holidays during term-time - any views?

[redjam]

We're long overdue a visit abroad to see some relatives next year, so I was idly browsing some holiday deals last night and was genuinely shocked by the huge difference in price between term-time and school holidays. I know this is hardly news, but it's the first time we've had to deal with it as our eldest child has only just started Reception.

I'd be interested to know what views people have about taking a week off for a holiday in term-time? Has anyone done this? Do you just front it out when you come back or do you pretend the child has been ill all week (and what to do about the tan)? Were there any repercussions from the school (is it even legal to take them out of school for a holiday)? Any teachers out there who have a view? My own feeling is that in primary school it doesn't seem like the end of the world if they miss a week's schooling but I can see it might be disruptive to the teacher if they've got lots of kids coming and going at different times. So it's a bit of a dilemma...

[espelli]

In my experience most schools have a Holiday permission form that you would need to fill out before going away. Not informing the school could trigger the school contacting other agencies as your child could be considered "missing" which would mean you having to go through all their checks until they were satisfied etc.

Most schools now do not authorise holidays in term time, which doesn't mean you can't go, it just means the absence will be recorded in school data as unauthorised absence. This in itself should not really be a problem unless it causes your child's overall attendance to fall below 85% which would mean that the school would have to report it to the Local Authority. Your child's attendance and any further absence would then be dealt with by the Attendance and Welfare Officer (or equivalent). You may then need to show medical certificates for each absence after that.

It is worth talking to the school. They will have their own procedures for term time holidays (and you won't be the first who has asked!)and the information above is pretty much worse case scenario. This probably would not happen if there are no other issues with your child's attendance. I really wouldn't advise pretending illness though as it is really important that parents and schools trust each other for the benefit of your child's education.

[nicolemodesti]

At my school we have a form that is filled in by parents, to gain permission, for children to be absent for holidays during term time.This is normally authorised by our Headteacher. It does depend on the policy of the school. Do not fake illness as you never know what may occur in the future with your child's health! If you do not notify the school and just go away then an EWO will be informed that your child is absent without reason. This can lead to all sorts of problems. Definitely discuss the situation with your school, especially asking for an appointment with the Headteacher. I think it also depends on the different boroughs and the procedures they follow. Good luck.

[womanofdulwich]

i think the earlier in their school lives you do it the better. once there are sats etc it gets harder. i think if you have a good attendance record then i think the school will be more sympathetic to taking time off. if , for example your child has already had weeks of sick then they will be less sympathetic- I think.i would big up how educational the trip will be and undertake to read with them every day- and maybe keep a kind of holiday diary will lots of pictures and some writing if appropriate.

[redjam]

All interesting and helpful comments, thank you. I agree it sounds like a good idea to raise it with the teacher/head first, though am worried we haven't yet had much of a chance to prove that we are 'good parents' and committed to the school etc, and ironically the longer we leave it to book the less financial saving we'll make going away in term-time. Also sounds rather scary to demand an appointment with the head - the thought of it makes me feel like I'm back in school myself! I guess it's all part of adjusting to the lack of flexibility in school culture - working as I do in a fairly laid-back company with relatively flexible hours and an understanding boss, I'm finding this new influence in our life quite strange.

[helena handbasket]

As a teacher I never had any problem with it, in fact I looked at it as a wonderful learning experience. If the parents had the notion to discuss it with me I always suggested they make the trip into a school project, collecting postcards, maps etc. and creating a scrapbook. If they were up for it I also encouraged the the child to tell the class about their adventure. I ended up with some of the most fantastic projects from students this way, and they had a meaningful memento from their trip.

Not sure how the absentee system works here though, sorry!

[The Nappy Lady]

Hi there,

Honesty def. the best policy. At Ivydale you can take up to 2 weeks (10 days) per school year off for holidays as long as you complete the forms, and as the previous post said I believe they see it as a learning experience. Sometimes you can get a cheap deal simply by flying out a cople of days prior to the end of, or just after the start of term, so they don't miss so much time.

Someone I know just took their children (6 and 4) out of school for about 5 or 6 weeks for a massive 'life experience' trip around the USA and the school they attend were fine with it and allowed them to go, and return without any issue. So I think discussion and common sense go a long way.

Molly

[Fuschia]

Heber school. for eg, never authorise holiday in term time, and so even if you make a request, it is automatically refused and the absence is deemed to be unauthorised.

You can by law be fined ?50 for this! Though I don't know any schools who use fines. You can also be taken to court (though probbaly unlikely for a first offence)

This only applies from the age of 5.

[redjam]

A*se. My kid's at Heber.

Honestly, does seem a bit bonkers to be so strict when the kids are so little and so much of the day is effectively spent playing. I know kids are absorbing information all the time at school but as previous posts have mentioned, you can also genuinely learn a lot by travelling abroad (esp. as we're visiting relatives in this case, so it's not just lounging by a pool but actually seeing how real lives are lived in a foreign country). Also my partner and I do spend hours reading with our kids and doing educational-type play at home, so the school gets a lot of support. Honestly, I'd be tempted to take the ?50 fine - some of the package deals we were looking at were ?1000 more in the summer holidays as opposed to term-time!

Grrr, looks like it'll be a summer spent in the UK next year then...

[DaveR]

There is a power to issue a fixed penalty to a parent, in lieu of prosecution, for a child's failure to attend regularly at school. I don't think Southwark schools use this power though.

[The Nappy Lady]

I'd still speak to the school Redjam, seriously.

Molly

[Fuschia]

The Nappy Lady Wrote:

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> I'd still speak to the school Redjam, seriously.

>

I can confirm all requests from parents I've heard of at heber, have been refused. We did still take our son out for a week this time last year, though. It was treated as unauthorised absence.

[Ann]

redjam,

We were really strict about this over the years as obviously it's frowned on by the schools, but don't forget their abscence rates are published and so can be an area in which the school is judged. So you can't really blame Heber.

However with hindsight I'm not sure it is such a big deal. As you say, your child will have an opportunity to explore other lifestyles and perhaps language?

But be honest with the school. It's not worth the guilt factor. And from what others have said, you won't be alone.

Also flights even a day or so outside of the 'school hoiday' can be considerably cheaper with less time out of achool.

My daughter's in year 11, totally different scenario for me!

[intexasatthe moment]

Except that year 11's finish their GCSE's weeks before the end of the summer term.

Same with AS.

Expect you realise this already - but it took me by surprise when my son was in year 11 so just mentioning in case you don't.

[Pugwash]

Agree that by taking a date a couple of days before school holidays start can save pounds.

My daughter took her chidren to Disney Land Paris in January and missed 2 days of start of term. School were quite OK about this but had she missed more days they would have objected.