Anyone had a fine for unauthorised absence at school?

[LorraineH]

Hi Guys.

We're desperately planning a second trip. And we were thinking of going for the 2 weeks next Easter. But we are struggling BIG TIME cost-wise.

We can save a fortune by going 2 weeks in Feb (during the half-term), so our son (who is due to start secondary school in September) will miss 5 days schooling.

We took the children out of school for 2 weeks during our trip last October - which was authorised as they were both in junior school, and I was getting married, so the kids were coming whether we got fined or not!!!

But I live in Sutton, and have read a similar thread saying Sutton will fine if you take your secondary-school-age children out during term time.

Can anyone help me? Do you take Year 7 kids out of school? And were you fined?


Lorraine D

 

[Verity Chambers]

At our school (primary) you can have 10 days holiday authorised.

V.xxx

 

[kristieuk]

Yes, that is the same for us - 10 days (but when we've asked for 10 and a half to travel to Gatwick the day before, it caused no problems at all.)

 

[stubb]

hi lorraine

we are taking our year7 son out for an extra 7 days over the 10 day allowance. we spoke to his head of year who said that although it would go on his record as unauthorised it wasnt as if he would be missing a great deal,we leave on thursday.

my other son had done his gcses and we got reasonable prices for flights. i must admit that if the head of year had given us a hard time we probably would not have gone.

i think it may be worth a phone call to see how the land lies. But dont ask the first week back after the summer holidays as that wont go down too well.

good luck


michelle

 

[Danauk]

I am a teacher in a primary school and we get children taking extra holiday all the time over their 10 day allowence. I have never heard of anyone being fined. I have to take a day off myself in January what I come back from my WDW trip. They changed our term dates after I had booked my holiday!! The boss doesn't mind though as she knows it wasn't my fault! My husband is a secondary school teacher and he has never had it happen in his school either (we work in different LEA's).

 

[Aceman88888]

I was under the impression that the actual ability to 'fine' parents does not exist yet as there is no legal framework to do so, even as a civil case. I'm no legal eagle, but have yet to hear of anyone being fined.

However, as schools reserve the right to record holidays as unauthorised absence, they can include it in school records, reports and probably are able to pass on details to subsequent schools (i.e. Primary to Secondary) which could become a factor in selection for limited places. Just a thought, but a potentially worrying one if you live in an area primarily for its school catchment. Just like the 'fine' system though, I'm sure this would instigate a parental World War 3!

 

[Disney Bint]

We took our kids out last nov, one was in primary school and the other in year 7. The primary school were as good as gold and let us take our daughter out for 12 days. The secondary school on the other hand was a bit more of a problem. We wrote a letter explaining that the holiday had been booked for the last 18 months and it was impossible to change. Bearing in mind our son had only been there for a couple of months, the letter he came back with was devastating. It said that the holiday was unauthorised and that he may not have his place when he came back. Our son was absolutely beside himself and thought that he would not see his mates again.

We spoke to the head of year and pupil support who said that "although we will not authorise this holiday we still have to give out this letter. It is mainly for the people who take thier kids out for 6 weeks at a time". We were not too happy with this as our son is a capable young man and is in a class which is being fast tracked to take his gcse's early. If he was behind in his work we would not have minded.

We want to try and get a last minute booking for oct this year as we do not want to put our kids through that ordeal this year (they will both be in seniors years 7 and 8), but the prices are so high. The difference in going in oct and the end of nov is around about £2000. Also our work doesn't let us have holidays during the summer because of the volume of business and can only take our dates around winter time.Unfortunately schools do not recognise the difficulty some working parents have to try and spend some quality time with their kids.

sorry to rant but this is a subject which makes me very angry.

 

[matty624]

We want to try and get a last minute booking for oct this year as we do not want to put our kids through that ordeal this year (they will both be in seniors years 7 and 8), but the prices are so high. The difference in going in oct and the end of nov is around about £2000. Also our work doesn't let us have holidays during the summer because of the volume of business and can only take our dates around winter time.Unfortunately schools do not recognise the difficulty some working parents have to try and spend some quality time with their kids.

sorry to rant but this is a subject which makes me very angry.

I know how you feel. But at least you have the luxury of 10 school days out. Teachers do not! It really isn't the schools faults they are clamping down. It is due to parents taking children out for 2+ weeks (during term time) that they are. There is no way a child can miss 2 weeks plus, and still perform aswell as they would have done if they'd been in school. I'd question the performance of the school itself, if they say your child isn't going to miss much! For your information, I have a parent of a child in my school who the LEA are in the process of prosecuting due to the child being on holiday for 3 weeks in September and a further 3 in March.
Ian

 

[Disney Bint]

As far as our senior school is concerned we do not have ten days holiday.

