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.

:-)

Does this really happen? When my DD's were in primary school, if they were ill then they would usually go to my parents house so that I could go to work, just because a child is off sick doesn't mean they will be at home.

I do agree that if you are taking them away you shouldn't call in sick, but just interested in what the police would do if they got a call from a school to say a child was off sick but not at home.

missing phonics screening isnt the end of the world, they'll just do it in year 2. School will already know by then if they need extra support or not anyway.

No I wouldn't and not because of the fine or missing school, but if you really only will do Disney once then I would wait a couple of years. She'll forget a lot from a holiday at this age and my sister regretted taking her DD at a similar age as she didn't remember much about it. Lucky for them they have been to Disney several times since, but I wouldn't go on such an expensive holiday with such a young child.

I'd just pay the extra, I hated being made to miss school as a child, so much happens in friendship group when you are away.

They turned up at mine. It was when DD was in hospital. They visit as routine on the third day of absence for safeguarding reasons, so it’s best all round if you are just honest about holidays and save the hassle of a home visit.

I can assure you they do. At lots of the schools I’ve worked at and at my children’s school. My son was off with pneumonia and they visited on day 3 of absence.

I’d do it for a one off big holiday like that, she’s only 6 it won’t do any harm

We have a 2 weeks holiday booked next June and will be taking DD (also year 1) out of school so she'll be missing 10 days.

We will give the school notice, and if they authorise it great, but if they don't then we are prepared to face the fine.

I will be asking for topics they are covering a few weeks before we go so that we can cover these whilst away, and will take some additional reading booking plus her maths and English homework books.

Have an amazing time x

We took a week out for disneyworld (5 school days), ours were year 1 and year 4 - both greater depth in all their academics, so I knew it wouldn't really impact them. It was an incredible trip, and I was so grateful we could take extra time and do it how we wanted, rather than rushing home for school. They (surprisingly) learnt a lot there too, life skills not school skills, but they did a lot of map plotting/route planning, understanding time/clocks, learning about floridian wildlife and nature, using dollars, and it's so great to have the family memories.
I'd always say do it, the only caveat being if your child struggles at school or is getting additional help/support because I would hate for them not to be able to catch back up or feel further behind.
We didn't get a fine/a letter, other than the school one saying the absence was unauthorised. My children told their class repeatedly about the trip, on loop- do not call in sick, your child will be so excited and it's bad role modelling to lie/get them to lie. It also won't work and they'll feel really bad when they inevitably mess up and admit it.

I once asked permission to take my son away for a week during term time to visit a dying grandparent and was refused. I said I would find a place in a local school near the grandparents so the child would still be in school and that was refused too. Schools are a bit bonkers here I think.

I wish the curriculum would slow down so people could have time to live their lives too.

I took my 2 boys out in February for 12 school days in total for Florida. We are going to wait until it’s been 3 years and do it again. Life is only lived once

I understand what you are saying but honestly the age 6 is perfect, my youngest was 5 and he goes on and on about how perfect it was. His best holiday.. always reminds me of parts of the trip I’d forgotten about but he remembered clear as day. Plus life is so unpredictable and the prices of Florida are rapidly rising each year. I’d seize the day!

Same! And my friends had found another friend, I never felt I caught up.

Not at 6yo it doesn’t.

Absolutely take them out! We have taken our son out of school (he’s 7) and he missed 4 days but we are Scotland and not really enforced up here.

Kids don’t just learn in a classroom. There is a whole world of learning out there for them 🥰

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Oh it really does.

Oh come on this is some hyperbole. I've had several blocks of a couple of weeks off school for various illnesses/operations in primary and it's made no difference.

I'm not particularly an advocate for taking a child out for a holiday, but to suggest they'll never recover academically is a huge reach.

Meant to add ds is now 11 and in year 6...
We are actually away right now.

Yes I would and I have!

How does your dd feel about missing school? My eldest would have been so upset with worrying that she might be in trouble and worrying about the work she was missing that she wouldn’t enjoy the holiday. She’s probably unusual but it really would have thrown her completely off kilter.

Ds has accomplished much learning this week. He is putting together a presentation to show his classmates. Outdoor activities like caving, orienteering, bird watching, making fires and making food on a burner etc.
More than makes up for a week in a classroom ime.

I spoke to my friend tonight who’s a head teacher at a primary school and he said the same thing. He said the teachers will know if our DD needs help and he mentioned the 2nd test in year 2. Although I think she will be fine. There’s lots of material we can practice. He also said that by the time we go, all the phonics teacher will be done and it will be revision time when we go.
don’t get me wrong, he also mentioned the school won’t be happy and also told me some negatives as well as positives of taking her out.

Disney is a once in a lifetime holiday.

Certainly was for me, and my two DDs in 1998.

They’re both adults now, but prosecution is a very last resort here in Scotland.

We didn’t go in term time.

They won’t authorise it because they’re not allowed to unless there are very exceptional circumstances. Even before the new guidelines, they would have had a hard time authorising. 10 days or 20 sessions absence will reduce attendance by over 5%. Persistent absence is 10% or more sessions missed so illnesses through the year can get their absence level close to this. Schools now have to tell the LA of any child missing 10 consecutive days or more, which may trigger action or investigation by the LA.