My wife and I are thinking of taking a short trip (5 nights) to France in October with the kids to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

The dates we are looking at are just before half-term and I'm worried that the school will try to block it as our eldest is taking his SATS this year.

We have a really good relationship with the Headmaster but I have this niggling feeling that his absence won't be authorised as the school is desperately trying to make the top 50 in the UK.

Any advice or tips on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Why not go at half term?
I'd tend to agree with a headmaster who didn't allow ANY authorised absences for holidays that can be taken at another time.

The price of the trip cynically trebles for half-term week.

Jesus wouldn't be bothered about SATs.

I gather that isn't a recent phenomenon and you will have been aware of it when you chose to have children.

Correct.

Is 4 days lost in primary education worth over £900?

Jesus.

"Come to the Sin Bin and we'll help you through life".

That is a decision you alone can make, I'd have you done for keeping children off school without a valid reason, and a cheap holiday is not a valid reason IMO.

No it isn't but i guess they have to look at the school as a whole. If they didn't have a policy too many kids would be missing term time because parents would be dragging them out all the time. Ultimately it would mean too much disruption.

Could be - my daughter's school fees are £160,000+ pa.

Where the fook ars you educating her?

Arthur Daley Secondary Modern.

It is not a [icheap[/i holiday, it the only holiday we can afford. It just happens to be in term-time.

Leaving aside your opinions on whether holiday prices should be grossly inflated during school holidays, do you think a school should be so upset at just a few days off?

Boarding at some of the top public schools doesn't cost half of that - have you added a zero?

I really Hope Dally hasn't fooked his 0's up after dogging 'Dave O' about millions and billions on another thread?

No. The figure is correct.

While I may not like some of the side effects of supply side economics there is little you can do about prices at peak times.

I do not agree with parents being allowed to remove children from school for a cheaper holiday.

So, is that sixteen thousand pa then?

Parents taking kids out of school for holidays should pay the cost of their education for the days they take them out.

After consulting with Mrs Dally, the fees are £166,000 pa.

Surely the only consideration is the impact on the child? Do you think 4 days really makes much difference?

I think there is certainly scope for more flexibility.

No, they should be prosecuted for removing a child from school without a valid reason.

Why, if it's being provided to others regardless?

We took our 6 year old out of school for 5 days earlier this year. We had to put the holiday request in writing giving our reasons why we were taking a holiday during term time, the school didn't authorise the absence. We received a fine of £50 from the council, which we couldn't complain about as we knew the schools policy when we booked.
I may be wrong, but I think it's down to the head teachers discretion as to who they choose to fine. Some friends took their children out of the same school to attend a family wedding in Mexico, they didn't get a fine.

Your child isn't the only one in their class I assume, it will affect all in that class and if it happened for one child it can happen for lots of them and thus have lots of knock on effects.



My point is it shouldn't be allowed for any of them.