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Original poster

Absence during term time

83 replies

tamzin12 · 02/08/2012 13:09

I have just received a fine for taking my child out of school for 6 days during term time ( last week of school). I am a travel agent and dont believe fines should be given if parents dont take the mickey. My child has a 98 % attendence and has just acheived level 5 to go to high school in Sept. I have done a bit of research and it seems East Sussex Coounty council have no lee way and just fine - and dont give the 10 days absence as most of the other councils seem to do in the rest of the country. I did not sign the offical form or hand one in. I just gave in a typed letter stating family commentements. Is this fine legal. as I have not signed anything in the first place.? I would be grateful of some comments, and whether to take this further and refuse to pay- as per my comments above. thanks

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TantrumsAndOlympicGoldBalloons · 02/08/2012 13:25

Well it's irrelevant whether you sign a form or not.

If you took your child out of school without having it authorized you know you face the possibility of a fine.

Therefore you have to pay it.

HTH

snowball3 · 02/08/2012 14:18

Whether you believe in fines or not is immaterial, your council obviously does!

OddBoots · 02/08/2012 14:25

I don't think most other councils give 10 days any more, many if not most of them fine. When you decide to educate your child in the state system then you do have to agree to follow the statute related to that - that's why some families home educate.

BlueMoon74 · 02/08/2012 14:27

Your child should be in school!!! As an adult, you can't just take holidays when you feel like it, so why would you pass that message onto your child that it's ok to skip school for a holiday! Pay the fine.

PandaNot · 02/08/2012 14:30

Our LA recently changed the advice they give to schools to say that they had to authorise up to 10 days before they could issue a fine citing "potential legal problems" if they issued a fine before the 10 days.

Lovemy3kids · 02/08/2012 14:32

We have to get permission from the Headmaster to take our children out of school, that way it is classed as an authorised absence and we are not fined. However, if they decline the request and we still take our child out of school, then we are fined.

We were told all this on the childrens induction day :)

OLimpPickMeddles · 02/08/2012 15:10

And how would you define "taking the mickey" OP? I'm sorry, but a term time holiday is time out of school, and the week that you have taken your DC out represents nearly 4% of their time in school for the academic year.

mnistooaddictive · 02/08/2012 15:13

You knew the rules and chose to ignore them, why do you feel you deserve special treatment. If you had followed procedure and completed the correct firm to request the time off, the result may have been different but you seem to think you don't have to follow procedure.

Numberlock · 02/08/2012 15:17

Tamzin - I'm going to risk a flaming here and say in your shoes I'd wish them the best of luck in getting the money from me. Wink

I also was happy for my ex-husband to take my children out of school in term time (one week each year for a skiing holiday). This was up till the eldest two started GCSE year.

How much is the fine out of interest?

TantrumsAndOlympicGoldBalloons · 02/08/2012 15:22

numberlock you know they send the bailiffs round if you don't pay it?

It's a magistrates court fine, so yeah, they would get the money from you eventually, plus a whole heap of charges on top.

So probably not the best advice in the world.

mrz · 02/08/2012 15:29

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17841845

Numberlock · 02/08/2012 15:37

Gosh and the OP's probably already written the letter solely based on my (tongue in cheek) advice, Tantrums.

Seriously, I'll decide whether or not it's appropriate for me to take my children out of school for 5 days, not the education authority. If that means I incur a fine I can't get out of paying, I'll take the risk. (I'd like to know how much the fine was though OP.)

I don't agree with this "one size fits all" policy for school absence.

Numberlock · 02/08/2012 15:39

For the future, sounds like it would be better to ring in sick for the child, Tamzin. Looks like honesty isn't always the best policy.

mrz · 02/08/2012 15:53

From the Direct Gov site

"This can include parents who take their children on holiday during term time without getting authorisation from the school. The penalty is £50, rising to £100 if not paid within 28 days. If you fail to pay a penalty fine within 42 days you will be prosecuted."

The maximum fine if the LEA takes a parent to court is £1000.

Numberlock · 02/08/2012 15:59

I'm happy to risk it for £50.

If they want to use the fine as a deterrent, it's nowhere near high enough.

MrsRobertDuvallHasRosacea · 02/08/2012 16:06

Ds is taking 5 days off at the beginning of January as he will be in Oz.
He's yr 9.
He did it in yr 8 as well.
The school were fine about it....thet saw it as a great opportunity for him, which it was.
He will not go again till after GCSEs.

Panzee · 02/08/2012 16:09

Maybe the head is sick of having to pay travel agents huge prices for his/her own summer holiday?

Grin
Juule · 02/08/2012 16:10

For a child with a good attendance record and not falling behind why wouldn't this last week of term be authorised?

Is it because the op didn't request the time off but just stated that the children would be on holiday due to family commitments?

Where is the common sense in this? It's not as though the child is always absent or that the absence would be detrimental academically.
Ridiculous to be fined in that situation imo.

DontEatTheVolesKids · 02/08/2012 16:15

Just pay the £50, OP, & move on.

Feenie · 02/08/2012 16:16

Some schools don't authorise holidays at all - if Ofsted have given them a target of improving attendance, and their biggest reason for absence is term time holidays, then they may have had little choice in the matter.

auntevil · 02/08/2012 16:41

The fine is £50 per parent per child - so with our 3 children plus 2 parents (not necessarily living together) that's a £300 fine - if paid on time. Rises to £100 if late (from memory)
If you apply to HT in the manner requested, have good attendance and can demonstrate why it is not practical for holidays to be taken during the official school holidays, most HTs are reasonable."Family commitments" is woefully vague.

tiggytape · 02/08/2012 17:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

radicalsubstitution · 02/08/2012 17:42

I must say it seems a bit excessive to me. Whilst I don't agree with taking kids out of school during term time in general, I was more than a bit irritated to hear about the number of DVDs DS watched during the last week of term.

The school DS attends has a policy that up to 5 days will be granted for any reason (not in May or September) provided the child has good attendance, and an application has been reviewed by the head.

At the school I teach at, holidays are NEVER authorised, and it's amazing how many children are 'ill' just before/after holidays or for exactly one week at a time. I know this happens because several Year 13 students have told me their parents phoned in sick for them from holidays.

I would draw a line under it, pay the fine and move on.