Can my child miss a school year?

[Sol]

Hi, We are planning to go away for part of the school year, from 3 to 6 months; can my child miss that school year? When we come back, the children will still be at school, can I keep my child at home for the rest of that year until the new school year start? Do I need a special permission? I assume we need to apply again for when we come back and he will be a bit older than his classmates, but we don?t mind that. Thank you

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Sol, no they can't. The would need to remain with their peer group. Be aware also, that there may not be spaces available in their current school (places can't be held for children for periods as long as several months. It does happen that parents leave the UK for periods of time, I have been aware of a few cases eg a year abroad due to parent's work. When they come back, the child/children definitely joined their old year group. Usually the children have been attending school while abroad.

If you have a choice when to do this, and it turns out to be for 3 months ,I would suggest to organise it over the summer break, leaving at the beginning of July and coming back towards the end of September. You don't say how old your child/children would be. If eg the child is due to go into reception, and is not yet 5, you can defer entry until the term after their 5th birthday.

Renata

[EmilyE]

Funnily enough, I was wondering exactly the same thing.

If I do want to take children out of school for a part of the year, what is the longest that a school will/can/is obliged to keep a place open for?

Are there different rules for if it's for a parent's job and they are schooled elsewhere and if it's to be out of school but not in school anywhere else?

Not sure I'm making myself very clear, but hope someone might know some of the answers...!

[Saffron]

Hi Renata, your wording is a bit unclear to me. Are you saying "no" children can't miss a year of education and re-enter school with the year-younger class? Which is to say, that if they are going to miss a year of education in their current local school, then parents would be responsible to home school (or other temporary/supplemental education) so the child(ren) can stay up to date with their peer group?

My friend spent a year in Thailand with her daughter. She home schooled while they were away, and then her daughter re-entered the British school system with her peer group. This was a great experience for them both, though I recognise that everyone's circumstances are different.

But if your circumstances don't allow you to home school, or travel can't be taken over the summer, surely schools can't exclude a student on the basis of the student's knowledge? So would the child(ren) go into their peer group, but receive additional remedial tutorial education until they were up to level?

Also, for anyone who might be in similar situations, travel b/c of work etc, think about having your child to study towards the International Baccalaureate instead of A-levels. The IB might also make it easier to apply to universities overseas, should you child want to do so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Baccalaureate

[Carbonara]

Schools will only hold a place open for a certain amount of time. A vacant place will be filled with someone from a waiting list. Then when you return, you will need to find a new school place for your child.

The child will be placed in the year group according to age, even if a year's education has been missed. Then support given as necessary, with booster classes or SENCO / Learning Mentor support.

The LA will of course educate a returning child, but cannot guarantee that it will be in the same school. In areas where schools are not over-subscribed and new people do not arrive all the time, it may be that the place is still available on return.

I know a family who took children abroad for 8 months due to work and lost a place in an excellent state school, and then went to a less good one on return. The whole move and move again experience was unsettling rather than enriching.

Talk to your Head. It may be that you can hold the place if you travel over the summer hols and some of the Sept term. A child who had arrived with extended family as a refugee went back for 3 months and then was re-admitted. But some schools withdraw a place after 10 days unauthorised absence.

[Sol]

Sorry, I realized my post was not very clear/specific:

My child attends Reception at an infant school at the moment, which just goes until year 2, we will go away when he finishes year two, we wouldn't apply for the junior school for that year, but the following year, when we will be back. We don't need the school to hold a place for us, as it will be a different school. As we are going to be travelling when we go away, my child won't attend school nor will he be home schooled, so he will have to start where he left. He will be just one year older than his peers. He started Reception being 4 years and 4 months old. I believe that is possible?

Hope that is better

Thanks a lot for the information

[espelli]

Sol, in that case your child would join Year 4 rather than Year 3 so he would be with his peers and would miss out Year 3 entirely. If you returned before the end of the school year then he could join Year 3 and finish the year.

[Carbonara]

Sol, they always keep them in the right year group for age, so he would go into Yr4. Bear in mind you might need to be flexible and accept whatever places were available because your local schools could well be full. I think a year's travelling would be great, but I would find time for regular writing and maybe try and keep on top of the maths.

[Sol]

Great! Thank you, we've better do some teaching while we are away then.

