Holidays in school time

[youngagain]

Hi I was thinking about holidays in school time, we have always taken two weeks a year in school time but now it seems that things are changing. Our child has a very good attendance record and we have been commended on several occasions for helping with homework on a regular basis and whist she is not top of the class, she has attained reasonable grades.

The schools does fare well in the OFSTEAD report and this I think is mainly due to the head teacher who runs a tight ship. I was a bit disappointed when she told us that our child was behind in her work after we returned from holiday recently.

This was in fact not correct according to her actual teacher but the head teacher then put it across that she could do better. In other words not actually the truth but a bullying tactic as she was not happy with the absence.

I note that section 444 of the 1996 education act only refers to actual parents with regards to the committal of an offence due to child absence from school and I was thinking that as I am not actually a parent , then the school would have no case to bring if they decide to try to prosecute us should we take further holidays within school time? I have no wish to antagonise the school or effect the little ones education adversely in fact as carers we do take her education very seriously
and spend lots of time helping her along.

All the best to one and all

[David Roth]

Hi youngagain

If the headteacher doesn't like you taking holidays in school time, then he should be clear that this is what he is saying. The issue might not be whether your child fell behind with their work, but that the school wants to have a rule that applies to all children, so that they don't seem to make allowances for some children and not others.

Irene is right that you would be considered to be the child's parents for educational purposes. Section 576 of the 1996 Education Act makes it clear that for the purposes of the act 'parent' refers to anyone who has parental responsibility for the child, or even those who are caring for the child but don't have PR.

School are now really cracking down on children who miss school because their parents or carers took them away on holiday, as the Department for Education now gives them less discretion to give agreement to children missing school for these reasons. The schools do have powers to issue sanctions, like fines, for parents/carers who keep children out of school to take them on holiday when they have been previously advised not to do so.

There was an article in the Guardian recently that dealt outlined the current position: http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... hool-terms