Can you take time off school in sixth form?

[meggiebeth]

Hello!

We are hoping to go to Florida next year (2013) at the end of October for 19 nights. However this would involve taking time off school. I will be 17, and in sixth form at the time. Am I allowed to do it? Will I be fined? Will it affect my likelihood of getting accepted into a sixth form in the first place?

Thanks for your help. At the moment, as far as I know you only pay a fine for missing school. I'm not sure if it's different in sixth form, and also I think the ages for compulsory schooling are changing anyway.

I really hope I can go!

 

[wilma-bride]

There is no problem with taking time off in sixth form as, legally, you do not have to be at school anyway (I know the age is changing but it won't have come into effect by next year, AFAIK). However, be warned that A-Levels are a lot of work and it is not as easy to catch up what you have missed as it is with GCSE's. My DD missed a week of school in her second month (October) of A-Levels and had a real struggle to catch up with what she had missed when we got back (and that was with taking work with her on holiday too).

 

[flortlebap]

There's no legal requirement to be in school past 16. Some teachers can be fairly grumpy about pupils taking time off though. I certainly know my teachers thought it was the end of the world!

Oh and in terms of whether you get accepted or not... Just don't tell them.

 

[Holstar]

Hello!

We are hoping to go to Florida next year (2013) at the end of October for 19 nights. However this would involve taking time off school. I will be 17, and in sixth form at the time. Am I allowed to do it? Will I be fined? Will it affect my likelihood of getting accepted into a sixth form in the first place?

Thanks for your help. At the moment, as far as I know you only pay a fine for missing school. I'm not sure if it's different in sixth form, and also I think the ages for compulsory schooling are changing anyway.

I really hope I can go!

You won't be fined, and although post 16 education and training is compulsory, that doesn't necessarily mean college attendance. So, you won't be breaking any law.

However, it will almost definitely violate a college code of practice. This will be something you will sign when you start that sets out what is expected of you, and what you can expect from your institution.

It does very much vary depending on the institution. A Sixth Form (i.e. college attached to a school) will be much more strict on attendance than say an external college, or technology college.

You won't get kicked out. You won't need to tell them you're going before you start (and it wouldn't jeopardise your chances of being accepted even if you did tell them). College, as a further education institution is designed to treat you as an adult responsible for your own education.

If you go, be honest with college about why you will be absent. Whilst they may not openly advocate taking time off, they would rather you being honest than it be an unauthorised absence.

It will all be fine!

xxx

 

[wayneg]

I really hope I can go!

Its totally upto you. You might feel as though you want to go now but will you in Oct 2013?

DS is 17, just doing his A-levels now and starting Uni in Sept/Oct.
We took him out of school for 2 weeks every year at Junior school, plus 2 weeks in his first year at High school. We feel he gained far more from those trips than sat in a classroom but from age 12 onwards our opinion changed and felt he needed to be in classes and not miss anything. Fast forward to him starting his A-levels not only did we not feel it right him missing lessons he was not interested in missing any either, we gave him the chance to skip one day to go away on the Friday instead of Saturday one trip and he wouldn't even do that.
As I said to begin, totally your(and your parents) decision but you could really struggle missing any lessons at that very important time of your education.

 

[joolz1910]

I would think carefully about taking time off during your AS year. You might find it difficult to catch up, and could miss important preparation for January exams.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

some schools have no leave within certain school policies even though they may not be able to legally enforce it they can make it very difficult for you. DS is at a secondary school that has a no annual leave in term time for the full seven years Others ban it in certain school years.

 

[Kath2003]

There is no problem with taking time off in sixth form as, legally, you do not have to be at school anyway (I know the age is changing but it won't have come into effect by next year, AFAIK). However, be warned that A-Levels are a lot of work and it is not as easy to catch up what you have missed as it is with GCSE's. My DD missed a week of school in her second month (October) of A-Levels and had a real struggle to catch up with what she had missed when we got back (and that was with taking work with her on holiday too).

Most insititutions have processes which allow students to request absences for various reasons. You should find out what these are and follow them. Only the school or college can tell you what they allow.

Wilma Bride is right - A Levels are hard. Given your question, I'm guessing you're going into Year 12/AS Levels in September 2013. October is a pretty crucial time and you will need to work very hard to catch up.

2013 is a long time away. Why don't you wait and see how you cope with Year 11? Then you'll know whether you think you'll be in a position to cope with taking time away from your studies or not

 

[cheryl.UK]

Isn't 2013 the year that the school leaving age rises to 17? if it is....all the same rules apply as to the current Y11. If I remember correctly it rises to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. Young prople will have to either stay in full time education or begin a job with training which has been certified. All the same laws will apply for students who remain in education.

One of the schools where I work would simply remove you from the course if you went on holiday for 3 weeks in Oct of Y12. Students who are removed before the Jan cut off don't show up on official figures so if the college /school is not confident that they will be a good student and pass....

 

[janiebubble]

I'm a senior manager in a sixth form college.

The advice you've been given already is for the main part correct. You really need to know what subjects you're taking, whether your college takes January exams ... there are about 14 weeks maximum in that first term, if you miss two of them you've missed a seventh of those modules, how easy will you catch up the work in just 6 weeks? If the exams aren't until May you have a lot longer to catch up the work.

