.

My parents took me and my sister out of school a few times, even during the secondary years, and it never made me and my sister think school and education were unimportant. We both did well at school and went on to university, and my parents did stress that education was important. The holidays were carefully picked so that we only even missed a week in school, even if we went away for a fortnight.

Surely it depends on the family / child. I took DD who is in reception out for a week after half term. Yes, I'm afraid affording a holiday (in this country) did come in to at, as did avoiding the crowds. She works really hard in school, enjoys it immensely, and didn't really miss that much.

Obviously I wouldn't take her out the year she is doing GCSE / AS levels / A levels, if she gets that far. But the odd week won't hurt.

As an ex-teacher, I can't say I ever really stressed about a child missing a week of school, as long as that child had good attendance otherwise and was doing ok.

Now, wouldn't take kids out in September- too busy settling them in. I worry enough about BIBIC in october!

DH's job is very seasonal- no time off easter / December for example. It takes a lot of planning ahead to get holiday and there is always the risk he'll get called in (he works co-ordinating newspaper deliveries, so if there's an accident on the motorway or whatever it's consideered an emergency. they do have apparently the shortest shelf life of any product) but we just turn off the phone - well no chargers on the camp site LOL However, if your parents worked, for example, in the tourism industry you HAVe to go anoher time surely? You can't close the family hotel for two weeks peak season.

I think the two weeks (ten days) thing is perfectlyr easonable

very chippy alesx mum
we dont always go on holiday just so you know

some parents go for MORE than 2 weeks authorised abscnece
they shoudlbe srtung u up and hanged drawsn and wuartered

Should have said tar and feather cod - easier to type!

AFAIK there is no such thing as authorised absence in Scotland. I am willing to be corrected though. If you're on holiday, you're on holiday.

I agree mears that the last couple of weeks can be a total waste of time. DH is a secondary teacher and he say's it's a huge problem for them. Kids are told to be in school after the exams but often when the results come in they change courses anyway. So invariably they end up teaching the same things over again in August (or not doing very muct at the end of June).

And as fas as I'm aware,we don't class schools as "failing" up here either.

Have to say the attitude at ds' primary (Scotland) is "we can't officially authorise it.... but what a tremendous experience "! (this is becasue we are thinking of going to my cousin's wedding in South Africa in September, which would mean taking ds out of school for 8-9 days, in order to make the most of the trip.

This is a school which has recently had an excellent HMI report - and has many children being taken on "extended" holidays to see family in the Indian sub-continent.

the last tow weeks of term do not have to be a wastes
of time
adn anyway it snot up to you t o pick and choose

This subject really riles me. Yes, I take my DD out of school for 2 weeks most years so we can go on holiday. Both DH and myself work in very season-specific jobs where holidays CAN NOT be taken when schools are off, we don't do it because it's cheaper term-time. Should we forego any family time together (DH works approx 70 hrs per week, more in Spring and Summer) because it doesn't suit the school? She doesn't suffer as we NEVER take more than the 10 days allowed, ALWAYS apply for permission and try as best we can to incorporate the October half term, even though that is not the ideal time either. We are not feckless parents - I help with homework every night, attend every parent/teacher evening, help out at school events but am still made to feel as though I am contemptuous of her education because she has time off for a holiday each year. Why doesn't anyone seem to attach any importance to this time we spend together? Does it not enrich her life? Education is important, but life does not begin and end with school.

Agree in primary, cod. But in secondary it is to an extent unavoidable.

And there is no law that I have to send my child to school every day of the year. My child's education is my responsibility.

woo get you gill

Don't think having holidays off school willy nilly is ideal...

What is a failing school, exactly and who decides?

'And there is no law that I have to send my child to school every day of the year. My child's education is my responsibility.'

Exactly, and it certainly isn't up to the head or the school how I chose to run my child's life and teach her how important family is.

We'll do our best to incorporate the Easter or October half term time in, but the bottom line is Papa probably only has about 5 years left in which he'll be able to come here to see his granddaughters.

So we'll have to go there.

Expat, from my experience of the Scottish education system so far, you'd be hard pyshed to find a school which was not supportive of you in your situation.