Taking kids out of school without being fined?

[jonodillieono]

As someone who is hoping to be a headteacher one day I have no problem with reviewing whether a pupil should have some authorised absences.

As someone who missed ~week of school many, many times over the 14 years in school due to illnesses/holidays or w.e I never had a problem catching up without the teacher having to go out of their way. If there was anything I didn't understand it's as simple as asking the person next to you "what did I miss?" and usually you'd be up to date in about 5 minutes since the actual pace that you learn new material in school is incredibly slow.

"but what if the person behind you, next to you, in front of you doesn't understand it either", then I guess the teacher will have to go over the work again anyway regardless of whether you had that time off since a decent portion of the class doesn't understand it

[DeanoL]

As someone who is hoping to be a headteacher one day I have no problem with reviewing whether a pupil should have some authorised absences.

[formed a band]

You can't break the rules and complain about the punishment, that's where this begins and ends. What I think about how important a festival is vs an education isn't relevant at all. You have already decided it's more important. You may even have dressed it up as being more educationally beneficial...

Just do what you are going to do and pay any fines, don't feign illness etc, that's cheap and karma is a beast.

One other thing, depending on your vote... Or more importantly lack of, demographics suggest that depending where you are don't take your child's glastonbury ticket for granted because, just like the schools before you know it all the evil children from other parts of Europe will come and take all the tickets

Edited May 28, 2014 by formed a band

[jonodillieono]

A pupil? Just the one? How many pupils are you willing to do it for? In your spare time outside of work hours? All 1000 of them? Sure, it only takes ten minutes, so you'll be done in 167 hours. Every year.

Or in fact does the system only work if it's only ten or so students requesting authorized absences? Which, once you start actually granting them, will go up and up until it's around 99%. It's almost like some schools saw that this started happening, realized it was infeasible to keep up with, and so adopted an 'always no' policy.

But nah, it's probably just lazy teachers.

[Ruwise]

nah it'll be more like:

1) get letter from parent saying they want to take student out of school

2) check pupils attendance, if it's over x percent then grant it, if it's under x percent decline it

done takes about 30 seconds

or what I could do is make an excel document with the names of all the pupils and their attendance (my school's computer system could do that pretty easily) and then add an extra column which checks whether the student's percentage is higher or lower than x percentage and will highlight it green if it is or red if it isn't. There we go the entire school checked and if any parent wants to know if their child can have a holiday I shall check the excel chart and say yes or no.

Depends what the law is by then though as well, if pupils aren't allowed any then I guess I won't be able to allow them

[Keithy]

nah it'll be more like:

1) get letter from parent saying they want to take student out of school

2) check pupils attendance, if it's over x percent then grant it, if it's under x percent decline it

done takes about 30 seconds

or what I could do is make an excel document with the names of all the pupils and their attendance (my school's computer system could do that pretty easily) and then add an extra column which checks whether the student's percentage is higher or lower than x percentage and will highlight it green if it is or red if it isn't. There we go the entire school checked and if any parent wants to know if their child can have a holiday I shall check the excel chart and say yes or no.

Depends what the law is by then though as well, if pupils aren't allowed any then I guess I won't be able to allow them

[acidstorm523]

Perhaps the solution is to realise that unless there are child protection issues, or truancy concerns, there should be recognition that the decision to take a child out of school for short periods of time, is the choice of the parent, as the school/state does not own the children. We are free to bring up our children with the values that we decide, as opposed to a homogenised mass of proles. As I've said before on this thread, Glastonbury is not just taking my kids to sit in a field and watch bands, it is about freedom, art, music and creativity, all in one place for a special few days in time. Their creative selves can be enriched more through experience than sitting in a classroom with a teacher who may be interesting and inspiring, or equally may well not be! Teachers are just people, some good, some not so good, and those people are not going to be the main inspiration for my kids above my values.

[jonodillieono]

You're going to have such a shock if you become a head teacher. The concept that you will have free time to do this will make you ruefully chuckle when you look back at that post.

[Guest]

You can't break the rules and complain about the punishment, that's where this begins and ends.

Edited May 28, 2014 by tonyblair

[Keithy]

so I should just auto-decline every request instead of doing a like 5 minute excel document?

Edited May 28, 2014 by Keithy

[Mouseboy11]

This doesn't happen in Wales does it?

[acidstorm523]

No, I'm just saying you're grossly underestimating the work involved. If you seriously think this would be a 5 minute task to maintain then I'd worry about your time management skills as a head teacher.

[DeanoL]

nah it'll be more like:

1) get letter from parent saying they want to take student out of school

2) check pupils attendance, if it's over x percent then grant it, if it's under x percent decline it

done takes about 30 seconds

or what I could do is make an excel document with the names of all the pupils and their attendance (my school's computer system could do that pretty easily) and then add an extra column which checks whether the student's percentage is higher or lower than x percentage and will highlight it green if it is or red if it isn't. There we go the entire school checked and if any parent wants to know if their child can have a holiday I shall check the excel chart and say yes or no.

[acidstorm523]

That's basing it purely on attendence though. And then you get the complaints - "Why should my kid be discriminated against because he was ill for a week?" and the parents sending kids to school with chicken pox because otherwise you'll disallow their holiday request.

And good luck with telling all your teachers about all the extra work they'll need to do catching kids up based on your new policy.

I agree 100% but I think the flip side of this is that the school owes your child an education on their terms, not your terms. So while I don't think parents should be fined for taking kids out of school, or anything else like that, I equally don't think teachers should be expected to make any extra effort whatsoever to catch your kid up, and if he does fall behind the teachers should be able to say "well that's your fault for taking him out of school for a week".

[jonodillieono]

No, I'm just saying you're grossly underestimating the work involved. If you seriously think this would be a 5 minute task to maintain then I'd worry about your time management skills as a head teacher.

[DeanoL]

How long ago where you a pupil btw? I'm just curious 'cause you seem to think that once you've missed a lesson you never see that thing again so you'll never learn it, it's definitely not that way now as you go over things time and time again

[Guest]

I agree 100% but I think the flip side of this is that the school owes your child an education on their terms, not your terms.

[stuartbert two hats]

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

[stuartbert two hats]

Double post

Edited May 28, 2014 by stuartbert two hats

[guypjfreak]

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/53002

[akradiabra]

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]

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

[spiderstacey]

Perhaps the solution is to realise that unless there are child protection issues, or truancy concerns, there should be recognition that the decision to take a child out of school for short periods of time, is the choice of the parent, as the school/state does not own the children. We are free to bring up our children with the values that we decide, as opposed to a homogenised mass of proles. As I've said before on this thread, Glastonbury is not just taking my kids to sit in a field and watch bands, it is about freedom, art, music and creativity, all in one place for a special few days in time. Their creative selves can be enriched more through experience than sitting in a classroom with a teacher who may be interesting and inspiring, or equally may well not be! Teachers are just people, some good, some not so good, and those people are not going to be the main inspiration for my kids above my values.

[RainbowChild]

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

[jeffie]

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

Edited May 29, 2014 by jeffie