anyone?

I'm not sure Machel ... I think it tends to be different in different places . I know my son had to jump through hoops to get my grand kids out of school a couple if days before the summer holiday . 

Sorry Machel I don't know so am bumping, but I'm guessing you'd be better off asking when BB or Masterchef isn't on  

Neither of the teachers are on at the moment  

Simple answer. Just don't even think about it! 

Headteachers can only authorise absence in "exceptional circumstances", which really shouldn't include family holidays, but in the past have.

The rules have very recently been tightened (all references to holidays removed i.e. no holiday can be "exceptional circumstances" anymore) ...so you gotta be careful. Theoretically you could be fined for taking children out of school without the schools authorisation, but in practice (so far..) this rarely happens. Making parents angry ain't what most schools are about, despite the governments best efforts.  

Schools NEVER want to authorise holidays (it does genuinely cause a lot of problems when children miss a chunk of school), but if they don't, and the parents just take the children out anyway (which often happens because permission is usually sought AFTER they've booked and paid for the holiday  , then the only one's who suffer (apart from the child's interrupted education   are the school.....low attendance figures have to be justified to the scary OFSTED people! So schools were authorising some holidays (with gritted angry teeth) to protect their attendance figures, hence the recent change in regulations to try and make schools and parents stick to the rules more consistently.  

None of that probably helps does it  

If in doubt, speak to the school.....before you pay for a holiday....and make sure if you're gonna insist on doing it anyway, that the holiday doesn't clash with anything important (controlled assessments for example...cos that really pees them off )

Please ignore the two "winks".....they're not winks, they're closing brackets which Gaga likes to disguise as a dodgy winking smiley just to irritate me 

I would normally edit them out, but I'm tired.  

Alf's school can suck my ****s if it ends up that he has to miss a couple of days at the end of this first term...      (though, it being Year 11 every effort is being made not to have to do this) 

We need a holiday..   and it is exceptional circumstances...  (we neeeeeed a holiday -  and we need to get out of the country for the festive season) 

OFSTED can take a running one as well 

Nowt personal Ducks...       just a topical one for me...   

Obviously if I were on the other side of the fence I would want to gun down any parent that thought term times didn't apply to them and went gallivanting around on holidays 

Anyways...     

anyone been to Sri Lanka in December?     is it nice?

Sri Lanka? Why not go to a winter wonderland for christmas. Get a log cabin in the mountains of Switzerland, where you can re-enact the music video to Wham's Last Christmas... with the hair and everything. 

*worries about what has happened to Rawky while he's been in SK* 

*Clips young Rawky round the ear*  

Soooo...   how's "Rawky does Korea" going?      You staying out there another year?

thanks ducky, I disagree with holidays in term time but I have no other choice, 

This is a bug which Social Strata know of and will sort out one day.

http://help.socialstrata.com/s...in-is-followed-by-a-

The bug seems to happen when there is a space between a smiley and a closing bracket and the current advice is to omit the space.

For the past 2 years I've taken mine away during term because I simply cannot afford it during July/Aug.

Their primary school had no problems with them going during term and their teachers even said they'd do the same if they could!  I always asked for work to be given just so they weren't missing too much and the teachers were always happy with that (the kids weren't though!)

Secondary school is a whole different story.  They have said in every bit of communication given since the eldest was accepted into it that they will not give permission for term time holidays and will come down hard on any parents who take their kids out anyway.

So sadly there's no holiday for us next year lol 

I think it really depends on WHEN you are taking them (mid term exams, practice for upcoming events etc) and for how long.  Maybe try to go around a time when they are off for a few days anyway meaning they only miss 2 or 3 days?

Machel i paid through the nose this year to go in summer hols... most other parents took their kids out in last couple of weeks before and that really pee'd me off tbh. these are people who's kids have really low attendance anyway  So I'm stuffed if I'm gonna do it again.

We're going to Florida on Feb 1st til the 20th (last week being over the half term) So it's 10 days of school each. I plan on making every effort possible (i know this should be the case anyway) to make sure my kids both have 100% attendance for the whole year aside from those 10 days. I also plan on making my kids do a little home work (airports/plane journey) so they don't come back too rusty.

bloomin eck..     

Ells & Jen - you two are a bit fearless aren't you?    Or maybe its cos your kids are younger....      in fact yeah, the last family holiday we all had was before Ickle left primary school...    like you say, we just couldn't afford a family holiday during school holidays.

Consequently we haven't had one for 9 years!!!!     

Don't read this bit Ducks  

(my advice to you both is to keep on doing what you're doing...    until your eldest is starting Year 9 - then you're screwed.   Cos even IF you do manage to scrape together the cash to go in the holidays..   unless its the big summer holidays then its a bit dodge cos your kids will have serious exam revision or exam coursework to do over xmas & easter hols)

My 2 have just reminded me of that last bit..   I was starting to get all carried away looking for 14 days away over christmas.. .  but have had to bring it into 10 days to allow them time to manically try to do their academic stuff.

The eldest started secondary this week Ditty and at the induction evening i told them we were going away in Feb, the way i look at it is if i keep their attendance to 100% and then they only take those 2 weeks its better than some kids attendance without a term time holiday!

If my kids were falling behind in their work or it was an exam year then i think that's more important so would probably rethink it those years... I'll let you know in a few years time Ditty

my daughter has an excellent attendance record but my eldest is having her annual holiday and has invited her sister because she knows we cannot afford any holiday (term time or otherwise)  she misses out on a lot of "treats" so for once I think stuff school have a break, (I'm so ashamed for thinking that!)

nah..   I hear ya Machel....  

I'd feel exactly the same      (& don't feel ashamed)

Ditty my eldest is now at secondary school so that's term time holidays out the window for me now 

Schools here must be a little different because when we were in Turkey in May last year we met a lovely family from England who were saying they got in so much trouble from the headmistress of their daughters primary school for taking the term time holiday.  They couldn't believe how nice our sons school was about it all.  

Ideally I would love to go during July/August but it's just too expensive.  

Nah, definitely don't feel bad Machel!  

It's a mine field cos of all the regulations forced on schools (for good reasons and bad...) ...... but no right minded teacher is ever gonna begrudge someone who genuinely needs to do it, and is careful that it has the least impact possible. The only problem you have is that even if a Head has no personal objections they may still be required to follow the "rules".

As I said, speak to the school and see where they stand on it. Schools don't always follow the rules, attendance records aren't always scrutinised that carefully by anyone outside of the school .....so you may be lucky and get it authorised on the sly  

And if they refuse to authorise it..... again it depends on the school.....but it still may not be that big a deal. So your daughter has some unauthorised attendance on her record. No one's gonna come to any physical harm are they are they? So do you care?  

The only problem you may have is if your school is one of the nutty well behaved one's who go along with fining parents. 

I hope your school gives you the response you want  

I'm just relieved you said "daughter"....... so now I know I ain't getting a phone call about this on Monday  

Way too many ninjas 

It's the TC one, I rang the school and I have to send in a letter although they did say it would not be authorised. I was a secondary school governor and one of my duties was the attendance panel where some pupils had less than 60% attendance so 5 days is not that significant.