absence during term time?

[canela]

Does anyone have experience of asking for a few days off during term time, particularly at Heber? My child is year 2. We have an international family and a reunion of the kind that only happen every blue moon in Europe. Will be the first time my children meet some cousins etc. We can obviously just go for the weekend but seeing as the families live in all corners of the globe and it is a lot of effort to all be on the same continent it would be great to go for more than a few days. I don't have any reservations at taking a child out of school for a few days myself, especially aged 7, but I don't want to get them into trouble. Has anyone asked and got permission for this kind of thing?

[Pickle]

We took our kids out of school for a week before the Christmas holidays started as we were flying to NZ for Christmas with my family. We wrote a letter asking permission (Goodrich), explaining that it was only every 2nd year etc, and it was granted with no problems.

[Fuschia]

Heber's policy is not to authorise term time holidays. We had a request refused in the past.

We are having a trip to meet up with relatives over from Australia shortly though. We will ask, it will be refused... We will still go. Like you, the chance to meet up with family can't be missed really

[Cora]

I would just go ahead. My understanding is that at Heber it will automatically be refused but it will just go down as unauthorised absence....so what? You deem it to be important or your family and so long as their attendance is good the rest of the time it shouldn't be an issue.

[Trish]

I requested ending the summer term one day earlier and was declined at Goodrich! Previous head.

[Cora]

I think it's an ofsted thing....worried it will affect their attendance figures but feel quite strongly that the needs of the family and child should come first - ofsted should accommodate legitimate absence.

[craigy]

We are not heber but I have taken mine out of school for 2 days on a couple of occasions and when asked it has been refused and marked on the register as unauthorised absense. They explained that they cannot authorise it due to ofsted etc but it is fine to do it as we have had no sick days previously.

[minder]

Canela - why not just go for the weekend and explain to your family about term-times in London? It's not about getting your kids into trouble but just about what they're going to miss (at any age).

I'm one of those parents that has never taken my kids out of school during term-time (sickness, dental/docs excluded).

I'm sure that primary school attendance is looked at by secondary schools and then by colleges and then universities.

[canela]

because everyone comes from different continents, school dates and jobs. we cannot find a date that would accommodate everyone's schedules completely so there has to be give and take by all. they will not be there at the weekend after all. this is the first meeting in 10 years and it could be 10 before another. it's about my children understanding their mixed family and cultural heritage, and knowing more about their place in the world. about knowing who their family is even if for various reasons we don't meet up often. for me that is more important than a couple more days phonics. it would be different for an older child, but in year 2 I see no real long-term educational issue. it would be different if it was every year, but this is the first time.

[Saffron]

Universities are not basing their decisions on your child's primary school attendance records. It has nothing to do with admissions policy.

What your child is going to miss is extra time with your family if you only take a weekend. If family ties are important to you and your extended family, I'd say that trumps a few missed days at school. You can easily find the time each day to work on any coursework your child is assigned. xx

[minder]

Ok canela it looks like you have made up your mind anyway.

[canela]

I have, and thanks for all feedback!

In a perfect world and a perfect life it could be organised differently - but then in a perfect world I would not be running around after a family reunion that only happens every 10 years! Lives are messy sometimes and you have to make the best of it. I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't give my kids a chance of seeing long-lost family.

[Jessie]

my ex took my son out of school for 3 weeks to take him back to NZ where he hadn't been since he was a baby. I was v nervous about this for a lot of reasons, but ultimately the chance for him to meet so many of his Kiwi/Aussie family for in many cases the first time trumped. And travelling and socialising are educations in themselves. The school provided class work for him while he was away.

[kristymac1]

We took our daughter out for a couple of days (from Heber) for a much needed family holiday after a number of traumatic events last year. We briefly explained our reasoning in the request to the school (not giving any specific details) and the absence was authorised by the head.

Even if it had been recorded as unauthorised we would have still gone and not lost any sleep about it, sometimes family time is more important....