had holiday request refused due to sats but DD is yr5???

[workshy]

my dad has been talking about having a family holiday for several years, my parents, brother and sister, myself and our respective children

due to the variety of ages this is pretty much the only year none of the DCs are doing SATS, and we can't go in the school holidays due to trying to co-ordinate 4 employers holiday restrictions etc

however I have just had the letter back from school saying no as my DD is doing elective SATS and it is the same week

the school policy is that HT can authorise up to 10 days during term time, my DCs have had 100% attendance for the last 2 years

is there any point appealing?

she works with the year 6 class quite alot so I'm guessing she is sitting the sats with them but I only found out she was going into year 6 when another parent mentioned it

the school teaches all of key stage 2 the core subjects at the same time so the classes are fairly fluid and working outside your class is nt unusual -but didn't think she would be doing sats???

There are SATs papers that schools can use for childten not in year 6 or at least there were when I was a teacher, although it was about 12 years ago. I kniw that some schools have an assessment week one week of the summer term.

It will probably do no good appealing. I imagine it's school policy to decline at this time.

However, you can still go on holiday and it will be unauthorised leave. My dc school has a clear policy, they will not authorise any leave during term time. None at all, whatever the circumstances. But parents still take their dc away during term time. Fines are not issued.

The last day of term (last term) 12 children in my ds's class were away (unauthorised holiday).

Elective SATS are done by many schools as an means of checking what progress is being made by pupils and are designed for each group. So your daughter will be doing the year 5 SATS test not the year 6 Key Stage 2 tests.
By asking for the time off, you were asking for authorised absence from the school, if you still take the time off then you will be recorded as being unauthorised. The danger then is that you could be fined for taking the time off but that is a decision that you will have to make.

There is no way they are going to authorise this holiday so no point appealing. There isn't a formal appeals procedure anyway.
You've asked, they said no (unsurprisingly - probably would for any week of the year, but particularly a week when they're formally assessing them with tests) but that doesn't mean you can't go. There is a possibility of a fine, however. Depends on your LEA.

As with others, our school does 'elective SATS' every year in KS2. It isn't broadcasted around the Parents Playground Politicians because they don't want the kids to all start worrying about 'exams'.

That's what it will be, workshy.

My schools does "optional SAT's" for every year group at the same time as the Official KS2 SATs. It's one of the methods they use for formal testing / assessment data gathering.

Although they don't stop children taking holiday during this time, unless they are in Year 6 of course.

I was fined £100 (£50 per parent) last year for taking my year 5 out for 5 days in October. 100% attendance. Bastards. :o Secondary school authorised it. Not bastards :o

Can we sart naming and shaming the councils who are issuing fines?
I have to take our family holiday term time due to restricted leave with employers and the childminder being a selfish cow!

Not sure if my council are likely to fine... But we MN should start saying who is issuing.

I'm baffled by this new fad of fining. It stinks of money making off the middle classes to me...
If they fine a family for unauthorised (but not necessarily a holiday) and that family have no means to pay (benefits or currently out of work) then are they really going to hound them for the money?

Whereas holiday fines.... I would argue it is a breach of our family right to a holiday! (along the lines of the weir and random human right cases you hear about)

Weird

"that family have no means to pay (benefits or currently out of work) then are they really going to hound them for the money?"

Parent in that position that I know of, where attendance of a child has been very low over a long period of time despite hugh involvement with all agencies, will probably get a custodial sentence next time the issue goes to court....

Oh!
hopes its not my council as that is obviously one of the harsh ones

Actually, no, it's not a council that fines parents often for '5 days holiday after years of perfect attendance' type things - but it DOES come down hard on serious persistent offenders (as well as working REALLY hard and pro-actively with families before it gets to that point)..

Same as Teacher says I know of two families with unauthorized holiday who haven't paid the fine so now have warrants issued for arrest!