Tell your teachers in advance (and not the day before you go!) you might actually be able to do some of the work in advance. Don't promise to do loads of work while you're away - we all know you won't do it. Be honest - the thing I hate most is when students claim a mystery illness when we all know you've been on holiday!

 

[flortlebap]

Isn't 2013 the year that the school leaving age rises to 17? if it is....all the same rules apply as to the current Y11. If I remember correctly it rises to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. Young prople will have to either stay in full time education or begin a job with training which has been certified. All the same laws will apply for students who remain in education.

One of the schools where I work would simply remove you from the course if you went on holiday for 3 weeks in Oct of Y12. Students who are removed before the Jan cut off don't show up on official figures so if the college /school is not confident that they will be a good student and pass....

I left Sheffield High ten years ago after my A levels and even they weren't that strict then

it seems harsh to exclude a pupil on the basis of league tables. I do agree that it's difficult to catch up on A Level work, though.

 

[janiebubble]

One of the schools where I work would simply remove you from the course if you went on holiday for 3 weeks in Oct of Y12. Students who are removed before the Jan cut off don't show up on official figures so if the college /school is not confident that they will be a good student and pass....

Sixth form colleges can't do that, the key date is six weeks from the start of the course. Students who leave in the first six weeks don't show up on official stats, anyone later than that does!

 

[JintyB]

As a secondary school teacher, I would urge you not to take the time off. Nothing a teacher can prepare or set you to do as catch up work can have the same impact as if you'd been in the classroom, plus you're making extra work for the teacher

This is a sore point following a rather heated debate with a parent who felt I should run a few HOURS of free one-to-one after school tuition to enable her year 11 son to catch up what he missed when she took him out of school for 10 days to go skiing just before his GCSE maths module earlier this year...!

Don't get me wrong, I would love to go to Disney during term time, but sadly there would be somewhat of a fuss if I decided to take myself out of school for a couple of weeks!

 

[TabZ]

We will be taking DD out of school next year to go on our wedding planning trip - but this is at her choice. We sat her down, explained the implications of her coming with us, and gave her the choice. She is a dedicated student looking at A's and A*'s for her GSCE's, and I know she will work her little tooshie off to catch up when she gets back - we trust her to make the right decision

 

[Holstar]

It's not the same, but my niece will be 15 when we go and going into year 11.

Her school start back on the Thursday and she's missing the Thursday/Friday of the first week back, and then the whole Monday-Friday of the second week of term.

The school have been fine as we've explained it's special circumstances. They don't like it, and to be honest neither do we, but it's impossible for us to go earlier for various reasons.

She's very mature for her age, works hard and has high grades - we gave her the choice.

 

[luke]

Last year one of our year 13 students went to Florida for 3 weeks arriving back home the day before his oral a level exam. To say we weren't best pleased in an understatement

 

[mackay_j]

My daughter took ill in her last year at school and had to undergo a major opp which resulted in several weeks off school (I think it was 4 in total). I would never advise anyone to 'choose' to take any large ammount of time off in their exam years, as the way she had to work to catch up was above and beyond the level any child should have to do. She was a straight A pupil (all be it through hard work) and to maintain that after her illness she was studing 4-5hr a night for the last 5 weeks of the term and 8hrs a day over weekends and Xmas holidays (only day she didn't was Xmas day, and only because we made her take the full day off) ahead of her Jan exams. It was do able but not nice way to spend the last school year. To make matters worse she then broke her right wrist in march and had to do the last term writting with her left arm - she got her cast off the day before her first exam- What a year!!!!

 

[luke]

I agree. Years 7 and 8 although I don't like kids being off its not a massive deal. Year 9 can depend, I know we start gcse courses then. Year 10 onwards and any prolonged absences can be very tough for catching up.
Kids get 12 weeks a year off as it is so im pretty unsympathetic to chosen absences to be honest

 

[tinks_1989]

I agree. Years 7 and 8 although I don't like kids being off its not a massive deal. Year 9 can depend, I know we start gcse courses then. Year 10 onwards and any prolonged absences can be very tough for catching up.
Kids get 12 weeks a year off as it is so im pretty unsympathetic to chosen absences to be honest

Parents don't get 12 weeks off though DH isn't aloud to take more then a few days off from April to septmeber, I'm not aloud any time off in December or Easter when ever it is.

I'm not disagreeing with you I don't want DD to ever miss time off school but I can see why people have to take their children out of school every ones circumstances are different.

Xoxo

 

[Elise79]

I agree. Years 7 and 8 although I don't like kids being off its not a massive deal. Year 9 can depend, I know we start gcse courses then. Year 10 onwards and any prolonged absences can be very tough for catching up.
Kids get 12 weeks a year off as it is so im pretty unsympathetic to chosen absences to be honest

Actually, although I am a parent and for the first time looking at school holiday pricing I have come to the conclusion holidays are better had when the school is off anyway.

I am a working parent so would have to find childcare anyway so may as well spend time with her on holiday rather than putting her in clubs and pulling her out of school to take her away.

I understand everyone is different however without my schooling and especially my A levels I would not be in the job I am today