Unauthorised absences - advice please

[TitusFlavius]

I want to take my DS out for half a day to attend a genuinely educational event. He's doing pretty well in school, and hasn't been ill much. I haven't enquired, but I'm pretty sure that the school will not (or cannot) authorise this. Is it better to ask for permission in advance, or beg for forgiveness afterwards? And what could they do to me if I just go ahead and do it?

Morning or afternoon?

If it's morning, just send him in the afternoon with a note to explain his absence. They won't be happy, but you won't get a fine for it.

If it's afternoon and you have to pick him up from school, they still won't be happy to let him go...but I still can't see them fining him.

Is there really no other time you can take him?

In Scotland I don't think they can/will do anything if it's just the odd day.

I believe in England they can fine you?

I'd do it for sure. 2 years ago I took 2 of mine out of school for the morning to see the Olympic torch pass through the town. They still talk about this A LOT.

I tend to send a "terribly sorry X'll be off tomorrow" or maybe give 2 days notice. I politely tell don't ask. I offer to support any catching up with work missed.

I doubt they'll do much for half a day's absence (assuming his attendance is otherwise good) but please talk to them first - an "Educated Off Site" code could be used if as you say it's educational, and won't then show in his absence rate.

I would inform them before. They might authorise it beforehand but I doubt they will after the fact if you haven't told them. Just say what it is, say you are doing it and hope that as it is educational and just half a day that it will be an authorised rather than unauthorised absence.

Inform them before. They probably won't proceed to refer you for £60 fine but they need to know why he wasn't there or they will hassle you until you give a reason.

Depending on the event, the school may decide to authorise it as an approved other educational activity. To do that, they need to agree that it is indeed educational, is being run by a provider they are satisfied is suitable, and that your DC will actually attend it. Our school will, for example, authorise absence to take ABRSM exams.

You are unlikely to be fined missing one session, even if they don't authorise it.

Why are you so sure they won't authorise it? They can.

Some schools are great about authorized absence. My DD1 has had a very patchy year attendance wise due to ongoing consultant led medical treatment which means regular hospital appointments (which take a whole day) and the side effects of her treatment has also caused her to have a few days off sick. Plus everyone had winter vom before Xmas and she had it worse than most (again, due partly to side effects from her ongoing treatment). Despite this she has been allowed to have several authorized absences for educational stuff (in her case, music related) and I've just received permission for her to attend a week long thing in the last week of term. So some schools at least, can be really good about this. Other schools, on the other hand, clearly aren't. DD2's school was really quite arsey about her having a morning off to do a music exam yesterday. They let her do it, in the end, but they seriously suggested just not going. Since the exam fees were c£50 there was no way that was going to happen. Even if you ignored the affect on a child who has been preparing for an exam being told at the last minute they can't do it. I think the guidance on the issue of authorized absences is fairly clear, but I know from experience that some schools are choosing to out their own spin on it and it's quite difficult to challenge this. :(

Thanks for the advice, everyone - I think I will tell them in advance, and take it from there.

My son's school always allowed him time off for music exams and representing his county at cricket. We always let them know in advance, his general attendance was outstanding (6 days off in 5 years) so there was never an issue. If there was, I would've taken him out anyway, especially for music exams.