Taking yr5 child out of achool to travel -- Advice??

[Poppiesway]

I'm planning late this year to take a sabbatical from work and visit America for 6 weeks. I have family there and we will be staying with them. Ds2 will get to meet his cousins who he's not been able to meet as yet. And we can do the touristy things while we're there.

Due to the nature of my work I'm unable to take the 6 weeks during the summer and will therefore have to take ds2 out of school for 5 weeks (1 of the weeks will be half term) I have to approach the school about this. Due to my job I am excluded from the fines for taking ds2 out of school during term time for holidays.

Has anybody managed to take their children out of school to travel? I had originally planned to do a year & work there, but have worked it down to 6 weeks as I've never left ds1 for more than 1 night yet!! (He will be 17 when we go and wants to stay with his dad, as he will be starting his alevels in sept) Ds2 will be 9 when we go and I think this will be a great experience for just him and me to be together and be with family that he's not met yet.

I just wondered if anyone had managed to do this and if their children suffered from lack of schooling while it was done? It will only be 5 weeks but I need to think about what I will say to the school..

Could be. It's also possible that the OPs local nhs trust does what one of our neighbouring ones does and doesn't allow staff to choose when they take annual leave. Possibly the school makes allowances for that.

I'd start by having a chat with HT then take it from there.

Assume you are not in a grammar area op as long term absence in y5 would be a no no.

"Legally the school can off roll you after missing more than ten school days without authorisation."

It's a total of twenty days of absence (which can include ten days of authorised absence), and even then only if the parent hasn't communicated well with the school.

See Paragraph 8 of The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1751/pdfs/uksi_20061751_en.pdf

You'll see that to remove the child's name from the register, in addition to the child having been continuously absent for at least twenty school days, "both the proprietor and the local education authority have failed, after reasonable enquiry, to ascertain where the pupil is"

If you've told them where he's going and when he's returning, that condition won't have been met. So there shouldn't be any danger of losing the school place in this case.

Check with the school that his place is ok. Then go and enjoy. There is little that would be missed at age 9 that cannot be caught up on. There is more to life than children being shut into classrooms all day long (and I say that as a teacher!!) He will be experiencing a new country and culture, visit places that will broaden his understanding of the world, meet family etc. Maybe you can also let him have a day or 2 in his cousins' school if they are similar ages? It will be a terrific learning experience for him in many ways. If you are worried about him falling behind find out if his school subscribe to any online Maths, English, Reading, Science etc programs so he can work on stuff whilst away. Have him journal his experiences, make a film (editing it etc on the computer), research his flight path (geography) and where he is going (social studies, history, culture etc).

It sounds a fabulous opportunity and hopefully he will have excellent experiences .
I would keep Him reading and doing regular maths practice though. Tables and mental arithmetic etc.

Thank you all.
The hospital I work for is in a different county to which I live, but this policy seems to be used within my county and the neighbouring county. We have a lot off offshore working fathers whose time off does not coincide with chola holiday so many times children are taken out during term time. where I work we are allowed a maximum of two week annual leave a year which considers school holidays. This is because the majority of us want to take our holiday with our children. They've given us the two week rule to share it out equally. I recently had to apply for authorised absence for ds1 for a funeral, it was then that I was told (and was also on the paperwork I had to sign) about being excluded from the fines. It was then talking about it in the staff room at work that other people had also discovered that this is widely used around my area.

I have been thinking about the time scale and maybe going for 4-5 weeks will be better for ds2 to be out of school. We def want to be there for Halloween as this is ds2's favourite event all year (I don't know why as I've never encouraged nor done the trick or treating but he loves it!) if we go beginning of October and back early November it may work out. He will be with the same children when they go into year 5. they've all been together since reception and have two more years before high school. He will also have the same teacher in year 5 as he had in year 3 as she moved year groups last year.

Thank you all for helping me and making suggestions. I will be thinking th all through and deciding what to try and do for the best. Ultimately I think the time for us to be together, explore and stay with family is something that will be good for us both.

In my experience the school would probably want to take your DS off roll for the 6 weeks and re-admit him so you may wish to investigate the ramifications of this.
This is because the school won't want this absence to be reflected in it's attendance figures for Ofsted.

Individual schools do have their own policies with regards to fines and LAs also have a "point" at which it is worthwhile issuing the fine in the first place. 6 weeks may be pushing it IMO.

(I'd still go though)

Apparently one of our local schools has had 4 children away travelling* for 6 months which destroys their attendance figures but they have kept Ofsted Outstanding anyway, AND have kept the places for all 4 children (it's a very over-subbed school).

The keeping places is dodgy imho, rest is just amusing.

*not Travellers, wealthy parents taking them on trip of a lifetime type thing.

I took my eldest dd out of school to go to American for three months when she was 8. We went in the end of May so she missed approx eight weeks of school. It was a wonderful experience for her.
This was pre fines.

ragged I have wondered about travellers, in that surely anyone can claim to be a new age traveller, and have the absence therefore marked as authorised. Is this possible?

By travellers Hibble they mean the people that used to be under the blanket (but slightly inaccurate) Gypsies or Romanies. As in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (the TV show. I don't watch it). They have their own culture, language etc.

I think fines are a side issue.

The biggest issue is that if you take a child out for 5/6 weeks the school can deregister them. Then you could come back and struggle to get them back in school. Some schools are more sympathetic to taking them, and you might have a good chance at appeal - but it is a risk.

I know lots of people who have taken their children out to go travelling, and it has been a risk but worth it - but you need to judge yourself. (The fine isn't that much in comparison.)

A girl in my daughters class lost her school place when she missed 6 weeks of school when travelling. It was filled immediately and she had to return and find a new place elsewhere.

There is no exemption for certain jobs for fines.
You can be taken off the school roll.
Talk to HT.

At DC's primary there was a child living with an aunt 'in exile' from a troubled country - he went back to his country for a term and was then able to come back. Not sure how it was all sorted.

Sorry. I know nothing about the legality but it sounds like a wonderful opportunity! In primary they don't have lots of copying up to do so much better now than later. No SATS in year 5 and not right at the beginning of the year. If you can avoid losing school place I'd say go for it!

child would be taken off roll in my childrens school. long waiting list. so do check.
odd that people say child will not miss much being off school for 5 weeks. do those left at school learn nothing then?

Kilmuir

children not going to school at all don't miss anything, so 5 weeks won't make any difference.

OP, just make sure that your child won't lose their place and go for it. What a fantastic opportunity for your 9 year old, who I know will learn so much from his travels.