I do feel sorry for school teachers as they too have to put up with the holiday corporations charging extortionate prices to plump up their profit margins.

Again, if our kids were in the bottom of their class we would not even consider it. Fortunately, our kids are above average and are on course to take their gcse's early and have achieved above average SATS results. And that was with taking them out of school in nov for the past few years.

Disney Bint

 

[Laurajean1014]

I do not believe we have this in the States!

 

[lakers]

Lorraine H, Disney Bint

Hi
I too live in Surrey,Epsom to be precise, and know what you mean about schools making threats to fine parents who take children away on holiday without "PERMISSION".
All i can say is that i will be going to Disney with my daughters on the 3rd September for two weeks which will mean my girls will be out of school for ten days at the beginning of the new term.
Although,admittedly, this is not ideal i have no option due to my work and getting time off,true i have applied for a leave of absence from school and i am still awaiting a reply,although if im honest even if they say no were going.
I,along with many other people think that holiday companies do take advantage of us parents by increasing holiday prices significantly during school holiday periods and quite rightly in my mind take advantage of the cheaper deals during term time.
Dont get me wrong im not an anarchist and would not even think of taking my daughters out of school during important exams or study periods.
Am i wrong in thinking that tour operators should bring prices down during school holidays ?? i dont think so !
Ok rant over ! and sorry about this on the Dis board but just had to reply

 

[mej]

I teach in a Primary School in Northern Ireland and we have no "fine" here. We do ask the parents to fill in a form stating which dates the children will be out of school and this is filed. We also have a policy that in these cases we do not provide worksheets etc - our boss is an enlightened man who knows that it is the teaching that is the important bit - not the worksheet!

From my own point of view, my holiday would have been £1800 cheaper if I had been able to go on 30th June (our last day of term in Northern Ireland). I could have taken the day as unpaid leave but I'm a sentimental soul and just couldn't leave "my" kids with someone else on their last day in Primary One (Reception). And more than sentimentality, the last thing I do is line them up and remind them to stay safe over the summer - 2 summers ago we had a brother and sister killed in a car crash at the ages of 8 and 3.

So I'm £1800 worse off, but - only 2 sleeps until I do go!!

 

[mark&sue]

I totally agree with Disney Bint. I cannot take time in summer holidays as my work does not allow it. I too feel really strongly about this subject as it is a constant source of argument at work about who can take time off during the school holidays.

I would have thought the fine system was bought in to try and stop the thousands of children who bunk off school each year hanging around street corners, taking drugs etc, causing a general nuisance of themsevles which has become a very big problem in this country. It seems amazing to me that parents are having to worry about the odd holiday they take when there is so much more serious problems happening.

I don't want to go to WDW at Easter or Christmas as it is far too busy, even if my work would would allow me. I will continue to go Ocotober half terms and take my daughter out of school for a week. It is not any cheaper than the summer but much less busy.

Perhaps schools should look at sickness records and fine parents who constantly let their children take days off for any minor ailment. My daughter has only missed 2 days off school sick in the last seven years she has been at school. She has probably missed less school time than her peers even though we have always taken her out of school to go on holiday to WDW.


Susan

 

[LorraineH]

Thanks for all the replies. The holiday will cost us about £2000 in Feb, or £3,800 at Easter!!

It is a tricky subject, I know, but apparently in Sutton if you have unauthorised absence due to truancy, or consistently getting in late after the registers close, the Education Welfare Dept will "sit down and talk to the parent" to see if they can reach a solution without imposing fines.

But to take 5 days holiday - well thats a no-no, and apparently Sutton will send out a fine of £50 to pay within 42 days, and if no payment is made it will go up to £100.

To cut a long story short, we are now in July and still dont even know where my son is going in September!! We put down 4 secondary schools on the application form and were turned down for all of them!! We have found another school in a different LEA that will take my son, and we have appealled for our first original choice, and by the end of next week we will know exactly where he will go.

Our original first choice (in Sutton LEA) wont authorise ANY holiday in term time. The other school (in a different LEA) may authorise if its an "educational visit". I class going to Discovery Cove, Seaworld, Epcot etc as very educational.

And I know what you mean by keeping kids off with minor ailments. Anthony had a right nasty hacking cough for over a week, but other than that he felt well. I sent him to school, only to get a call at work asking me to collect him and not to send him back until his cough was clear. That took nearly 10 days!!

So, if we do win our school appeal (which is a pretty slim hope seeing the figures released for those winning school appeals), and we do go ahead and book for Feb, just how bad is getting an "unauthorised absence" mark? We're happy to pay the £50 fine! Still saving us over £1700!! I read somewhere that once the fine is paid, the "liability is discharged". Is this just like a parking ticket? With no record anywhere?

