Will we get fined?

[Summerluvin1]

So me and hubby want to take our children away for 5 days at center parcs. Those who know, know it can be expensive, for example a week in June is £650 and a week in August is £1700. For the first time ever we have an opportunity to have a family holiday as my hubby has always worked in a school so could never have time off in term time. My question is whether we would get fined, I have seen its 10 sessions missed to get fined but we plan on sending our children into school on the monday morning until 1pm as we wont be leaving til 2pm so they will miss 9 sessions. Is it best to be honest and state they will be off for the rest of the week as going on holiday or fib that they are poorly? They go to separate schools as one is in year 3 and one is in year 7. We live in the East of England. Thanks for reading!

You can't exactly pick perfectly well children up half way through the day and say they are sick. You might be fined. If you want to avoid that, don't go away for a week in term time. We haven't been to centre parcs since school age because of the eyewatering cost.

It's a rolling ten sessions over a specific time period, so if they don't have any other time off within that block you should be ok from the point of view of a fine. You'll have to be honest though, they're not exactly sick if you've sent them to school that morning and it's really shitty to ask your kids to lie for you.

Some schools its 3 days. So just know the policy.
Plus there was another thread about school checking on the sick child. If you say you are on holiday they might fine you still. But id take the fine over paying the cost of a summer holiday any day.

Don’t fib. Your children will slip up, even if you instruct them to lie which, tbh, is an appalling thing to ask of them.

if you look on the Gov.U.K. Site it says While 9 sessions fall just below this specific threshold, schools can still issue fines for unauthorised holidays

You need to speak to them. Anyway, I magine if 3 weeks before the holiday one of them does actually come down with diarrhoea or tonsillitis or something!

I know a few people who have done exactly this to avoid the fine (successfully). Don’t ask them to lie, just be honest.

I work in a school you will be fine it is 10 session, pp is wrong they can't fine you for three days. So if you are taking out for 9 they can't fine you. Yes be honest, fill in a holiday form or they will expect you to call in sick everyday and they can do a visit if they think it's untrue. It's better all round to tell the truth. It's so annoying for staff to listen to lies and more admin. To be honest I'd just take them out for the ten and pay the fine, what's £60 if you're saving hundreds. How are you planning on getting away with picking up early otherwise? You can't get them to fake an illness the school are unlikely to send them home unless they are physically sick or have a high temp. Just be honest and pay the fine and have a nice holiday!

They will be fine and likely only miss 8 sessions tues-thurs if you pick them up after they have been registered on Monday.

Don't get them to lie just be honest.

Sorry to just clear some things up i would never ask my children to lie in regards to sending them in on monday morning and picking up at 1pm, i was going to say it was an appointment and then fib they got poorly at nightime. I think I need to be honest though because I worry that they may do a welfare check and we wont be there! Its also £240 fine not £60 as its £60 per child per parent

Was going to say it will be 240 as 60 x 4

But if pick up at lunctime you will be ok as 9

be honest and say holiday. Not fair to make kids lie and they will want to talk about it next week

I'd ask what time afternoon registration is and pick them up 20mins later. In my experience, schools are happy to share information about timings to get the best absence stats possible.

I've no idea about fine though.

Yes I was going to say this, if you get the afternoon registration as well, then it will only be 8 sessions.

They do have the option to fine for any absence but that would only be likely if you are repeat offenders which doesn’t sound like you are.

If you are sure it’s 10 then you should be fine but double check - I am in the East of England too and it’s 6 here

Thank you for that advice about afternoon registration, I'll find out!
No we've never done this before, kids have very good attendance...so far!

I'd leave at 3 rather than 2 - you won't get fined for 4 days unless they already have poor attendance.

As long as it’s after the PM registration it won’t make any difference.

It's going to make a difference to the school being annoyed at the disruption. My son's secondary school insists on appointment cards if you want to take them out in the middle of the day for an 'appointment'. Going after school is easier for everyone.

Our school it’s ten rolling sessions I’ve done eight and not been fined.

The trigger is 5 days. But you are wrong with advising the fine is £60. It’s £80 per parent per child. So the fine would be £480.
Teachers will not set work, so it’s up to the child to catch up.,At secondary school this can be overwhelming. Then a few days off with flu, colds etc and attendance can drop below 90%.

Attendance is a massive part of my job and this os exactly what l would suggest too!!!

No you dont lie you are a grown up be a decent role model

It’s 10 sessions in the last 10 weeks. Unauthorised absence codes include ‘late after registers’ (U) so if your children have been significantly late any day since early December that would also count as a session.

Sorry it was £60 when I took my child out a few years ago. £80 that's £320 for 2 kids, still a significant saving on the price during half time. Schools have issues with persistent absence. Its not usually the kids going on one off holidays! In Scotland they don't fine for holidays, probably because they realise that isn't who the attendance issues are really aimed at.

Why would it matter if they get ill? I know some schools like to suggest otherwise but the statutory guidance is crystal clear that illnesses do not need evidence (unless there is a strong reason to think the parent is lying), and are not unauthorised absences, so make no difference to the number of sessions missed to get fined. Schools who say as a blanket rule that they need evidence in order to record it as authorised are taking the piss, and annoying GP surgeries while they do it.

Leave at 3pm, or whenever school finishes. Have the car ready to go so you can go straight off. An hour won’t make a difference to your holiday.

I know what pp says about afternoon registration being just after lunch but this way the school ‘see’ it as 4 days rather than 4.5 and don’t have the disruption of having to fetch your kids from class etc. (especially the one in primary). Helps keep the school on side.

Also the school may refuse to hand the children over if they knew it was for a holiday