Taking kids out of school without being fined?

[Player]

Signed :-)

There's a big difference between taking your child out of school during an important time such as exams and taking them out for the last 2/3 days of term. In my view this should not be taken out of the hands of the parents especially when the benefit to the child can outweigh the benefit of being in school on non productive days. Bringing a child up is the parents responsibility and the government shouldn't be trying to take control of this in my opinion. I took my kids to Canada for 10 days in February half term (which I did get permission from - mainly because id been requesting it for 10 months!) in which they missed 4 days which it turned out were more 'play' days at school rather than anything constructive!

Even though these were OK'd the school still put them down as unauthorised to avoid getting in trouble!

Edited May 29, 2014 by Player

[DeanoL]

That probably encapsulates our fundamental difference of opinion. The school is there for us, not the other way round. If there were genuine choices available you might have a point

[neilloggie]

Or maybe this one

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reverse-the-changes-to-school-term-time-family-holiday-rules

seeking 300,000 signatures, currently at 209,701

[Guest]

Right, but it's there for everyone, not just you. I'm sure you'd agree that you or your kids don't deserve special treatment over and above other families right? So any proposed solution has to work for everyone and treat everyone fairly.

If I were a headteacher, I'd think you were absolutely brilliant for taking your kids to Glastonbury and very much want to encourage it. But I'd have to balance that with the fact that, if I authorize that, I'll then have to justify myself to 100 other families who want to know why Glastonbury is okay but they can't have a week off just before exams to go to Lanzarote, and then have to try and explain the education value of Glastonbury, to which they reply with the educational value of a week in a Lanzarote hotel and so on... And if I do grant them all, I then have to explain to my staff why they now need to find time to catch up every single kid they teach on a week of work each year. Which might be a piece of cake for some kids (but it's still ten minutes of printing worksheets, doing some notes and giving to their parents), but for other kids it's a lot more work. Especially when I know a lot of those parents won't do what you'll do, and put the time in themselves to catch the kids up based on the teacher notes. Or indeed even necessarily know how (my parents can't do algebra, for one).

Which creates this huge clusterfuck, the solution of which is obvious: get everyone to take their holidays at the same time, hence the notion of school holidays as the best viable system for this.

Not saying the problem is insurmountable, with enough money for extra teacher hours it is certainly doable. There's a question whether it's good value for money though, especially as most holidays won't be as valuable to a kid's education as yours. But it isn't easy, and most of the solutions suggested here seem to be along the lines of "we should set limits so it only applies to my kids and few others". And that just isn't going to work, because all the other parents, they feel as strongly as you that they should be able to take their kids out for whatever reason they want.

Edited May 29, 2014 by tonyblair

[acidstorm523]

you have that common and illogical knee-jerk reaction of "well, if you do it, then everyone will"

I missed all of my end of term exams in 1970 by going to the Bath Festival. Not bragging about it or anything, but somehow, I got over it. The world still turns.

[acidstorm523]

Slightly oblique, but one of my best friends has terminal cancer, he is not even 50. Do you think he wished he'd not missed a day of education , or had greater experiences in life? You never know what is around the corner, your children will grow and move away, and the opportunity to share amazing things with them will be gone in the main. Seize the day!

[DeanoL]

you have that common and illogical knee-jerk reaction of "well, if you do it, then everyone will"

[Guest]

So you think if kids were allowed five days authorized absence a year, most families wouldn't actually take it?

And no, I don't think religious holidays should be treated any differently either, because I don't believe religion should be given any special privilege anywhere.

[Gnomicide]

Or maybe this one

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reverse-the-changes-to-school-term-time-family-holiday-rules

seeking 300,000 signatures, currently at 209,701

[gooner1990]

When did this fine thing come into place?

When I got taken out of school for family holidays all I got given was a bit of homework to do whilst I was there..admittidly this was in the late 80's/early 90's but if I had kids I'd take them and just pay the fine personally!

[neilloggie]

When did this fine thing come into place?

When I got taken out of school for family holidays all I got given was a bit of homework to do whilst I was there..admittidly this was in the late 80's/early 90's but if I had kids I'd take them and just pay the fine personally!

[neilloggie]

https://www.facebook.com/parentswantasay?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

It's a parents want a say page with some references to parents who have been fined.

Edited May 30, 2014 by neilloggie

[budvar]

My understanding is there's no such thing as discretionary leave these days i.e. head teachers can't authorise holiday leave, whatever the circumstances. As such you won't get it for Glastonbury, whatever the argument.

Naturally absences are authorised in exceptional circumstances (most common being a death of a close family member)

It's not the school that imposes the fine - it's the local authority.

All very different in my day, but at least the policy is clear and applies to everyone equally.

[Brendan110_0]

Pay the fine in 1 pence pieces, if everyone did this they would stop the fines as it costs more to process hard cash than the fine itself! There was a couple recently who went to court over a fine and lost, now owing thousands o_0.

[budvar]

Pay the fine in 1 pence pieces, if everyone did this they would stop the fines as it costs more to process hard cash than the fine itself! There was a couple recently who went to court over a fine and lost, now owing thousands o_0.

[Ponyegg]

what absolute shite.

I know people who go to glastonbury and who couldnt afford a £240 fine out of the blue.

Blanket policies are lazy policies. Each instance of absence should be judged on a case by case basis.

Stop bending over and taking it up the arse

[RainbowChild]

September i think?

It's not just a straight £60 fine, it's £60 per parent per child.

2 x kids = £240.

[neilloggie]

I have just had a call from my sons school and they have let him have a week off.

[GlastoSimon]

I have just had a call from my sons school and they have let him have a week off.

[progue]

Not had chance to read every comment, but this is the first year we have ever been subject to these ridiculous fines.

Got to say, the very idea that someone can impose rules on me as when and where I choose to go with my own children is completely ludicrous, but there you go. I get little enough time to spend with my own children, educating them about things that are actually important, without someone attempting to interfere.

I suppose it should come as no surprise...

Anyway.. We donate £10.00 per month to the school as a gift aid donation to help with school funds. Unfortunately I have had to cancel the direct debit to cover the cost of the fines, so it is the school that will end up suffering.

Shame, but I'm not having some trumped up fool in Westminster deciding what I can or cannot do with regard to my childs education...If it wasn't for the fact that it would upset our daughter, we would have opted to home school, in light of this stupidity.