Can I take my child out of school for a few months?

[slippytoes]

For example, to travel, and ask the school to keep her place? Or if we leave, would I need to take her out and would she lose her place in that school forever or need to be readmitted?

I overheard someone talking about this and thought we might consider something like that in the future.

You can but you may lose your place, it depends on how long and also it may be marked as unauthorized absence.

They won't hold open a place.

I was thinking a gap year or at least a few months

Yes, you can be stripped of a place if your absence is too long. And this isn't a matter for head's discretion.

If your school is undersubscribed, in practice it won't matter. But if there is a waiting list, the place will be offered to whoever is top of that after 6 weeks or so. When you return, you will have to reapply and may have to go to another school.

oh the school has a long waiting list I'm afraid...

And what is the process for unschooling a child? Sorry I'm sure it's been asked before. Should I just leave? Leave and tell the teacher, the head, the council... or just leave?

This is all a bit of daydreaming tbh, not anything seirously planned, but it's something I'd love to do in the future!

You'd have to write to the school and say that you are deregistering your child and will be homeschooling them. There are template letters available from sites such as Education Otherwise.

um... and what to decide to leave forever, go to another country and send her to school there?

(a girl can dream)