Reception Term time Holidays

[Roseaal]

Hi

My little one is august born and will be 4. Her reception year is starting on mid September. We have booked holidays and she will be missing out exactly 9/10 days. I haven't mentioned anything to school yet. The only reason we booked holidays was vast price difference in holidays during term time. We are going back home to meet family.

I'm now worried will we be incurring fine? And can I make her start the very next day after returning from holidays. I don't want her to miss out. She used to attend nursery 15 hours per week.

Need your advice!!

DfE doesn't cover the whole of the UK anymore. We've assumed the OP is in England........

Education Act (1996) uses that term, of course. However, online and nowadays, many people use it in inverted commas or refer to it as 'compulsory education age' instead, as do I. It avoids ruffling feathers, too!

'Many people' may refer to it as 'compulsory education age' but they shouldn't then attempt to correct people who are using the right term.

A fine should be the thing you are least concerned about here. But given you were prepared for your child to miss the first two weeks of school just so you could get a cheaper holiday, it seems money is v important to you.

I think it's terrible. It will be very unsettling for her and disruptive for the rest of the class and the teacher too.

I cannot see why on earth you did this

cutthegraa
You are being very presumptuous as to how her own child will cope missing 2 weeks of the first term in YR.

Many children are quite secure and cope just fine. As for being disruptive - no it isn't. How exactly is a child being on holiday disruptive to the class? I have 17 years teaching and a missing child has never been 'disruptive' to my teaching or the learning that is happening at the time. they are simply not there - that is it!

The first month of Reception is solely settling in. It mostly consists of teachers doing a baseline assessment of children's abilities. When a child is missing, it is simply done on their return (or before their departure if they know beforehand). It isn't as if that child won't be able to do things other children can less than 4 weeks into their new school year! Do you expect 4 year olds to be writing by that stage and solving number problems?

Titty given the information in the OP the safe bet is that she is in England as rules and terminology differ. If it is not the case, the assumption would still be valid based on that initial information.

"The first month of Reception is solely settling in." Really? In the first month teachers are teaching and "baselining"

"How exactly is a child being on holiday disruptive to the class? " the child being on holiday isn't disruptive to the class. The child returning from the holiday after the other children have become familiar with routines and expectations can be disruptive just as a new child joining an established class can be disruptive.

I don't know how it affect your child by taking holiday at very start of school. But I am sure it sends a message that you don't think the child's education is a priority.

'Many people' may refer to it as 'compulsory education age' but they shouldn't then attempt to correct people who are using the right term.
I think they are within their rights to do so. Though not technically an incorrect term it's more pc nowadays and less misleading, hence my use of it. Though, of course, I'm very familiar with the 1996 Education Act.

I think MostAppealing was referring to another poster who described my terminology as "wildly incorrect".

banging come on. It's not the absence of the child that is disruptive, it's the child starting school two weeks later than everyone else in the class. Seriously?!

Yes, she was referring to the other poster quite obviously, pr. You felt the need to post just to say that?

Titty is incredibly rude

So's bum

Haven't you read Swallows and Amazons, 2014newme?

greentulips

@Reuset yes I don't mean the name I mean what the poster named titty is saying is rude what an unpleasant individual she or he is

You are letting her miss the first two weeks of school so you can save on a holiday? To be honest I think that is irresponsible to say the least and will put her at a real disadvantage. A possible fine should be the least of your worries (though you won't get fined as she is not 5).

I know you were 2014. I was joking

What did you decide, OP?

Having a child who has just finished reception year I can honestly say I would not have wanted him to miss out this 2 weeks. It is a time where class norms and routine are set and I do believe the kids benefit from that shared experience not just in establishing relationships with their classmates but also you meeting the other parents.

I do find it unbelievably rude and disrespectful towards the school you haven't told them about this prior to the summer holidays starting. I don't expect they will take a good view of it and I certainly wouldn't want my relationship with them (a 7 year long one at that) to start in this way.

As others have said you don't need to worry about a fine but if there is anyway to avoid this I would take it.

Two sides to this. Firstly, compulsory school age in England is the start of the term after their 5th birthday so you don't have to worry about being fined.

However, as load of posters have pointed out this is the worst possible time to miss in the whole year. For all the reasons already outlined. Even parents like us who have issues with childcare, for schools who do the gradual start, move heaven and earth to make special arrangements just so they won't miss this vital settling in time.

If there is any way at all to move your holiday to later in the term, even if it costs you, I would seriously consider it.

They probably won't actually try to impose a fine but they're still likely to chase it up (the absence) and pursue via attendance improvement officers. You still have to follow the same rules, below statutory ed. age or not, same as the other children, as you're all registered with the school

Under fives don't have to be in full time education until the term after their fifth birthday ...that is the rule. Attendance officers don't pursue it in fact in my area LA staff inform parents schools can't do anything if your child has a summer birthday.

This a really important time for your dd. Not 'educationally', but emotionally. I think this is the absolute worse time to take any child out of school, but especially one starting reception. Sorry that is probably not what you want to hear.

Yesterday 21:23 mrz

Under fives don't have to be in full time education until the term after their fifth birthday ...that is the rule. Attendance officers don't pursue it in fact in my area LA staff inform parents schools can't do anything if your child has a summer birthday.

If they're already registered with and attending with a school, and then having unexplained absences, this is still followed up, regardless of the time of year they were born. It isn't just ignored until the term after their fifth birthday.

They are still under five and don't have to be in school.

They are still under five and don't have to be in school.
I'd refer you back to my previous answer but that would be rude.
No, they don't have to attend a school at all until the term after their fifth birthday. Hence home educators aren't usually pursued until after this period. But, if they have already registered with a school which the child is also attending, and then begins to have unexplained absences and sporadic attendance, this isn't just just ignored and shrugged off. Many children are not yet five years in reception.