In year admissions - lengthy period abroad

[worstofbothworlds]

I'm hoping one of the helpful admissions people can give us some advice!
I'm an academic with a chance to go abroad for a sabbatical. It would be June to August.
One DC is in an all through independent school and also in a transition year. They may have a state school place confirmed but if not we'll just apologise to their school and bring them back in Sept.
The other is in a state primary, not at infant to junior or first to middle unfortunately. The DCs will be in language/culture classes so we are crossing our fingers the primary school counts it as education.
But if not and they deem us to have withdrawn this DC we'll need to reapply.

Can we do this while our only address in the UK is our home or must we wait till physically home? Nobody else will be there.

If we do, can we apply in July for a place in Sept? If we leave it late enough to not have to take it up till Sept?

I'm an academic with a chance to go abroad for a sabbatical. It would be June to August.

Apologise if you have no partner, but if you do why would you not start the summer by yourself and then your partner and DC join you when school finishes for the year in July?

If you’re a single parent, can you do the first bit of the academic summer remotely? Or can the DC finish their school year remotely?

It seems ridiculous to formally withdraw them from their schools over 45days at the end of the school year and then try and reapply to get them back into their schools. Its really just a summer holiday that lasts the entire summer….so I would approach it from that viewpoint and not look to put them in a school wherever your academic summer is.

We specifically want them to do the language and culture part because it's an area we have links to and that's when the classes run. In other years I can't go at that time either (due to exams) so this is the best time for all of us.

Theres nothing wrong with the timing, it’s just why pull them out of school the last month and a half of the school year and do it as a formal dis-enrollment?

Why can’t they finish the school year and then join you abroad in July and do the arts/culture stuff in August?

(And it being a transition year for one DC means they will either just leave that school early - though few do leave the specific school at that age - or come back to the same school. There is a lot of coming and going at their school so it wouldn't be unusual there to do this).

It just seems risky, there is no guarantee that your DCs school places would be held for them if you dis-enroll them in June but want a place back a few months later in September. I presume none of them are in an exam year…

No exams, both are preteen. It's not France, but think Paris in August where everyone has left, no families or activities or classes of any variety.
We are in an area where schools are undersubscribed (many advertise heavily to ensure they don't close). The DC in question would get a place, it's just the admissions practicalities I'm thinking of.

Oh, ok, I’ll just leave you be then. I thought virtually all of U.K. good schools were over-subscribed and was basing my responses on that mindset. I see I was wrong. If there’s no risk, then I’d contact your local authority on how to do the paperwork. Often different LAs have a different processes and that goes along with different counties having different admissions policies.

So your dc miss half a term in UK? If they have state places allocated for September and you plan to return to same address it is unlikely there would be an issue , except in terms of any transition events. Seems like a lot of upheaval for a few months though and language acquisition is unlikely to develop unless you are native speakers and can reinforce.

Yes, it's half a term (so, it isn't 45 school days - about 30 school days).

One of them isn't in state school anyway, and if that one ends up moving to state school it's true, there might be summer transition days (but it's not that likely that's going to happen anyway). The other one isn't in a transition year.
It's quite complex to explain but 3 months of the culture will hopefully be a basis on which they can then build future short trips (we have had previous short trips but not recently because COVID etc., and they know very little of the culture there etc.) and there isn't going to be another point in their childhood when even a 3 month trip can happen, due to my work. One of them may be able to go to a bilingual school here in the end so even a short language course will be helpful.

When you apply for a place, you have to apply from the address your child is actually living at. I think the question you would have to ask is would they count this as moving, rather than a long holiday. Possibly if you are working and attending education there, they will class it as a temporary move.

The second question to ask the LA is can you apply from abroad? If there is a space and no waiting list, then they would in theory have to offer you the space if you lived the other side of the country. However they don't have an obligation to provide a school place to a child not in the country. You could ask would they accept proof of your return e.g. flights and allow you to apply earlier. They might be more open to this if they have plenty of spaces.

Of course before all this, you need to establish if they can keep your DC on their list and, if not, who you apply to on your return. If the school have to take your DC off role but are expecting them back, you might be able to sort it all out very quickly on your return.

Can you apply for eg 6 weeks leave from school for them? It will undoubtedly be unauthorised and you would have to pay the fines but it might be simplest in the long run.

Isn’t the fine £50 per day per child? So for 30 school days…

Talk to the schools

I don't think it's per day per child. At our primary school it is per absence. You could always ask for it to be authorised and explain the unique educational opportunities for your children etc. See what the school say and have a conversation about the best way to manage this.

You’re right, I have gone looked it up. Sorry for misremembering.
It is however, per child and per parent.

Thanks all, yes the plan is to persuade the relevant DC's school that it is a period of "education offsite", remaining on the roll, if not we will consult the LEA (the regs seem to say that you can apply if you have an address in the UK).