Advice needed re state school and time abroad

[Hereforthemamas]

Hi there, wondering if anyone has any insight and could possibly help me.

We live in Somerset and have just applied for a reception place for my son at a state school that we are very excited by / happy with. If he gets a space, he is due to start Sept 2025 (aged 4).

Meanwhile, my DH has just been informed by work that he needs to spend 10-12 weeks in Sydney, Australia for 3 months November 2025-January 2026.

Whilst it’s an exciting opportunity to be somewhere different, we realise it would mean our son will do 2 months of school and then spend 3 months away (though some of which would be school Christmas holiday).

My main concern, what would happen to my son’s place at school if he wasn’t there for 3 months? It would be a real shame to lose his space if he gets the school we’re really excited about. Anyone had experience of this?

Am I right in thinking he doesn't technically need to attend until he’s 5? In which case that would be end of December, perhaps I could come home earlier with him?

any experience appreciated! thanks

He has to attend from the term after he turns 5.
So maybe you could delay starting until January, but you return at new year and your dh stay out for final month?
However he would miss the initial phonics stuff and settling in.

Find out the place your child has and then speak to the school. They will either hold the place for him or say that if he is absent for 3 months he won’t have a place on return and you will need to reapply.
I wouldn’t raise this until places have been allocated.
If you will loose the place if you go to Australia that you could stay in the Uk. Maybe go over got Christmas? Then you won’t loose the school place.

When is his birthday? Children are only required to be in education in the term after their 5th birthday—September, after Christmas, or after Easter.

As for his space staying open, I would be having this conversation with the headteacher. Each pupil gets a pupil ID number, and if DC is not enrolling in another UK school, their ID won’t be transferred elsewhere. So technically they could still be on the register at their school. I would push for a long-term absence, which seems even more doable if your child is not age 5 yet.

When is your DS's birthday? If it's May-Aug you can defer his start a year. I'd do that if it's an option.

If he misses 3 months of school it'll be very hard to catch up.

He'll miss so much if you delay his start simply for this reason. If he's summer born I'd consider deferring until the following September, so as not to disrupt his Reception year, but if his birthday is in the Autumn or Spring term I wouldn't delay his start until you return just for the sake of it. It would be better to start him, then hope there's still a space for him on your return. At least he'll have a chance to make friends and learn the rules and routines or school, even if he does miss a lot of learning. You could always do things with him while you're away to help fill the gap. If he's already familiar with the school, he should slot back in seamlessly upon your return, if there's still a space for him.

I would assume the school will not be able to hold a space for you for that length of time, but as you have a clear return date they may be able to. You would have to ask.

Its likley he will be off rolled and if there is a waiting list someone will be given the place.

Defer his start date to January. As long as it is within the same academic year for Reception they cannot re offer the place.

Sorry I've just reread that he's 5 in December. In which case I would consider just telling them he will be absent November-Christmas, (so basically the 'Autumn 2 term'), when he doesn't legally need to be there. Then return a few weeks early with him for the start of the spring term, when he is compulsory school age.

The school probably won't be happy about it, but I imagine you will be able to keep his place this way as he won't be missing any compulsory school time. You have a set return date, so I would imagine they have to keep it open for you in these circumstances. Staying until the end of January would probably be pushing your luck though.

Good luck. What an exciting opportunity.

This would mean he'd miss the vital Autumn 1 'getting to know you' term though. He won't be away until November, so it wouldn't be necessary to miss the start of the school year and it could be really disruptive having him start in January having experienced no schooling at all up to that point. Starting in September, and missing Autumn 2 to return at the start of Spring 1, would be far preferable.

If he misses more than 3 weeks he will be taken off the roll, the school has no choice and has nothing to do with fines, whether you get a place on your return will depend on where you live

@BoleynMemories13 true, just presenting an alternative if the school place is so sought after and for longer term.

Thank you, so kind of everyone to take the time to respond.

My gut feeling is to wait until April, when hopefully we will be told we have a space at the school. At that point, we speak to the headteacher.