I cant believe my 11 year old son would have difficulty finding employment in later life cos he had 5 days unauthorised absence in Year 7!!!

Anyway, guys, thanks for all the replies. I just with my LEA was as lenient as some others!!


Lorraine D

 

[Disney Bint]

Another thing that annoys us with the senior school is the trips that they take the kids on during term time.

Whereas the majority of them are educational during term time, can anyone tell me if going ski-ing is one of those? They also took some kids to euro disney!

Maybe they are learning another language whilst there but isn't WDW etc educational too?

Pot and kettle comes to mind

Disney Bint

 

[matty624]

Another thing that annoys us with the senior school is the trips that they take the kids on during term time.

Whereas the majority of them are educational during term time, can anyone tell me if going ski-ing is one of those? They also took some kids to euro disney!

Maybe they are learning another language whilst there but isn't WDW etc educational too?

Pot and kettle comes to mind

Disney Bint

Err, I take exception to that. Having organised 2 Disneyland Paris trips, we go every other year, I can tell you trips abroad are extremely educational! Despite being a very big WDW fan, children going with their peers, away from their parents, get alot more out of it, than a trip with the family to WDW. The kids in my primary school, who are in the top 5% most deprived of the population, would never get such opportunites, if it wasn't for their school.
Ian

 

[Candy]

We also live in sutton.i took dd who is in year 10 and ds who is in year 8 both out of school last october for 10 days. both schools were fine.we plan to do the same october06.if we get a fine we will just have to pay it.

 

[Disney Bint]

I'm sure the schools would not take these school trips during the school holidays though because of the cost and also it would take up one of the many holidays that teachers have, around about 12 weeks compared to my 14 days.

If it wasn't for schools having to have targets in attendance to "top the school charts", us hard working parents, who don't get much time with our kids, or have much money to spend on them because they are paying childminders/school/holiday clubs, there wouldn't be this argument all the time.

It is the holiday companies too who are making it difficult for everyone.

WDW is educational and as a family we try to do educational things whilst there, i.e, swimming with dolphins and learning all about their environment. Going to Busch gardens/ seaworld and learning all about wildlife and the impact the environment has on them.Of course there are the fun parts but interacting with people from different cultures is a rewarding experience. Disney ethics is that everyone can live together and be happy and we thought that is what is encouraged in schools.

Teachers do a fantastic job and deserve all the praise that they get, but surely it could be understood that many other parents do not get as much time off with their kids as teachers do.

Disney Bint

 

[matty624]

Actually, I have spent at least 8 weeks, over the last 12 years, supervising children on trips, during holiday periods. Now I have my own children, you're right disney Bint, I'm not going to spend my well earned holidays with other peoples.
I agree it is the holiday companies who are to blame. To be fair, holiday companies are finally making token gestures to address this problem, by offering discounts to parents of school aged children during holiday periods. It annoys me when people complain about the holidays teachers get. Bear in mind, we have absolutely no flexibility as to when we take them. Even a single day either side of a holiday, is out of the question. If I wasn't a teacher, since my children are bright, I would jump at the chance of taking them out for a few days either side of a holiday. Even 2 days before the schools break up, can reduce the cost of a holiday to WDW by hundreds. So please, don't get at teachers for having the privilege of only going at peak times.
Ian

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

This subject always get very emotional - and not surprisingly. Myself, I work as an Admin Officer for a junior school and am therefore stuffed to go anytime other than during term time and I am still in shock at the price difference between going this August and either May or October when we've been before (before working for a school).

Like I said, this topic ALWAYS raises people's temper levels - some of the comments I've seen on other boards are very interesting, to the point that lots of people are of the opinion that if you can't afford to go other than out of term time, then look somewhere else for holiday or quit moaning (not my views, just showing how these threads are ).

But, to this end I would agree. We can't go anytime other than in school holidays - not ideal for either cost or crowd levels (or heat/humidity in August), so we've had to save extra hard because it is the only time we can go . . . I'm not complaining, wish I could take myself out of school for two weeks, but I can't so we have to put up and shut up if we want to go over to Florida that it's on school holidays).

As for school trips How sad people have to knock these, if only I'd had the opportunities the children these days have (my DD included) - and I'm not THAT old

And the comments about paying for childcare - I must have paid out THOUSANDS of pounds when I was working as a PR Manager for someone else to look after our daughter - but that was my choice and I suspect that it is yours too. Nobody works for the love of it, we all do it to earn money . . . most people on here I suspect to hand it over to Walt Disney