Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:41 pm  

I have always had our holiday in August and have never taken my daughter away in school time. I feel school is where she should be. Unfortunately she is still yet to gain 100% attendance over a school year because she has recurring, wipe her out kidney infections at least 3 times a year , so to add to her lack of attendance by throwing a holiday in there is , in my eyes, wrong.

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:02 pm  

We authorise time off if immediate family are ill abroad or things like that. I think the reason less holidays are authorised is that often a kid will come in with a note saying they are going on holiday in 2 days time. Never going to be agreed but we obviously can't stop them. I have known students to miss 2/3 weeks to visit Bangladesh or Pakistan and after a certain number of days the student will be taken off roll. All are issued fines which i think were £50 per parent, per child. As a school, we are continually badgered about attendance levels and what we are doing to improve them. However, we are a secondary school and i accept that it is very different to primary. I dont believe a child should be removed from secondary education during termtime at all. What the law says: Holidays during term time - what the law says You should not normally take your child on holiday in term time - it can be disruptive both to your child's learning and to the school. Schools will only consider holidays in term time where both: •the application is made to the headteacher in advance of the holiday by a parent the child normally lives with •there are special reasons for needing to take the holiday, like the inflexibility of the parents’ holiday leave Applications should be made as far in advance of the holiday as possible and you should speak to the school before you book. Schools will only agree to more than 10 school days of absence in any school year in exceptional circumstances. How do schools consider term time holiday requests? Schools will judge each holiday request individually, taking into consideration: •the time of year for the proposed trip •if it's close to any exam dates •your child's overall attendance record •any holidays already taken in the school year •the age and stage of education of your child •the ability of your child to catch up the work that they have missed •the reason why you are taking the time off during term time While absence may be granted for a holiday during term time, it is entirely the school’s decision and is not a parental right. Penalty notices for unauthorised absence You could be issued with a penalty notice if your child is absent from school without permission. Penalty notices can be issued by: •local councils •headteachers (including deputy and assistant heads authorised by them) •the police This can include parents who take their children on holiday during term time without getting authorisation from the school. The penalty is £50, rising to £100 if not paid within 28 days. If you fail to pay a penalty fine within 42 days you will be prosecuted. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SchoolLife/DG_4016103

We authorise time off if immediate family are ill abroad or things like that. I think the reason less holidays are authorised is that often a kid will come in with a note saying they are going on holiday in 2 days time. Never going to be agreed but we obviously can't stop them. I have known students to miss 2/3 weeks to visit Bangladesh or Pakistan and after a certain number of days the student will be taken off roll. All are issued fines which i think were £50 per parent, per child. As a school, we are continually badgered about attendance levels and what we are doing to improve them. However, we are a secondary school and i accept that it is very different to primary. I dont believe a child should be removed from secondary education during termtime at all. What the law says: Holidays during term time - what the law says You should not normally take your child on holiday in term time - it can be disruptive both to your child's learning and to the school. Schools will only consider holidays in term time where both: •the application is made to the headteacher in advance of the holiday by a parent the child normally lives with •there are special reasons for needing to take the holiday, like the inflexibility of the parents’ holiday leave Applications should be made as far in advance of the holiday as possible and you should speak to the school before you book. Schools will only agree to more than 10 school days of absence in any school year in exceptional circumstances. How do schools consider term time holiday requests? Schools will judge each holiday request individually, taking into consideration: •the time of year for the proposed trip •if it's close to any exam dates •your child's overall attendance record •any holidays already taken in the school year •the age and stage of education of your child •the ability of your child to catch up the work that they have missed •the reason why you are taking the time off during term time While absence may be granted for a holiday during term time, it is entirely the school’s decision and is not a parental right. Penalty notices for unauthorised absence You could be issued with a penalty notice if your child is absent from school without permission. Penalty notices can be issued by: •local councils •headteachers (including deputy and assistant heads authorised by them) •the police This can include parents who take their children on holiday during term time without getting authorisation from the school. The penalty is £50, rising to £100 if not paid within 28 days. If you fail to pay a penalty fine within 42 days you will be prosecuted. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SchoolLife/DG_4016103

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:30 pm  

LovesToSpooge wrote:

... will out way missing five day's of schooling...

Where were you taken for the week your school did spelling?

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:32 pm  

Violent Badger wrote:

My advice to the OP would be take your kids on the 4 day holiday. Ring the school up before you go and say your kids won't be in for a few days as they are ill. If the school get arsey about it on their return politely tell them they were ill, they are better now and back all ready for school again. Job done.

So let me get this right: your advice is to lie. And presumably this example is handed down to your children, too?

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 6:21 pm  

littlerich wrote:

It costs £35k pa at Eton & Harrow.

Are your kids being privately tutored by Stephen Hawkin, Brian Cox, Dr Robert Winston, J.K.Rowling, Sir David Attenborough, Mervyn King and Usain Bolt?

By the way it was Prof. Robert Winston before he became Lord Winston. He'd be very angry if you likened him to what we terms "junior doctors" (ie Registrars and the like).

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 6:58 pm  

Mintball wrote:

Where were you taken for the week your school did spelling?

It was readable. Just!

Incidentally I missed a lot of schooling as a youngster. I hope it doesn't show.

I spent large chuncks of the school year away visting my father who worked overseas. Twenty five day's a year or so. Of course this is going back a while to a time when my school any way, didn't give a hoot about absence. Time's moved on of course now.

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:13 pm  

Mintball wrote:

So let me get this right: your advice is to lie. And presumably this example is handed down to your children, too?

I agree. Utterly disgusting example to set to his / her children.

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:35 pm  

LovesToSpooge wrote:

It was readable. Just!

Incidentally I missed a lot of schooling as a youngster. I hope it doesn't show.

I spent large chuncks of the school year away visting my father who worked overseas. Twenty five day's a year or so. Of course this is going back a while to a time when my school any way, didn't give a hoot about absence. Time's moved on of course now.

Okay, I was having a particular fit of pedantry.

My parents kept us off school rarely, but that did include for religious reasons (Whit Friday).

TBH, I don't recall any other time they kept me or my sister off.

We did spend an extra week or two off primary school at the end of one Easter holiday, because we had been staying with family friends who were farmers in Westmoreland. But that was unplanned, since my father went down with, IIRC, pneumonia. But we attended the village school for a week (or so) in the interim - which I remember fondly.

The whole holidays being more expensive in the, err, holiday season is a bummer, but in some ways I have limited sympathy: we had years on end when we didn't have family holidays because we couldn't afford it or (imagine this) holidays in Todmorden because someone my father know lent him a cottage there.

Times have changed.

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:26 pm  

kirkstaller wrote:

oking at are just before half-term and I'm worried that the school will try to block it as our eldest is taking his SATS this year.

SATS will be in May

Fill your boots and have a good holiday

This comes from someone whose combined attendance of my 3 kids is 99.9% over the last 6 years.

And if anyone says that losing 5 days education will have a major effect,well im guessing mine will be, as their secondary school opens a week later than most others due to it being a new building.

Re: Taking kids out of school for holidays : Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:58 am  

Took our kids out of school a few times because of cost, we always tried to mix the holiday with some educational visits to the likes of Ephasis, Knossos and Pyramids. It hasn't done them too much harm, they are both doing well in life with families of their own. I think its more about keeping school stats high rather than the needs of the kids.

Ironically, my daughter is now a teacher and is not allowed holidays in term time, while her pupils go when it suits the parents.