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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Taking a term off - can we?

23 replies

davidla · 29/04/2009 17:59

Hi,
My wife is Taiwanese and 18 weeks pregnant. She is thinking of returning home to have the baby and may take our 6 year old with her.
Is it allowed for a child to miss (almost) a whole term from school and then return?
I assume it's not, but perhaps someone knows!
Thanks.

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ilove · 29/04/2009 18:00

I doubt the school will keep his place open for him. Have you asked them?

cece · 29/04/2009 18:00

You can go but the school does not have to keep the school place open. You therefore risk losing your place in the school, especially if it is an oversubscribed school.

Original poster

davidla · 29/04/2009 20:06

Thanks for the replies - kind of what I had expected. I have asked - the lady I spoke to wasn't sure and is currently checking (2 days so far!)

OP posts:

terramum · 29/04/2009 22:18

You could de-register your child to home educate them and then re-register them when needed...but this does depend on whether the school is over subscribed or not. If the school is popular then you may return to find there isn't a place available ans you have to send them to another school.

Hulababy · 29/04/2009 22:21

Some schools may keep the place open, but I suspect it may be an LEA decision.

I worked at a state secondary school where ne boy had half a year off most years as his father was involved with cricket in Australia half the year and UK the rest. The school always kept his place open.

However this was over 6 or 7 years ago now so things will have changed.

Pollyanna · 29/04/2009 22:24

someone in my dd2 class at school did this - they went off to have their baby, but the school didnt' keep the place open and a new boy started. However, when they came back there was a place, and the boy started again. Quite lucky though as not many children leave the school.

i was wondering about this too as we would like to go off travelling for a while, but I'm not sure i'd risk losing the school place.

melissa75 · 30/04/2009 12:21

It depends on the circumstances, I currently have a child in my class who has done somewhat the same thing, but has remained on my register, even though she will not be back at the school until September. The Head has told the family she will keep the place until September, but not after this. And my school is oversubscribed, so it really does depend on what yours and the schools circumstances are.

Original poster

davidla · 01/05/2009 13:07

I spoke with a nice lady at Herts county council and she said that it's up to the school - so if there is no hard and fast rule then hopefully that will help us.
Thanks for all your comments.

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Original poster

davidla · 06/05/2009 12:53

Apparently we can't as the school said they get funding for each child and they can't lie about a student who they are cliaming for but isn't actually at school. (I think this is especially a problem because they apply for funding for September and our son won't be at school then).

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drivinmecrazy · 06/05/2009 13:00

I took DD1 out of school to spend time with terminally ill grandfather last year. I took the girls to Spain for three months (where he lived) and the school were fantastic. In our case it only had to be put to the board of governors. Teacher gave up a list of topics she would be missing that term and we were able to tie in trips with our time away. (lucky the subject was the sea, so plenty of time on the beach
BTW I would still have gone and taken the chance on getting her back in in September, that time with my family were far mpre precious than the time she missed in the classroom(year2)

ICantFindAFreeNickName · 06/05/2009 13:12

Our schools funding is based on pupils on roll during the January school census, I'm pretty sure this is the same throughout England.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 06/05/2009 14:20

Could you offer to pay the school for the funding they are losing?

singersgirl · 06/05/2009 14:25

Yes, January is the crunch time for school numbers, so they have already got funding from now until next January for your son - just as they would for any child who had left during the academic year.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 06/05/2009 14:35

Very interesting re Janaury date, as we have been thinking of sending DS2 to stay for the summer term of Y5 with his cousin in France - ie and go to the french school - have not broached the subject yet with his primary school, but may be they won't be as dismissive as we had assumed...

catrion · 11/05/2009 19:49

davidla - I'm a governor with the "lucky" task of having to vet applications by parents to take their children out of school. I also work as a volunteer with children who get up to years 5 and 6 without having leart to read properly. Do you see the connection here? Do you have any idea how important every school day is at this stage? The class will have done an awful lot by the time your child returns (assuming they take him back). Who do you think is going to have time to go over all that he has missed? Of course if he is very bright, and you are very motivated, you could maybe teach him the necessary yourselves with no detriment to him. But if you are not confident about this, I would really think again - for the child's sake.

smee · 11/05/2009 20:11

I had a friend who took a job for three months in Australia, and the primary school let their son go. They set up a website for him to keep in touch with his class and the class followed his travels and adventures via a bi-weekly news letter type blog that he had to submit to deadlines. The school were hugely supportive and saw it as an opportunity and educational. They did insist the parents worked through a course of study with him, which they were more than happy to do. You could try maybe going to the school with a proposal to do something similar so it sounds more appealing?

Original poster

davidla · 02/06/2009 23:16

Whoops - forgot to check back on further replies after my last post.
Thanks for the replies - the idea of going to Taiwan isn't going to happen partially because of money, partially because the school said no, and partially because my wife has a Taiwanese friend here who will hopefully be able to help her after the pregnancy.
catrion - I wasn't overly worried about him missing school here as we think he would have been able to attend school in Taiwan. I don't think we would have even thought about it if that wouldn't have been the case for the reasons you give.
smee - that's a good idea but I think the school would still have turned the idea down. I even checked with the LEA who said that he couldn't leave for that long.
Oh well, it's all sorted now - looking forward to having a beautiful daughter

OP posts:

independiente · 03/06/2009 19:42

catrion, forgive me for saying this but I couldn't let this pass - the way you expressed your post was rather patronising! I think most parents who consider taking their primary age children out of school for a while are very aware of what needs to be done in the interim. It's more the children who regularly miss days of schooling during most weeks (for illness/other reasons) that I would be concerned about.

mumoverseas · 04/06/2009 15:58

AND, she hasn't 'learnt' to write properly

hedgepig · 04/06/2009 19:26

HI Mumoverseas just saw your post and that you had a little boy congratulations

mumoverseas · 05/06/2009 09:36

Hi hedgepig, thank you so much, he is 16 weeks now and gorgeous

hedgepig · 05/06/2009 09:41

MOS I saw your post below and then checked your profile and saw you had had a DS, sorry I wasn't that clear. Anyway we are still wittering on in pregnancy if you have time to pop in.

mumoverseas · 05/06/2009 10:12

Thought I was being stalked then will try to find you on the pregnancy threads although I swore blind I'd never go on them again as this REALLY was the last baby

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