School holiday letter of conviction

[Sarahnaz]

Hi, i took my child from school before term holidays as grandad was severely ill and i was told to attend asap. I booked tickets and left as it was closer to holidays i didn't notify school. During those days school with council attended my home and my eldest told i was out. This happened twice.
after coming back i received email from school about absence being unauthorised and penalty will be issued. I am worried what should i do. Should i tell the school the truth or continue with what was told before. Can anyone been in same situation?

What did you tell them before? Why would you not tell the truth about a family member being sick

From their point of view your child was missing without any explanation. What happened previously?

I was afraid they would not understand and i can get away by telling child was ill. I made big mistake. Now i am worried should i tell them the truth or just pay fine

What is the difference between telling the truth and paying the fine although telling the truth at the time may well have gotten it authorised

how long away and how old child?

My eldest told them my child is not in house gone out with mum when they came to visit

Year 9 for 5 days

I don’t think it makes any difference now as you will have to pay the penalty. If you’d be honest at the time, it could have been avoided.

I'd tell the truth and pay the fine.

I'm not sure you'd have had 5 days authorised even if you'd told them up front, and it's certainly too late to claim your child was "ill".

I’m confused. Are you saying your child was absent from school for 5 days without you contacting the school?
or did you tell the school child was poorly?
either way, it would appear the school have turned up on your doorstep and have been told that your child is away/out with you.

Why do you think they wouldn't have understood?
"My Grandad is ill so we need to travel to him"
That's all you had to say.

Telling the truth now at this stage I don’t think can authorise the absence so yes you have to pay as it is 10 sessions unauthorised.

next time in those circumstances and age tell the truth and they may well authorise or have a note on file

the longer you don’t pay the higher the fine

Did you contact the school and lie to them and say your child was ill? Why would they believe you now of you lied once.

Or did you not bother to contact them? If which case why not, a voice mail takes less than 30 seconds or an email 3 minutes.

I’m suprised school didn’t pass this onto the police if they couldn’t locate your child.

Options are1) to come clean to the school. Retrospective authorisation never used to be permitted but things may have changed. They may take action against you or they may not.
option 2 ) is do nothing. Again they may or may not take action against you. 5 days is the national threshold so I would expect a penalty notice and hope they don’t move to prosecute.

Why didn’t your oldest child go with you? How old are they?

Did you ask your older child to lie for you?

I don’t understand why you thought it was be ok to disappear and not inform the school about your child’s absence. That’s why people came looking; it looks suspicious and they have to check that nothing is wrong.

You’d have got an authorised absence to visit a dying family member. But I doubt they’ll believe you since you left one kid at home. Why didn’t you just call them and tell them what was going on?

I still don’t really understand what you told them. And why did your other child also lie and say you were just out instead of away?
How old is the elder child that you’d left at home alone?
I would just tell the council where you were and pay the fine.

I can’t understand why you didn’t email the school and say “relatives seriously I’ll have to go away” or at the very least ring/email and say he’s sick. School have to folllow up if a child is missing from school

You're not making any sense. First you say you took your child out of school without notifying them. Now you say you told them the child was ill.

I doubt you told them the child was ill, as unless there is some significant history you're omitting, the council aren't going to send people to your house because your child is ill.

Regardless, whether you lied or simply didn't tell them, you should pay the fine and learn your lesson for next time.

Safeguarding has changed now and Surrey say they will come out after three days. Whether they actually do or not, I don’t know.

I would pay the fine and tell the school the truth as your son might need support with regards to the bereavement.

Your grandad (your child’s great grandad) was so suddenly and severely ill that you had to travel somewhere far away with your child to say your goodbyes but you didn’t take the oldest child with you? And then miraculously got well enough that you’re not following this up with a funeral and therefore have no death cert as proof? And all the while your oldest said you’d “gone out” not that you were away witnessing The Virgin Mary work an actual miracle? I can see why they wouldn’t believe that one either. Why not try telling them (and us) the truth?

This doesn’t add up

Pay the fine and move on! Your heading is misleading as you say it's a conviction but you just receive a fixed penalty notice of £160 or £80 if paid within 14 days.

I presume you haven't phoned school or let them know the reason for absence which is why they would have visited, it's a safeguarding thing. School would have called you on the first day of absence, probably no answer, would have asked you to call and advise the reason for absence, same on day two & day three. No reply would trigger a safeguarding alert and a home visit. If you were abroad as soon as school call and get an international dial tone they'll know you were on holiday and that will trigger a FPN as soon as you return, even if you say your child was poorly they can ask you to prove this with Dr's appointment etc.

your eldest is a bit of a twat - why didn't he say 'she is visiting my very sick grandfather?'
'Out with mum' makes it sound like you are on a jolly.

You didn't inform the school for 5 days of absence? Are you out of your mind? I'm very sorry that the circumstances were awful, but you realise how much your child's teachers and staff at the school would have been worrying?

There's no point in explaining now, it's too late! Pay the fine and next time pay some attention to the people who safeguard you child?

That's a bit harsh. "Out with mum" is as likely to mean "gone to the doctor".

It just means they are not physically in the house to see at the moment?

Not fair for OP to leave her eldest in the position to have to answer questions to authority figures unexpectedly (she's not said how old they are but they may only have just left school themselves).