Taking a Year 9 child out of school for holiday, should I be honest or not?

[RustyBong]

This has probably been asked before...what do you do when you take your child out of school to go on holiday - are you honest and try and get it authorised, or do you make up an illness? We've never taken either of ours out, and they have good attendance. I have one DD at college, so not worried about her - it's just the one in yr9.

Just like you are told when you can take holiday, Dh also cannot take holiday whenever he wants. Work commitments dictate when he can take it and sometimes his holiday booking window would overlap the last 2 days of a term so we did on one or two occasions take them out of secondary, not year 10 or 11 though.

When he started in the industry 30 years ago he did he was unaware that this would happen when he progressed to higher levels with more responsibility. However anyone who has a career in education knows they can only take holiday in between terms. We have friends who are teachers in both primary and secondary.

We are always honest

Do you really believe that to be true? I have taken my children out for a term time holiday to Butlins- £63 for 5 days/4nights. It would have been £900+ if I had chosen to go during the school holidays. That is literally the difference between being able to take my children away for a break and not. Not everyone is going on holidays abroad

People saying you have to miss 10 sessions to generate a fine are wrong. It’s down to the councils discretion. I was fined for 3 days as I hadn’t “learned my lesson” from the previous year. Basically saying the fine didn’t act as a deterrent for booking holidays as I had done it again. I’ve also known people to be fined for one day. So whilst it’s unlikely the OP will be fined if the child has good attendance, this isn’t guaranteed.

Honesty is the best policy.

"Most families aren't taking their kids out because they can only afford a Haven holiday when there's The Sun £10 holidays offer on."

So no, not including you. If it's the choice between having a holiday or not, then I understand it. I thought my meaning was quite clear.

3 days at the end of term is not a worry imo. I would be honest. I always tell them when they are out of school for hols. I think if I say they are ill I will jinx us