Term Time Holidays

[OnNaturesCourse]

What is the law surrounding this in Scotland?

From what I read online it's just marked as unauthorised and reported to the LA if the attendance drops below 92% (which it likely will due to be previously being off sick for a week before Xmas)

It may depend on your relationship with the HT. we got 10 days authorised for a holiday after a traumatic bereavement. The HT actually wished us a happy holiday! We had previously lived in England so it was a bit of a shock!

That was over 10 years ago mind. It may be different now.

That's one of the reasons for our holiday

Multiple bereavements last year, family separation and medical issues. We all just need a break but can't afford to go outside of term.

As long as attendance is otherwise good you should be okay. Lots of families at our school take kids out for holidays. There's no fines in Scotland. It might be marked as 'unauthorised' but it means nothing.

If attendance is low you could be referred to children's reporter but this is very unusual if everything else is okay.

We got an "official" letter from the HT but nothing happened.
Attendance was otherwise very good

Attendance is currently at 92% so not great but is due to genuine illness and hospital appointments (3 of which are still marked as unreported I have noticed today)

Do I just send a letter in to the school saying DC will be absent?

Just phone the office and let them know the dates. The week before will do. Let the teacher know as well to make sure.

You will probably get a letter but don’t get worried.

Just go for it, sounds like you all need a break.

Gosh I'm a teacher and no one bats an eyelid. Often, part time teachers take their children out on the days they don't work. I've never ever seen a letter sent home unless the attendance is very low ( 60/70 per cent). I really wouldn't even think twice.

Thanks all.

Definitely going for it.

I can't see if you've said what year the dc is in. That won't affect the legalities (there's no fine in Scotland) but would affect how much it impacts on your child/ren.

A lot of the families I work with are military so if we get notice from the CO that the army parent is on deployment, then the head can authorise holiday absence over unauthorised. They often take a few family days when the parent returns.

Otherwise it's only if your child is regularly off the welfare officer will be in contact. No fines but they may wish to work with you for better attendance.

When I took my 2 out of school I always emailed saying "I appreciate this will go down as unauthorised absence" and never had an issue.

I actually really wish we'd done this more when mine was primary age- not for financial reasons, but I'm only able to take 3 weeks of leave in school holidays each year, so it would have been nice to have some more family breaks.
We did take a week in termtime at the end of covid when he was in high school (both parents NHS so he had been left to his own devices a lot in lockdown) and got a 'best wishes and enjoy' email from his guidance teacher which I really appreciated.

As long as you don't ask us to supply work for when the children are in holiday, we're pretty relaxed about it. There is a degree of 'Hell mend you' when it's right before an SQA exam mind you.