Are we likely to be prosecuted for taking our 17yr 6th former out of school term time for a family holiday?

[joloho35]

Hi asking for advice thanks in advance. We haven't ever had a family holiday abroad as a family, an opportunity has come up where we could go for two weeks at the end of June. Our 17 yr old will have finished her exams and will be starting year 13 (upper sixth). Are we likely to face criminal prosecution? Has anyone else done this? Thanks

I used to be a secondary teacher and I have happily taken infant school children out of school. I even wouldn't have a problem in lower secondary school HOWEVER I really really really can't tell you what a bad idea it is to take time out of A levels.

The time after AS exams is often setting the foundation for the second year - and also helping to sure up choices of subjects. 2 weeks is a LOT of time. It's hard enough to catch up from a few lessons but 2 weeks could be a topic in each subject she is studying.... thats the intro, main subject and essay in my case - you really can't just catch that up. A2 is different from As and in my case it was important to get the overview....

bunbaker it is always worth a try. But yes most likely not authorised. Still if you are going unauthorised or not might as well be up front about it.

I generally don't have much issue with term time holidays despite being qualified teacher and currently working in schools again. However this applies to primary school and key stage 3. I genuinely believe the majority of children at these ages cope perfectly fine missing a couple of weeks, and the benefits of time away as a family together can be far greater.

HOWEVER once in exam years such as GCSEs and A Levels I think missing a week or two is too much. It's a lot to catch up on, especially at A Level years. I wouldn't recommend it at all for key stage 4/5.

And yes LEAs often so fine. Many won't fine until you hit day 5 or 6, but most do once it's been a full week or more.

Why should sixth form be any different from year 10

I wouldn't for gcae year either. 2 weeks of potentially 10 subjects is a lot to make up.

I'd be far more worried about the work missed than the fine.

DD is in year 11 at school now and quite frankly I am astonished that you would even consider taking your daughter out of school for an entire fortnight at such a key stage in her education. What on earth are you thinking of?

Yes I am being judgey, because when DD misses a couple of days of school through illness she sometimes misses entire topics.

It will be fine.Although they do begin some Y13 work, lots of kids are out on uni visits and it is very much a relaxed pace after exams.

There won't be two weeks of uni visits! At DS school, they only allow three days off for visits, the rest are expected to be done at weekends.

Both my girls (one first year uni, one y13) have done topics in those weeks after AS levels which they haven't come back to at school until the pre-A2 revision period. She could miss an awful lot - doesn't seem worth it. Go next year when she's finished her A levels properly?

I disagree .If they can't catch up 2 weeks work over the summer holidays , let alonethe 12 months til A2 it's a poor do.

The school won't feel obliged to provide the catch up work though.

crikey I would hope at 17 they wouldn't have to!

You can't be prosecuted for this. Every 17-year-old is above school leaving age.

It's a time that most schools and colleges use as an opportunity to take their students through the UCAS process, with important talks on how to choose courses, how UCAS works, how to write a personal statement.

It's not just the yr 13 academic work that happens then; there are other vital parts of their education. It's most annoying when students clear off on holiday because parents think that it doesn't matter. They'll be free from mid-June until the end of September in their U6 year - leave the galavanting for then, or don't moan that your kid has not been helped enough with UCAS.

Leaving aside whether or not it's a good idea, fines only apply from reception-Y11. Here.

Of course, the school is not obliged to hold the place open if you decide to go on holiday without their agreement.

Isn't the issue that once they are beyond compulsory school education age it is entirely at the school's discretion whether they choose to hold a place open?

I know of a subject head who has pointed this out to students and their parents in cases of failure to do homework, attend classes or behave.

It's a terrible time to take off. As well as starting out on A2, there will no doubt be other critical lessons, such as starting out the UCAS process.

You don't be fined but way back when I was in 6th form they had just abolished a local school holiday fortnight in June.

We were told in no uncertain terms that anyone absent during that holiday would not be allowed back into college (a standalone 6th form rather than one attached to a school )

I agree it isn't a good idea for a holiday.

I did however miss 2 weeks of school at the same time with my school's blessing for work experience.

I was however an exemplary student, and scored nearly 100% on my as levels, meaning that I only needed relatively very low marks on A2, and the catch-up wasn't hard for me.

If your DD is anything but an A* student who is finding the exams effortless then I would extreme caution.

If you've gone this long without a family holiday on term-time, could you wait until June 2017? Or why not go just for a week? But really I'd wait until next year.

I thought 17 was compulsory school (education) age these days.

If you received a letter from school telling you not to bother to send your child into school for a fortnight because either the teacher wanted a cheap fortnight's holiday or because not much was going to be taught, what would you say?