WWYD: need to take my reception son to Canada

[BulletProofMum]

My Grandm truns 90 at the end of June and her family are travelling from all over the world to celebrate withe her.

I amconfident that the school will authorise 10 days out of class for him but I have booed flights that will have him out for 12 days.

Do I:
a) request 10 days and then phone up and say he can't fly due to an ear infection

b) be honest and rquest 12 days

any input would appreciated

Hmm difficult one.

I think we have to appreciate that schools are enforcing such draconian attendance records for their benefit not ours. You have to ask yourself: will my son fail his A levels because he missed 2 weeks of reception (obvious answer: no)

I personally would write a very nice letter to the school asking for 12 days and emphasising that your child will be travelling for an very important family occasion (true), once in a lifetime trip (possibly true, don't know your circs) and you will do your best to ensure that your child won't miss out on education (take reading books with you, extra homework etc etc). You could say that you tried to book 10 days but flights you looked at full etc. I think the fact that you are taking him on a family trip to Canada would be seen more favourably than a beach holiday to Spain, for example.

If they say no, you could always then tell them you booked 10 days and then lie about the ear infection (although it would look dodgy, how would they prove it?)

Our school was good about it, for this type of very big occasional family occasion holiday they have allowed it as authorised absence, even though it's been up to 14 days off.

I think be honest, if they refuse then ask what they will allow (they aren't obliged to even give you the 10 days, I think?!), and then claim the rest as sick leave.

Keep in mind that with jetlag he'll probably be off school some extra days, too.

Reception at the end of June ? they won't be doing anything in school anyway by then . Go for it !

I would go for it. We took my reception son out for 2 weeks in Feb, he went in on day 13 and I had to go and get him as he was so jetlagged. So even if you book for 10 days, chances are that it will be 12 anyway!

Ask for the appropriate form for taking them out of school. You are allowed 10 days a year for authorised absence, and you have a very good reason (family), and it's not a regular occurence. Lay on the guilt trip thick - that he will probably not see his great-grandparent again (we went over for the same reason).

We then asked for extra work that never materialised, so took our own. We also took my son into a NZ school for a morning, that also earned brownie points!

I can't see that it would be any problem at all. It's a one-off family occasion.

Also, when is his birthday? Education is not statutory until the term after they are 5, so if he's got a summer birthday, you can take him out of school for longer as far as I know.

I will go for honesty then - it just worries me that if she says no we have a problem as flights are already booed.

He wold most certainly learn and experience more whilst in Canada than in the lastmonth of reception.

My mum is even an infant techer and will be traveling with us!

Thanks for your advice

If she says no, then its unauthorised absence, but unless they're really stroppy, nothing else will happen. Our primary school automatically marks such breaks as unauthorised.