and pay a £50 fine?

I don’t know for sure but I think the fines can be quite a bit more than that, like £1500 but I might have got that wrong.

why not save all this web space and just book a doctors appointment, say just before lunch. Keep it close to the visit to another school you have in mind and that will fill a day!

Because my son would never keep the secret; he’s crazy about cycling and will be absolutely beside himself if he does go.

All of you saying he won’t remember it don’t know my son 😀

I don’t know for sure but I think the fines can be quite a bit more than that, like £1500 but I might have got that wrong.

It’s “up to £60” per absence, ie per day. I suspect £1,500 comes from taking two kids out for a fortnight’s holiday (and rounding up for headline purposes 😉 ).

Just tell the school in advance that he will be ill that day. It will be an ace day out. Please post a few photos of how much educational fun you have. I’ll be scheduling a few days absence for our 5 year old in the next few weeks for a few short camping trips and extended beach days before its gets overcrowded with tourists and thousands of other families. She’ll be taught cycling, swimming, surfing, fishing and advanced rock pooling and species identification. If they had school lessons on these important life skills i wouldnt be forced to take unexpected days off to teach my kids. You gotta make the most of the long warm summer days as they will be gone before you know it.

well my daughters in her last year at primary and isnt going to the same secondary school as the rest of her class so when they go off for two days next week to thier new school she has been asked to help in year 3… so i ve said you teach her or she wont be there..

Take him. I saw this on twitter during the Basque Tour, assuming you don’t speak Euskara it says “Reason – Going to watch uncle race”
(Amets Txurruka’s nephew)

Given that, and given your kid is only 4, I’d leave him in school. It seems to me to be a bit silly to risk getting a black mark against your name just to take your boy to a race he won’t remember in a couple of years anyway.

Oooooooooo! A black mark! Seriously, have a quiet word with yourself, the child is four, isn’t legally required to be in school, and any possible threat is utterly toothless.
The finger-wagging going on here comes straight from a Daily Mail op-ed, which I’m really finding hard to believe.

geetee1972 – Member
What do other people think?

Haven’t read all threads but watched something related on the news last night regarding children attending mother’s wedding …

I think the system is so stooopid for trying to control family life.

I am not going to vote for any of the big parties from now on.

🙄

Too right. I’m sure UKIP will sort it out.

aracer – Member

Too right. I’m sure UKIP will sort it out.

It’s not for UKIP to sort it out it’s the parents that need to decide.

If parents want their children to be Oliver Twist so be it. 🙄

UKIP better hands off all parental responsibilities and let people run their own life.

Enough of this nonsense nanny bureaucratic state.

Don’t you know how to take care of your own family anymore? 😯

chewkw – Member
I am not going to vote for any of the big parties from now on.

I didn’t think you voted for any of the Zombie maggots?

Anyway it’s not an acceptable reason for taking your kids out of school. If your in any doubt try replacing your reason with “Football Match” or “EDL March” and see if it works.

As for people trying to control family life maybe it’s got the the stage where people think school is optional and the middle classes feel rules are only for the Chavs not them.

mikewsmith – Member
I didn’t think you voted for any of the Zombie maggots?

*Tannoy* … Calling Cougar! Calling Cougar! … *Tannoy*

I did not mention the Z… M … words this time. It’s him! 😆 (Cougar has counted 104 times of me mentioning those words btw)

No, I did not vote for the big parties but yes, I did vote for UKIP as I like power to be distributed … 😈

oh ya … I call them parasitic oxygen abusers now … they are holding oxygen ransom against me.

I took teen1 out of primary school to see the last landings of THREE Concordes at LHR.

This was with the blessing of the head teacher – and his mother (who worked at the school). I said it was historic, educational and would be something to remember. Collected him at lunchtime, drove to Hillingdon, cycled the tandem down to Heathrow and sat at the end of the runway to watch. 2003. Ten years ago 😯 . Worth it.

They won’t prosecute for a day like that and the school shouldn’t hold grudges. By saying no, they’ve upheld their end of the rules. I doubt they’ll be bothered. Friend of ours got an MBE recently and meeting the queen was considered acceptable……..

OP are they idiots. Its not an event like a football match. Its a rare occurance.