[Saffron]

If your child started at 4yr 4mo, then he was young for his age within his reception class. So wouldn't he still be in an acceptable age range if he skipped a year? Just curious, because, some children wouldn't start reception class until they were for example 5yr 4mo.

[espelli]

The age range in each year group is from Sept 1st until August 31st. So the oldest child to start Reception can only be 5 years 0 months - it is also possible for a child to start Reception at 4 years and 1 day old. Hence the difficulties Summer babies face.

[Saffron]

It's discretinary, no? If you don't want your child to enter reception as young-for-year, then it's the parents' perogative to hold-off a year surely? Can't see why this would be any different in practice for older children re-entering school.

[Fuschia]

Saffron, if you wait to start school till the term after your child is 5, which is your right, the child would start off in year 1

[espelli]

It's discretionary to a point. Parents can choose for their child to enter reception in January of the school year they turn five or send them the following September if the child's birthday is late in the year. However, they will enter school in Year 1, not reception. The discretion is when they start but not which cohort they join. There is a school system (I can't remember which country) that runs their cohorts from April to February and means that children are never less than 4 years 5 months on entry. A much better system in my opinion. Sorry this is a bit off topic!

[Sol]

Edited

[Belle]

espelli Wrote:

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> It's discretionary to a point. Parents can choose

> for their child to enter reception in January of

> the school year they turn five or send them the

> following September if the child's birthday is

> late in the year. However, they will enter school

> in Year 1, not reception. The discretion is when

> they start but not which cohort they join. There

> is a school system (I can't remember which

> country) that runs their cohorts from April to

> February and means that children are never less

> than 4 years 5 months on entry. A much better

> system in my opinion. Sorry this is a bit off

> topic!

Scotland runs (or did in my day) a 1 March-28 Feb system, so that the age range is 4.5-5.5. Preferable, in my opinion, but I am biased! sorry, continuing the tangent.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Saffron, what I meant is if Sol's child misses a school year, they can't rejoin school in the year below their chronological age group.

Sol, if you are planning to go around year 2/3, when your child is due to change school, I would suggest going after SATs in year 2, the dates of these can be found on the web, they are in May, and then returning in Early September for the start of Juniors. This would be around 15-16 weeks. You don't say if your child is in the state or private sector for education. The usual amount of time you can take your child out of school is 2 weeks in any academic year as authorised absence if the head approves it (secondaries often don't allow this though). Under special circumstances the head, may at their discretion extend this a bit, but after a while your child will be taken off the roll. Don't assume that if your child will is absent for part of year 3 that they be able get a place at your chosen school. They could be offered a place quite a distance from where you live, as it will depend on where there are vacancies. If your local school is under subscribed, this is less likely to be a problem (you don't say where you plan to come back to when you return).

Renata

[Sol]

Thank You Renata and everyone for the information. I know now how the system work and I can plan around it, travelling before year 2 finishes and come back a couple of weeks after they start year 3 seems like the best option, just 10 weeks, so it won't be that disruptive. My son is in state education and we will be back to live in the same place.

[Saffron]

Belle Wrote:

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> -----

> Scotland runs (or did in my day) a 1 March-28 Feb

> system, so that the age range is 4.5-5.5.

> Preferable, in my opinion, but I am biased! sorry,

> continuing the tangent.

Yes, that must be what I'm thinking of. I'm often surprised by the differences between the English and Scottish systems. No wonder so many people speak about the problems of children young-for-year in the English system.

Sol, your plans sounds really sensible, given that the system seems so inflexible.

[espelli]

Belle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Scotland runs (or did in my day) a 1 March-28 Feb

> system, so that the age range is 4.5-5.5.

> Preferable, in my opinion, but I am biased! sorry,

> continuing the tangent.

Thank you Belle, it was Scotland. I wish we did it here as I think it would benefit those younger children who are just finding their feet in Reception when they move up to Year 1.

Sol, your plan seems a good compromise and you can apply for Junior School at the usual time. It would be a good idea to let the Junior School know that you are going to take up the place but will be travelling at the beginning of the year, to prevent them giving the place to someone on the waiting list when your son doesn't arrive at the beginning of term! (apologies if you realise this already)

[Fuschia]

If you don't start year 3 pretty promptly you do risk

Losing the place

There will be a procedure in place for 'no shows' as they call it

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Fushia,

yes I agree with you,

I suggested via PM to the original poster, go after year 2 SATs and return in time for the start of the new school.

Renata