Would you take your 6 year old out of school for 7 days

[KirstyJ2025]

Hi all, we really want to do a once in a lifetime holiday to Disney Florida. We plan on booking 11 nights, some of the days go in to a half term break. We do however have to take our little one out of school for 7 days. She’s in year 1. We know we will go over the unauthorised 10 occasions and will be charge £80 per parent, but we will save over £1,500.00. We have been told to ring in sick for a few days to avoid the fine, but I don’t think schools a silly and they will just work it out haha, so we are thinking honestly is the best policy? Would you agree?

Only thing I’m worried about it that if you have any other unauthorised absences within a 3 year period, I believe we can be prosecuted. Tbh, we aren’t planning on doing it again. We also don’t want our school giving us a hard time over it. It’s actually our honeymoon trip too.

just wondering what others have done in this situation.

:-)

Hi op, we’ve just done this with 6yo DS. He missed 6 days of school for a similar holiday you are describing. School didn’t authorise it, fine was £160. Certainly no kind of disincentive for taking your kids out as we saved thousands of pounds.

Great. Thank you :-)

I'm not going to argue with you, I work in a school and know the procedure.
You're being silly telling someone their job when they've been doing it for the past 12 years, Do you work in attendance?
Schools do home visits for sick children all the time when it has been more than a few days, especially if there is any doubt of them genuinely being ill. I wont tell you about your job, please don't tell me about mine.

Have done it, will do it again.

the school won't be funny with you about it - our office manager tells us to have a lovely time.
Never lied about it.

7 days is an awful lot of school to miss and isn’t something I’d ever consider doing I may have thought this way until covid and my eldest missed most of reception and part of year 1, and has been absolutely fine, he's now in year 5 and absolutely flying, DS2 is in year 1 now, although I'd have probably approached this differently if either of mine were struggling at school in any way.

This is true. My daughter is doing well at school. If she was struggling, I wouldn’t do it :-)

Go and have a great time OP! We are doing the same thing next year taking the kids out of school 4 days early before a half term week to travel

Just tell the truth you don’t think school rules apply to your children.

I never said I was going to lie. I just mentioned what others have said. We are happy to be honest with school

I would take the bridge...😂

Why don't you just go over Easter or summer if you want longer? Or fly on the Friday after school ends and come back on the Saturday before it starts back? It seems a lot of risk under the new rules to me.

It price rockets when there’s a school holiday

Anecdotally I have heard that schools find out anyway, because other parents dob them in after they see photos on social media etc. If you are set on taking your child out, then don’t risk worrying all holiday about being found out.

I know, it's why we have never been to Florida, although I would love to. It's your decision, but the government don't want you to, so will put barriers in your way.

I get why they do it. We definitely won’t be making a habit of it. We went away in the 6 week holidays this year. I just figured she still young and I want her to enjoy the magic as she believes in it all still. I’m thinking 7 days is a lot but it’s nothing compared to the days, years and months she has left in her school life. She’s smart too, so I think she will be ok. There’s a tiny part of mum guilt about school, but the memories we will make will probably out weigh the guilt in time

When my daughter was starting year 4, her friend’s parents requested permission to take her out of school for the first ten days of the autumn term as part of a special holiday. The headteacher refused, and when the child didn’t return at the start of term, the head told her parents that she had assumed they no longer wanted the place at the school and were taking her off roll. The head did back down eventually, but only because the local authority was so slow in filling the place.

I will speak to the head teacher well in advance and see what they say

Maybe 2 days max, but almost a whole week ? No.

I definitely would do it for that trip. A lot of schools don't refer the absence to the council so you may not get a fine anyway.

I would do it. She is 6! Have a great time!

Our schools absolutely do, usually on day 3 of absence.

@KirstyJ2025 - yes I would as long as you are prepared not to take more time off in the couple of years after it.
They can take you straight to court but assuming there is no other regular absence it’s unlikely.

Our school has a Home/School Link Worker and she does home visits, either taking work for children that are off sick for some time, visiting school refusers or when we can’t get hold of parents where children are off but no message from home.

OP, be honest with school and enjoy your holiday.

Tbh, she still won’t remember it. We took our dds when they were 6 and 8 and the 6 year old didn’t remember much about it at all. But she’ll enjoy it while she’s there!
We took ours out of school on three occasions for big holidays and don’t regret it. We got fined but it was worth it.

When our DD's were young we took them out a week early at Easter and went to Florida. At the time we were not fined, almost 20 years ago, but it was unauthorised.

DH worked in a job where he was allocated his holidays so we could not have gone otherwise, I don't regret it.

Go and have a great time, as long as you are prepared to pay the fine which you have said you are then I think it's worth it.

Be honest, school will know and they may do a home visit if suspicious. Ask for a request for exceptional leave form, it won't be agreed but at least the school will know where she is. You will be fined, but as long as you pay it on time you won't be taken to court.

Some of the replies you’ve had have been wild. Some have also been helpful though! We don’t have this issue where I am, seems madness to me but if it’s true that you get fined for missing school then you’re doing the right thing in checking everything first before booking. I agree with you it’s a once in a lifetime trip and especially as it’s your honeymoon too. Congratulations and enjoy your holiday when it comes. Also yes your child will remember it!