holidays during school term

[princesscupcakemummyb]

hi all not here to be told off for taking my child out of school for a holiday during term time but i was wondering how many parents do it?
this is the 1st time ive done it weve booked for may but not the half term as its double the price
im happy to pay the fine which is 60 according to my local website it still works out much cheaper then going during half term or summer holidays any replies welcome :)

p.s were holidaying in the uk

Check the fine carefully, as it may be 60 per child per parent.

I don't think you will ever get a very representative view on anything on Mumsnet. Although I can only speak from my experiences, I think there are a great many families who are ignoring the new hardline rules and continuing to take term time holidays. As you say, the fine is so low relative to the savings - even on a cheap holiday - it is hardly a deterrant.

FWIW, I think term time holidays for children in exam years (unless the exams are over) are not a great idea.

It's £60 per child per adult. So if you and your dh have two children of school age it's £120 for you and £120 for your dh, so £240 in total......

AryaUnderfoot my daughter is 4 years old yes i just read that and still works out much cheaper then half term we have no problem only thing is this wasent a last min holiday it was booked over 5 months ago my other children are babies so they dont get charged its not something i thought aout before it was booked tbh but its done now so il pay the fine

Hmmmm, technically a 4 year old is not actually of statutory school age. Therefore, I'm not sure that they can actually fine you.

Although the fines are issues by the council, they are instigated by the school. I would certainly be questioning the school as to whether or not they should be fining you for a child who is not of statutory school age.

issued not issues

thanks AryaUnderfoot il ask tomorrow morning when i drop my daughter off at reception thats what i thought that the council issued the fine il see what they say tomorrow thanks for the reply :)

please bear in mind that this isn't just a case of paying up the £60 per parent per child. it is an offence and depending on how your head teacher codes it will depend on whether you get referred to the Education Welfare Officer. in some areas ( mine!!) all unauthorised absences are reported and they are talking about prosecution so it isn't just a case of paying the money and going. you can be taken to court. whether you are or not is a post code lottery so you need to go to your own ed. auth website. however, as arya says your child isn't 5 so this shouldn't apply but it will do in the future. go to the education bit of mumsnet as someone else has asked about this and got a good answer.

mummymeister i am well aware of the law .

as stated before this was booked ages ago this wont be done again but i have spoken to the school today the rules dont apply to us as she is not 5 how ever it will in the future so its all sorted

thanks everyone who replied :)

that's great news princess hope you have a fab holiday. might be worth posting this in education as it is a question that is often asked and it would be helpful to others with 4 yr olds.