School attendance incorrect do I just let it go?

[buswheels]

DC is year 11 has missed 6 days of school for an overseas trip and been marked away on holiday during term time.

DC wasn’t on holiday they were on a trip (probably best described as an ‘intercultural exchange’) which they had been chosen to attend.

This isn’t a school organised trip but one they applied to an external organisation and were chosen to go on. They actually cut the trip short so as not to miss too much school.

Our attendance coding rules state that they should be coded as ‘not enrolled’ so as not to affect their attendance record.

New school rules state that if you miss ‘too much’ school you will be given no extension on school work, you won’t be allowed to go to the formal and a couple of other things!.

We appealed the coding, pointed out where it is wrong in the rules from the ministry of education and I had a long phone call with the head telling me no absence of more than 5 days can be anything other than unjustified and he won’t change the code.

But he’s wrong!

Basically there is nothing I can do is there? Head is adamant that he is right and won’t change it, DC has been off and won’t be eligible for some of their goals. I can appeal again and win but either way head is going to be pissed off with my DC! Should have just stayed away for the extra week!

Any one had a similar experience and got any advice?
TIA

Maybe you missed the bit about the school not being in the UK? I have literally explained it to you

And you have clearly missed people asking which country you are in? Is there a MN equivalent in your country to ask?
Did other children go on the same intercultural exchange? What was their absence put down as?

It matters because your whole argument centres about the head being wrong. So that is the essential point. If the head is wrong, it might be worth fighting. But you'd be amazed how many posters say that something is wrong, provide the relevant rules, and they say the exact opposite of what they think they do.

So, if you won't say where you are, or what the codes should have been, etc., and what the consequences are in your area, how can anyone give a reasoned argument for whether to pursue it or not?

Not that I know of but is there a mumsnet equivalent full stop!.

The ? Isnt country specific, I’m not asking about the code I’m asking about disagreeing with a head and pushing back and whether you found attendance had long term consequences. The system is so new her I’m unlikely to find anyone who can tell me.

No no one else from her school there will be eventually and we can find out how they are coded but attendance needs to be corrected within the same term apparently so it will likely be too late. Hence I am trying to ask people with experience.

“And whether you found attendance had long term consequences”

We don’t know what the specifics of the rule is.

we don’t know what country you’re in, nor the regulating body.

how on earth do you think anyone on MN will have the slightest clue what the long term impact of your how your child’s absence has been recorded is likely to be?

and we don’t know your Head. So we wouldn’t have a scooby how he/she is likely to respond to you pushing back in their decision.

“Hence I am trying to ask people with experience”.

How on earth does anyone know if they have experience of the situation or not when you refuse to say what country you are in and which rules you are referring to?

"The ? Isnt country specific, I’m not asking about the code I’m asking about disagreeing with a head and pushing back and whether you found attendance had long term consequences."

You have captured the entire point in your question. It's country specific. I'm England, yes, increasingly, there are consequences. Fines, school attendance orders, etc. Possibly not in your country, but how would we know??

If a pupil is taken off the school's roll, then their place should be offered to anyone on the waiting list for that year group. You really don't want to be taking them off the school roll as a temporary measure.

Usually something like this can go down as an educational trip, provided its worth is agreed by the school. I used to run an inter-school day trip (for pupils who had been nominated by their school to attend Saturday masterclasses), and I know one or two schools needed a bit of persuading to put it down as an authorised educational trip, but once they realised that's what other schools were doing, they were fine about it. It's usually best to do the negotiating in advance.

Although you mentioned him being on a national excellence training programme, you also said it was more of a "intercultural exchange". I wonder if the head doesn't see it as an essential part of their training. There might be a difference between a national under-16s skiing training camp, and going with some of the squad to watch the winter olympics, for instance.

"DC has a friend who is off to the states for 2 terms when their parent does a sabbatical according to head they are going to get 2 terms of unjustified absence."

In their case, they would be taken off roll, and there would be no guarantee that they get their place back on return.

@lanthanum "If a pupil is taken off the school's roll, then their place should be offered to anyone on the waiting list for that year group. You really don't want to be taking them off the school roll as a temporary measure."

That may be true in the UK (or England) but the OP is not in the UK and refuses to say where she is, so we are throwing probably-incorrect advice into a vacuum.

Thanks everyone I appreciate you taking the time to answer!

I repeat I am not wrong, I know what the code should be for doing X and the head has used the incorrect one. It’s very simple and clear in the instructions.

I have been provided with the new info the school is using so I know the consequences in terms of assessment extensions and school formal I was wondering if anyone had pushed a disagreement with the head and had a remotely happy outcome and had any suggestions on how to handle it but I guess I know the answer really!