School holiday fines

[Mrsm15]

Hi, I am taking my children out of school for a family holiday weather people think this is right or wrong, this is the only time we can afford to go & my children have never been taken out of school for a holiday before (first time abroad), my question is when I get fined will I get it before or after the holiday, I am giving the School 6 months notice so i’m Not quite sure how it works. Thank you for any help.

I would put in your holiday request with dates and mitigating circumstances. they will then either grant or more likely refuse in which case you have to tell them that you are going to go anyway. they cant ask you to pay the fine before the absence. it will be when you come back. it is £60 per parent per child. so for a family with 2 kids its £240. I would have a chat with your local LEA and look at their guidelines on fines as some places do have different views on these things.

You cannot be fined for an unauthorised absence that has yet to occur, so it will definitely be after the holiday irrespective of what you say about the absence or when you say it.

Check your council website for info on your LEA's fines policy (it varies)

Thank you for your help 😊

wouldn't bother giving them six months notice, would do it at on there terms ours is two weeks before.

we where lucky enough to authorised last time due both OH and my jobs being impossible to get time off during holidays. Also remember if its a Academy they can set their own rules and choose to apply.

don't think our local school has yet fined anyone

Well I am a private full time carer so holidays are not a light decision or easy as my employer has to find cover also my husband works away on timescale so I will pop that on the form, thank you for your help though I won’t put them in right now I will wait. My eldest is at an avedemu so not sure how it works there.

After
But I take mine out for a week every year and have never been fined
How long are you going for?
It's irrelevant how much notice you give HT cannot authorise unless exceptional circumstances and yours aren't I'm afraid.

My ds are in the same LA, ds is at secondary school and dd is at primary school.

In May my dd gets 2 weeks off and the holiday price compared to the week after, the "official" May half term was 2.5k cheaper so we went ahead.

I wrote a letter to my ds's school which is an academy.
I mentioned how difficult it was for us to co-ordinate leave etc and how much ds loves his school, his good attendance,and would be happy to take extra work home etc etc and the school actually authorised the holiday, I was shocked!
That was for 2016.

Same scenario for 2017 but instead the holiday was unauthorised ( completely fair enough ) but we did not receive a fine.

I think it's best to be honest. Expect a fine. You may not get one.

Good luck and don't feel too bad about it.
We couldn't have afforded the second week and our dc wouldn't have had their holiday.

Holidays can enrich in many ways, it's not all swimming and sunbathing and does help to go and see a few places of interest whilst there. My dc are doing well at school and that one week hasn't impacted on ds at all.

Up to your LEA. Ours won't fine you unless you go over 10 sessions (5days).
I think all schools have a duty to publish strict attendance enforcement, so it can be tricky finding out whether you will actually get a fine or not. However as people have said it is most definitely not automatic.One extenuating circumstance is going for religious reasons though. No chance their is a religious festival you have to arttend when you are going?

I've taken mine out every year since they started primary. Never been fined, they could have pursued it but never did. New HT now though so he might be tougher. People so get fined, they say so a lot on MN but I don't know anyone who has been in RL and I think it's worth it anyway.

I think schools/LA are more likely to go down the fine route if the family do it every year or there's a history of poor attendance.