How much school do you have to miss before they take action?

[shergar]

Hello. I could use some advice on behalf of my Mum's friend please. The friend's daughter used the friend's address to get her children (i.e. the friend's grandchildren) into a better primary than the one close to her (hasten to add that I wasn't impressed when I heard about this), and since then she has taken both children out of school since the start of October and taken them off on an extended holiday overseas, claiming it's a 'family crisis' (it isn't). She now says she won't be back until at least November. The school keep ringing my mother's friend to see where they are, and my mother's friend is becoming frantic about what will happen. Anyone know? I can't imagine the school is going to be impressed as it's got to have a huge impact on their Unauthorised Absences stats. My mother has no experience of this but would like to support her friend.

I think schools can take children off the roll if they miss more than 10 days in a row, unauthorised.

Your mother's friend may want to look at the council website also, to see if she can be prosecuted for misleading the council about where the people lived.

Plus, if the children are taken off the roll, then they will have to take a place in whichever school has space - possibly not all the children will even get the same school and possibly not even in their area.

Thanks twelveyeargap. I can't believe how stupid said friend's daughter is being (or about the massive web of lies building here), and hard to see how to lend moral support here.

This will end in tears.

For one thing, most people don't involve young children in 'family crises.' The school's hackles will be up, and when they find out (and they will) that they got into the school by deception, the children will likely be taken out.

I don't think there's much you can do, but to tell your mum of the likely consequences of her friend's decisions.