Taking kids out of school without being fined?

[Guest]

Schools are supposed to open up kids minds to the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them, but that gets in the way of their pointless targets.

[neilloggie]

I have put in a holiday request for my 11 year old son, the school rang me today to ask lots of questions. The woman said that if i take him without authorisation then we would be fine £60 per parent, so £120.

I didn't question this or argue my point as i didn't want to get her back up and receive a straight no before they have had time to consider it properly.

[jeffie]

This is what happens later on, this is what the fascists are after.

[acidstorm523]

Too true

[acidstorm523]

I'm in total confusion today. It's my daughters birthday tomorrow, and I said she has to go to school as we will be swerving for Glastonbury. But she's unhappy and my heart says let her off...horrible

Edited May 22, 2014 by acidpod23

[deebeedoobee]

Found this today

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?c=setreg&region=2&m_id=Y%21Y%21~Ams~_rb&w_id=9989&news_id=2011701

[Nice hymer]

My kids are going to the festival, as they do every year.

They're good kids who work hard and we're good parents. We do everything that's expected of us and go the extra mile, volunteering, cake sales, after school helpers , child sitters of last resort and so on....

Teachers are fine with us taking kids, in fact 'barnaby bear' is even coming with us this time. My youngest is so excited, Barnaby's diary is going to be full up !

Headmaster has declined our request, I'm sure he doesn't mind but is obliged to follow the LEA rules. Not sure what happens next.

I want to support the school but my goodwill is certainly being tested on this one...

[Ted Dansons Wig]

First year for many years we havent had to take bairns out for Glastonbury. Daughter still coming but in gap year for Uni - son going to Reading instead of Glastonbury.

We were always honest with the school about what we were doing - they didnt like it (same grumbling from Primary school then the secondary school) but were never fined (including last year). We only live 25 miles from the festival and I do know that the schools were inundated with requests each year so that was part of their gripe.

[DeanoL]

but the rules apply to all schools. Where would you go where the rules don't apply?

[Guest]

Private is not a realistic option for most parents, so there is no choice for the majority.

When kids are ill, it's not that difficult for the teachers to help any kid catch up the lost ground. A few days shouldn't be such a big deal

Edited May 27, 2014 by tonyblair

[jeffie]

If our education system is in such a touch and go state that three/four days missed can ruin a child's prospects then the person in charge needs to go!

Oh, that would be.....

Edited May 27, 2014 by jeffie

[DeanoL]

When kids are ill, it's not that difficult for the teachers to help any kid catch up the lost ground. A few days shouldn't be such a big deal

[DeanoL]

If our education system is in such a touch and go state that three/four days missed can ruin a child's prospects then the person in charge needs to go!

[Guest]

Well it took some of my kid's teachers the best part of ten years to teach not very much at all. There was more time spent/wasted on the supply teachers trying to work out what to teach the kids than there was on kids trying to catch up on a few days lost ground.

[jeffie]

Yeah, average kid has say, 2.5 sick days per year. That's accounted for in a teacher's workload. But now add another 5 days for every kid taking a holiday in term time. You're tripling that workload. Which isn't feasible.

[jeffie]

I disagree - at the moment it generally won't and that's the problem. In an ideal world, kids would be learning important, essential stuff every day, and missing anything would be crucial. That's how it should be really...

[Guest]

Fining parents who take their kids out of school for a few days is a knee-jerk reaction to a totally different problem, that of some parents keeping their kids out of school for longer periods. They haven't got the imagination to separate the different issues...

and I think it's a convenient excuse to show a heavy handed and pointless level of authoritarianism on society in general

[jeffie]

Fining parents who take their kids out of school for a few days is a knee-jerk reaction to a totally different problem, that of some parents keeping their kids out of school for longer periods. They haven't got the imagination to separate the different issues...

and I think it's a convenient excuse to show a heavy handed and pointless level of authoritarianism on society in general

[DeanoL]

But a fair few have more than say 2.5, there's always kids off with one illness or another at my children's school. So what do they build in?

[DeanoL]

Fining parents who take their kids out of school for a few days is a knee-jerk reaction to a totally different problem, that of some parents keeping their kids out of school for longer periods. They haven't got the imagination to separate the different issues...

[jeffie]

I've got the answer, don't take them.

Little bleeders, falling over me lines of coke, tripping me up when I'm having a toke.

Gaaaaaagh!

[jonodillieono]

@deano you do realise most schools will finish a the course quite a while in advance of exams so they can have a little thing called 'revision' time were the teacher will go over pretty much the whole module again making sure the pupils know everything?

It's not 'oh we did quadratic equations on 17th march however since we-ve already done that we're never going to look at it again'

Edited May 27, 2014 by jonodillieono

[meirionw]

I deliberate cover this topic for weeks and decided on a honest approach. I wrote to the head teacher of my daughters school and received a letter stating the rules on authorised attendance, which of course I knew. The letter at no time said refusing permission or indeed granting, it was very ambiguous. The letter I wrote talked about the cultural and educational value of attending.

I knew what the answer would be but chose to run the risk of being fined. Everyone I spoke to told me to go down the ill route but I felt that this was morally wrong for two reasons, firstly that I was promoting my daughter to lie and secondly I want her to talk about her experience not hide it. This will be our fourth father and daughter Glastonbury.

It is not the schools fault it is simply Gove's there is no one else to blame. I have been a school governor for 14 years and chair at my daughters ex primary school for 8 years, the heads hands are tied.

My daughter has only missed 2 days school since September but if fined I will pay . It's a small price to pay for the educational value of attending the festival.

Incidentally two days after the festival my daughter is attending a school drama trip to see Charlie and the chocolate factory on stage in the west end. This is seen as an educational trip by both Gove and the school, how ironic.

[Guest]

But then some have fewer than 2.5. They look at average number of absences over the past, say, five years, and build that in. However you look at it, if they give everyone five days discretionary leave, 95% of people are going to take it, so you'd have to up what you built in by about five days. However you cut it, that means significantly increase hours, and the money for that needs to come from somewhere (unless you just want teachers to work more hours for free).

Obviously it's not a big deal if just you take just your kids out for five days for Glastonbury. But if they allow that, to be fair they have to allow everyone to do the same thing. Which isn't workable.

On the other hand, if you're willing to pay for private tuition to have that five days made up over school holidays, then you're entitled to do that.

[Guest]

There's no way to do that though. How do you separate the issue? Maybe I don't have the imagination either, but it seems the only way to do it is to allow a set quota (say five days) that you allow for authorized absences every year. And then make teachers catch the kids up for their missed holidays. Upping their hours, which costs money, which needs paying for.