Can you take your reception child home for the afternoon without needing to write into the school for authorised absence?

[Pawslikepaddington]

A few of the children in dd's class will be picked up by their mum's at lunchtime if the mum believes when they drop their child off that their child is too tired to do a full day that day. I was wondering if you just ask to take them home at lunchtime, or if you need a letter stating why you are taking them home.

We have a photographer coming tomorrow afternoon to do a photo shoot for a newspaper article on myself and dd, and he wants dd to be in it and to have the afternoon off school. What do I do? It isn't a regular occurrance, I have never asked for time off before, so am worried school will say no. If I can just ask to take her home at lunchtime I don't feel too bad, but if I have to tell them why I am worried that they will say no.

They are a university linked school, so what's good for the university and all that! . Most of the parents are scholars though so they don't see university-guided things as a Big Deal (as opposed to me!!) as they get requests to take children on archialogical (sp!) digs to the middle east and trips to the Antarctic etc (some of the stories are so fun!)

College living is ace-we were SO lucky. The students built a giant igloo on Friday (6 ft tall) so we have been hanging out in there (for 5 min bursts-tis too cold outside!) all weekend and eating cake, mmm!

Good for you - will look out for your article! Hope you manage to sort out your dd being off for the afternoon.

when I take dd out of school for her eye appointments then I send a note in for her teacher in the morning to say that she has an appointment, when I will be picking her up and whether she will be returning to school e.g. last week her letter advised that her appointment was in the afternoon, I would pick her up at lunchtime and she wouldnt be returning to school as I didnt know how long the appointment would take.

Quote ' If she is not legally expected to be at school full time, it cannot be unauthorised absence can it? '

Qwell actually it can.Our school had its first ever unauthorised absence because a 4 yr old went to New Zealand for 4 weeks which the school was not allowed to authorise but of course the child was perfectly entritled to go.