So much hate for cycling.

Don’t you know how to take care of your own family anymore?

I do, but have you been out in the world recently and seen a significant minority of people? If you havent, you could spend the day with me.

I realise the school can’t sanction the absence, but as many have experienced nothing will happen if you just take him. From experience I think when attendance gets to/below 94% do you come under the microscope. Just say nowt and take him. Seems to be a hot topic/target at the moment, good old Evil Dave, Gove & Co.

Except if you read the details of that story it transpired that his parents only gave the school five days notice and didn’t actually mention that it was a wedding.

Heh! That’s really funny – I saw the headlines when it broke and thought I’d be hearing a lot more about it, wondered why it sank without trace. 🙂

OP are they idiots. Its not an event like a football match. Its a rare occurance.

So much hate for cycling.
I wish you had a mute button.

Seems a good enough reason to me, but as previously said sickie is easiest.
We quite often had long weekends away and just gave our daughter a letter to take in citing domestic reasons.
Can’t see how a day or two missing playing with the sand and water has any effect on education

If parents want their children to be Oliver Twist so be it

I think the point is that as a society we’ve decided that allowing parents to treat their children as chattels to do with as they wish isn’t, sometimes, terribly fair on the children and leads to them having lots of problems in later life.

With absence from school, like with so many other things, people take the piss so it’s easier just to say ‘No’ to everyone than have a big row with parents on an individual basis.

We are now a Teacher, a Graphic Designer, a Petroleum Geologist, a Lawyer and an Accountant respectively.

Are you saying that’s good or bad?
😉

TBH the only one of those that interests/impresses me is the Geologist!

[me… document imaging and intelligent data capture, so I’ve got nothing to shout about! Maybe I should have come with you 🙂 ]

I think the trouble is that whilst you are no doubt a responsible parent, they have to draw the line as there are those that will always abuse it.

But at the end of the day, my personal belief is something like this, or foreign travel (not sat on sun lounger), going to a musuem etc is educational in itself and will no doubt be remembered far more than any single day at school.

Kinda pointless at 4 year old. So I reckon no. I can barely remember my da taking me to the fitba at 6/7 year old. Intact all I really remember about is playing with my wee brother. Certainly wasn’t interested in the sport. Calling it educational is tenuous at best, and in reality kidding yourself on. Your child will take nothing from it.

But at the end of the day, my personal belief is something like this, or foreign travel (not sat on sun lounger), going to a musuem etc is educational in itself and will no doubt be remembered far more than any single day at school.

Absolutely and that is why museums and foreign countries are open during school holidays.

While I have every sympathy, I think it’s fair enough. If they set a precedent that sporting events are a valid reason for absence, you might end up with half empty classrooms every time there’s a test match, Ascot, international footy…

Unfortunately I agree. Also unfortunately the rules are there more to stop idiots taking their kids away for two weeks to save pennies (don’t get me started on school hols price hikes – the better half is a primary teacher) and to prevent those that don’t really want an education to **** everyone off and stay at home to play XBox on the family’s large TV (yes, I’m sure I can squeeze more generalisations in if requested).

However, as the better half of a teacher and a cyclist, I’d pull a sickie for your child. It should be a fantastic day.

the head has said no because, authorised or not, absences impact on the stats for attendance which are very public, probably one of his/her personal targets and probably part of the ofsted assessment also. So the head is clearly gonna say no

bear in mind that the 4yo will be bored very quickly, there is a lot of hanging around, the crowds will be mental and the racers will bomb past very quick

mudmuncher » At 4 years old all they do is mess about in sandpits and pour paint over each other

you are getting confused with nursery

What’s the comeback from the school if you JFDI?

Nothing, as in they are powerless to do anything.

Just take him…Next time don’t even give the school benefit of asking…

the head has said no because, authorised or not, absences impact on the stats for attendance which are very public,

This.

I’ve decided I won’t take him. It’s as much out of respect for the school and the Head Teacher as anything else. I don’t agree with the outcome but I don’t think that it’s the Head’s fault or even her own opinion.

The standing around part might be a problem but there are several ‘bike shows’ taking place and I was going to head to the one in Green Park.

There will be other opportunities.

Fair play, sir. 🙂