In an ideal situation, DS would start in September to settle in with the other children and become familiar with school. His 4th birthday is 17th December, so basically the christmas holidays then anyway - from what I gather, no fine applicable as he will be under school age. I feel that would be best for him and we’d only be asking for the space to be held open for 2 months if we then returned in time for him to start back again with everyone else post Christmas holidays in January (by which point he will be legal school age).

thanks everyone! We’re not too concerned about him missing out - he’s already beginning to read, spelling and he’s better at maths than me 🤣 so think he will be fine catching up, and I strongly believe children learn so much from travelling.

Perhaps more concerning, I will also be nursing a three month old baby and we have a 2 year old too!!

Locally they would be off rolled as they have a waiting list. It will depend on if the school has a waiting list and is over subscribed or if they have spaces normally so in that case they wouldn't bother.

It could be very disruptive for your child though to miss 3 months.

They will start the process to remove him from roll once they hit the 20 days of absence.

Child missing from education processes are well bedded in and tbh the school would be keen to get him off their stats ASAP.

They won't keep the place open and if you show your plane tickets with the return date they will start the off roll process even sooner. I wouldn't recommend trying to hide it as they will involve SS to try and track you down and that is a huge waste of resources better directed to families who are trying to disappear.

If the school isn't full they would happily re admit once you're back.

We are also Somerset with a child starting school in September. DH is Aussie & has long service leave option, so was looking at a sabbatical.

The school confirmed that he would be off rolled if off for 4 weeks, even with an explanation. They said if we went, we could request a mid year start but would be subject to space & our preferred school is one of the most oversubscribed in the county.

4th or 5th birthday?

No state school can just hold a place open for you for a couple of months. You will be off-rolled and then you’d have to hope there was a place available when you got back and apply as an in year admission. If it’s a highly oversubscribed school then there invariably won’t be a spot and he would have to go another school on your return which would be even more disruptive.

I mean this in the nicest possible way but all your ideas seem to be working on the assumption that the school will just work around your plans. Legally they can’t. Your real options are really only:

1. Defer his start until January when he legally needs to be in school. Probably the safest option and school might let him do a “settling in day” in the autumn term.

2. Stay in the U.K. whilst your husband heads to Oz and then fly out for four / five weeks over Christmas. Time it so he doesn’t get off-rolled and there would be no fine as under legal school age. Works for school but not family life.

3. Have him start, head off as planned, he will get off-rolled and then have everything crossed that there isn’t another child who is in the country and in need of a school place doesn’t take it

4. Go private. They will happily hold a school place open for you if you continue to pay the fees!!!

What's your reason for wanting to go too? I'd be treating it as a working away period or your husband and go out to visit over xmas - tag a week or so on as much as you can get away with.

@LIZS - oops, yes I meant 5th birthday!

@LIZS - oops, yes I meant 5th birthday!

They learn to read in reception. Do you plan to homeschool during the gap? Otherwise your child will be at a disadvantage when they re join.

We will have a three month old baby (so 3 children ages 4, 3 and 0) so my husband won’t want to be away from the newborn for that long and I would prefer not to solo parent! It would be a nice opportunity for us all if we could make it work!

Is that Avanti in Frome by any chance?

everything is pointing to the fact he will be taken out of the school. To everyone who has mentioned deferring the place, is that something that can be done after he has his place - like can we accept the place but defer to January?

Yes you apply as normal for Reception in 2025/6 academic year then defer the start date once allocated. Worth doing anyway as you never know if the situation may change. Will you get the baby's passport in time for a visa application, for example.

I’m nerdy about these things but in your position I’d be in touch with Somerset Council to find out the exact numbers in their sufficiency plan to get a sense of how likely it is that his place will stay open, and where you are likely to be allocated if it isn’t. Looking at this overview (https://democracy.somerset.gov.uk/documents/s38858/Sufficiency+Update+-+presentation.pdf) it looks like the bump in the 2021 birth rate is likely to affect your son’s cohort and may place additional pressure on school places.