Slightly different question on the "going away during school time" theme

[IdrisTheDragon]

DS was 4 in November and has just started going mornings only to the school in our village. It has a termly entry, and children can start going there the term after they are 4, doing mornings for two terms and then going full time the term they are 5.

There is a pre-school in the village, where children go from 2.5 until the term when they are 4 (I don't think anyone stays any longer, as they all tend to go to the school in the village).

The children in DS's class are a mixture of morning only children and full time (it must be more peaceful in the afternoon ).

So, what is the likelihood of it being a problem for us to go away in late June? If DS were at pre-school I would have no qualms about it. And if he were in school full time I wouldn't think of taking him out. Would he count as an unauthorised absence anyway - as he isn't in school full time?

We really like the school and don't want to be awkward parents (but would still like one more year of not having to go on holiday in school holiday time...)

Well school isn't compulsory till the term after their 5th birthday so you shouldn't have any problems taking him out! Whether or not they see it as a problem will depend on that's school's own policy and the head's attitude to these things. Good luck.

What, precisely, will they do to you if they do think it's a problem? Detention? Line? Head down the toilet and flush it?

Would you be happy if you were told that DS would have to stay at home for a week because his class teacher wanted one year of not having to go on holiday in school holiday time?

If so then it is probably O.K for you to go.

I wouldn't think it would be a problem at all. As someone else has said education isn't compulsory until the term after 5th birthday anyway.

The difference between the teacher taking time off during term time for a holiday and your situation, is that the teacher is employed to do the hours he/she is contracted to, whereas your child is not legally bound to go even start school just yet. Go, and enjoy your holidays!

supastar: "Would you be happy if you were told that DS would have to stay at home for a week because his class teacher wanted one year of not having to go on holiday in school holiday time?"

Do entire classes get sent home every time a teacher is off sick?

Is your child in preschool then, not recpetion?

If preschool I'd have no problems with having a term time holiday.

personally I have no problems with doing it in primary. am certainly doing it this year (reception).

ubergeekian "Do entire classes get sent home every time a teacher is off sick?"

Of course not usually, just as IdrisTheDragon wasn't tallking about keeping her child at home because he is sick.

The point i am trying to make is "how much do you feel the time off will affect the education of your child?". Presumably if she feels there would be no affect on his education then it would be worth doing.

If you feel the teacher taking the time for a holiday would be unacceptable because it would be to the detriment of your child then your holiday would be similarly detrimental.Obviously that a teacher should work their contracted hours is a different issue. No one would suggest that the teacher would actually be allowed to do this.

Only IdrisTheDragon knows what her ds is doing at school and therefore what the value is in it to her ds and his future so only she can ulrimately decide.

It does depend on more then "what the school will do about it" is my point.

I personally will have no problems taking ds out in the primary years. Ds has just started nursery, if we were to have a holiday during term time then I really wouldn't think it would effect his "education" supastar, nursery is more about social interaction and lerning through play. Holidays can be a learning experience too. And as others have said legally they dont have to be at school at 4.

supastar: "If you feel the teacher taking the time for a holiday would be unacceptable because it would be to the detriment of your child then your holiday would be similarly detrimental."

Not necessarily. It depends what the alternative is - children might get more out of that than they would out of school. There's also the planning aspect You asked "Do entire classes get sent home every time a teacher is off sick?" which obviously has the potential to be very inconvenient to the parents. Much more inconvenient that they teacher having one child less for a day.

The school is likely to disapprove of the absence as it reflects badly on their published attendance figures, and that's whther your dc is in reception or Y5 or whatever. THis is even more so in a small village school as one child's absence would make up quite a bit of the percentage, iyswim. If he attends the school (rather than the pre-school) then the school will treat him like any other pupil on roll. You chose to send him to school, so the school rules will apply.

As far as his education goes, then no it prob won't make any difference. But the school are likely not to see it this way. Be prepared for it to go down as an 'unauthorised absence' but if you don't mind this, go for it.

I'm not quite clear - is your DS a nursery-aged child atm or a Reception-aged child? It sounds to me like he is nursery aged until September.

If nursery, go.

FFS the child is 4 what on earth is he going to miss in a week??

I take my kids out once a year for a week to o ski-ing. They were 6 and 8 this year. TBH I will keep doing this for another 2 years until dd1 is old enough to be at secondary school.

I just DON'T get the arguments against it TBH. Kids don't miss an awful lot in a week and luckily our school advocates pastoral care and feels a week with parents is a GOOD thing in their relationship and he evens sees skiing a a 'life skill'

I love our headmaster

Hear Hear Crunchie!! Lets face it, all schools allowed 2 weeks for as far back as I can remember, and i dont recall any disastrous consequences for having had the time out. It has only been recently that they have decided to alter it in some areas.

At this little persons age, what would they be missing, a bit of drawing, painting, hearing a story etc, well I would presume that time off with the family can be very educating as well as a lot of fun for all.

I wouldnt even worry about what the school says or even if it is unauthorised absence, nobody is going to be strung up for it!

We have always done it, and long may we continue to, so bollocks to anyone who says otherwise. It our life, our children, why are people getting on their high horse about it. My children not being in school will not harm anyone elses children, we are not taking theirs out of school afterall!

I'm not getting on my high horse, btw. I'm just stating what the school's view may well be on it. Like woodchip says, no-ones going to be strung up for it as such, although Ofsted make schools accountable for their attendance, so you could say that the Head may be the only one 'suffering'. Parents do not actually have a two-week 'allowance' - any absence is authorised or unauthorised according to the Head's discretion. Crunchie's Head sounds quite cool with it; some Heads are not.

Have spoken to a teacher at DS's school and she said that the headteacher is very not keen on children missing school (unless it is for something exceptional). Which this wouldn't be, it is just that we would prefer to not spend so much on a holiday.

She said that we could apply to take the time off, but that it would be likely to refused and would then be an unauthorised absence.

I know that not much could be done about it, but I'm not happy with taking the time off and knowing its not what the school likes to happen. The school is a very good one and I feel that not letting children have time off in term time could well be part of this.

Have a feeling it may well be DH I have to convince anyway - he may well just want to book the holiday anyway.