What would you do about taking dd out of school for holiday?

[mosschops30]

WE have booked a holiday in May, basically because I expected to be pregnant by now, but Im not!

So we were taking dd out of school for one week anyway.

We are now thinking that its going to be too early and want to go for the first two weeks in June where it will be a bit later and probably a bit warmer too. We have looked at changing it to August but a £1700 holiday turns into a £4000 holiday

What would you do? Providing dd hasnt got any important tests or exams would you do it? The school frown on this sort of thing and the absence would be unauthorised

Where I work parents request the holiday, it is refused and they take it anyway. There isn't anything you can do to them.

I definitely wouldn't, and tbh, it surprises me the amount of people who think it's OK. At my DCs comp, it's completely frowned upon, but people still do it.

I agree with what choochoochaboogie said and others.

You could have a very decent holiday during May half term or August for £1700, imo. One year, we managed to squeeze in a 9/10 day break to France over half-term, using both weekends and an Inset day, without DCs missing any school (they were at primary then, and I still didn't like them missing any school!).

we are going to the Algarve, and had orginally booked 17th-31st May. I just dont want to spend my two weeks holiday with rain and cold (although I know its not guranteed anytime of year).
Something else has come up today though, I am due to start a new job in four weeks, so cannot even take this holiday now if I want to as they dont have it available as existing staff have already booked half term week obviously.

I have written a very honest letter to the head of year which dd has taken in today and I am waiting for someone from the LEA to ring me back as regards to their position on it

Oh dear, well the LEA position is not going to please you all

They have said its up to the individual school, she said I should be hopeful theyd authorise it, but if not I could either phone in sick for dd or take her anyway.
When I asked about education welfare she said 'we would look at the case and see that the child had a otherwise excellent record and that the school were just flexing their muscles'!!

I think she had the same mindset as me, that if a child who never takes days off, who is never taken out of school for holidays or 'shopping' and then has to have two weeks off for unforeseen circumstances then so be it.

The LEA advised you to phone in sick if the school didnt authorise absence! That is awful.
Tell us which LEA!

Seems very odd for an LEA!! It is our LEA that has instructed schools not to authorise.

no they didnt 'advise' me to do that, they just suggested it was an option (in the same way my solicitor 'suggested' I could refuse access to exp regularly despite court orders) IYKWIM.

It's wrong - you are giving your child the impression that it is ok to miss school - it is not.

madamecasta - have been looking for you on here for weeks and have said lots of thank you's for recommending Clos Maggiore to us we had a wonderful evening.

Sorry for going off topic, dd knows its not ok to take days off, which is why when the school phone up and ask me to collect her because she's 'feeling a bit sick' i refuse, and why I drove her to school in the 'snow'. However dd knows that this is a one off, like I said last year we went in August and the year before at May half term. Its not like its a regular thing

ooh have just spoken to head of year who was extremely nice and said that although it probably wont be authorised they certainly wouldnt be letting the EWO know as I have told them, discussed it and made a decision for the family

excellent wish mine were more obliging