DD1s secondary school has sent a letter home with every student to say that they were not permitted to authorise any time off during term time. They gave a link to the LEA/ council website for info on what punishments parents could expect for taking their children out of school for holidays. Funnily enough, the council website also stated that it was "up to the head teacher" whether a student was allowed to take up to 10 days of any school year off.
We also received a letter like this when DD1 was in primary school.
I am hugely frustrated now, because Australian relatives, last year booked their wedding for just after this Easter, in order that their family in England (some of whom are teachers) can come in the holidays. Lo and behold, our LEA have decreed that the Easter holidays won't be at Easter, they'll be two weeks later. We'd already accepted the wedding invitation and planned the trip before the holidays were announced and since DD is only in Year 8 and not doing exams or anything, I don't see why this isn't an exceptional circumstance.
However, I don't feel like I would be given a fair hearing by the head, given the wording of her letter and now we're considering phoning and saying she's got glandular fever or some other illness that might take her out for a couple of weeks.
We've since heard from DD that "so and so has been out sick for the last two weeks" and that "her sister is out too".
Is it just me, or does it seem that the school want parents to have to lie about where their kids are? Presumably since "illness" doesn't show up on the league tables, but authorised and unauthorised absences do?
Any thoughts?