Taking children out of school for 3 weeks

[Goodtimesagain]

I am getting married the last weekend in August next year and would like to take our children on honeymoon with us late September for three weeks, has anybody taken their children out of school for this long before? I appreciate I will have to pay a fine, just wondering if the consequences could be worse? I just want to hear other people’s experiences of taking children out of school for this long...

Can't you go in August when they have 6+ weeks off?

Just a thought OP but having three weeks AL each in September will leave very little to cover the summer holidays preceeding it. So on top of fine, that's also a ton of holiday childcarw

Miss some school and still achieve? Of course.
I took my eldest out for a week in Y2. It was that prom holiday. The school were not bothered. He had excellent attendance etc.
Multiple kids off long haul for three weeks on a (boak) honeymoon with their parents? Taking the piss.

Thank god I didn’t ask for opinions, just curious to know what would happen IF I did it, but darlings like Wolfiefan still give one, you are charming! (All the sarcasm ever)

Take your kids out if you want to but don’t moan about the consequences. And don’t moan when missing so many hours of school leaves gaps in their education.

I just wondered anyone else’s experiences who had done it, so I could make an informed decision

Well it seems most people wouldn’t take their kids out for that amount of time. Does that alter your plans in any way? It’s just that it seems you have already made the decision and what you actually are worried about are the consequences.

Did you get a fine or anything? I don’t so much mind a fine but coming back to a court summons or something would just be the worse bump down to earth for us all!

No I haven’t made the decision, hence looking now at taking a pre wedding break instead. It does seem that way so that’s good to know and has encouraged me to look into all possible options even further. It’s just the unasked for opinions on school attendance that is truly tiresome!

We took ours out for about 7 weeks (included the run up to Xmas) from Dec - Feb half term. Eldest was Y6 and had mock SATS (this did not bother us) the week after we got back. Youngest was Y2. They had no issues at all, in fact both got their class weekly awards within a couple of weeks for ‘slotting back in so well’. It was an amazing break and experience and would not have changed it. No fines though as was authorised as a sabbatical from work.

How did you manage to get it authorised as a sabbatical? Are one of you in the armed forces?

No you clearly miss the concept of lessons. Learning can happen at any time or place.

Sorry, think I missed the update when you said you were intending to use the majority of the three week holiday to teach them about the history and culture of the place, including aspects of language etc. Or will it just been spent on a beach while you make the next baby as you’ve just managed to imply, as time is running out for you?

And your child’s SATs results are what determine their GCSE target grades. Yes they might be retested but they still have worth and merit although apparently not as much as a three week jolly

Year 6 and Year 3 are REALLY important years in primary, a 3-week absence at the start of the academic year will, most likely, set those children back irredeemably (at least without some serious intervention).

OMG I find some of the comments on thus thread utterly ridiculous. Just completely insane.

No, not armed forces, it was just something that was written in the policy (Hampshire), that a Head could authorise a trip if the parents were taking a sabbatical from work. Which we did to travel and visit relatives on the other side of the world.

And your child’s SATs results are what determine their GCSE target grades.

Find this completely ridiculous- the work your child puts in at secondary is what determines their GSCE target grades. Not their SATS. What about GSCE music? GSCE art? Science? Oh yes, all about the SATS 🤣🤣🤣

The teachers at my daughters school (she just took hers last month) said they don’t have to sit them if we didn’t want them to and they don’t have any impact on what classes they will be in in secondary school or have any future relevance!!

The sats that is. She was also telling this to the children, so I hope this is the truth.

Find this completely ridiculous- the work your child puts in at secondary is what determines their GSCE target grades. Not their SATS

Erm. SATs directly inform GCSE target grades. Along with other factors including EAL, FSM, SEN etc etc.
Look into Fischer Family Trust if you're at all interested (don't blame you if you're not) but please don't act like you understand school data and target setting, which is really quite complex.

If you want to take 3 weeks why not at the start of term or running into half term?
The dates you are suggesting are actually the worst of all worlds. The DC would just about have settled in, when you'll whisk them out, and by the time they get back they'll have forgotten all the settling in stuff and friendship groups will have shuffled. Plus they may be jet lagged. And by thetime they are settled back in, it will be half term and another break. You'd be much better to take the time either end of a holiday. If you go straight after your wedding, this will also reduce the time off needed.

No experience but you know what, OP? Life is short. You’ve got to milk those joyful life experiences for all they’re worth. If you can get permission, go for it. Seriously, not only will your kids be fine, they’ll probably feel totally transformed when they return which will only reinforce a positive outlook towards school.

Thank you big toes.

And crikey, OP - you might want a deep breathe love. You can’t argue that learning happens outside of a classroom if you do nothing to facilitate that. But first the breath - you’re holding onto a lot of rage there. Can’t imagine that helping anyone or anything.

Holiday in school holidays pre wedding, honeymoon just you and the groom post wedding? Just a thought. You say yiu hope the honeymoon is once in a lifetime - why would you want 3 kids (including a teenager tagging along).

Are the kids your DH2B's kids, OP?

I can’t imagine saying such judgmental sarcastic things as you put in your first comment and being able to sleep at night nylon. What a horrible horrible awful shame we share a planet. I would never ever presume to know what someone else is going to get up to on their family holiday.

The teachers at my daughters school (she just took hers last month) said they don’t have to sit them if we didn’t want them to

That is untrue. Unless your child is sick or absent for the week during and 2 weeks after the SATs are planned. There isn't an opt out, currently.

and they don’t have any impact on what classes they will be in in secondary school or have any future relevance!!
That entirely depends on the school. Some schools used them to set students according to ability, better schools (IMO) don't but do their own tests. However it is true that they are used as a progress measure, so in a poor school that is not set up to be responsive a poor grade can mean a child is only banded to achieve a poor GCSE. This is why SATS are bullshit, obviously.

I am seriously looking into August, despite it being more busy everywhere for the children and unenjoyable hot (speaking from experience) in most places. I couldn’t of justified not having them at school for the first few weeks of September as I want them to go back with their friends and get their seats in all their classes with them, but 2 or 3 weeks between September and the October half term is going to be a struggle too. My three children aren’t my fiancé’s biological children. They have the same dad but it isn’t my fiancé.