Missing school for a holiday

I think you're right. Honesty doesn't seem to have been the best policy for me.
So my mum must have been fibbing!

I'm with the let the child have the holiday crew, and I know nothing of the back story. Over the last 18 months education has been disrupted to an unprecedented degree. I'm quite sure a bright 13 year old can make up 3 missed days. As said earlier, what if he was ill for 3 days, would that have an everlasting effect on his eduction?

I can remember from my own children's schooldays the furore over taking them out of school for hospital or dental appointments (can't you rearrange out of school hours "rolls eyes") but the total acceptance of finishing early and starting late the next day when it was time to "advertise" the school to potential new pupil's parents for the following September. Somehow those lost teaching hours didn't matter ?‍♂️

Do you know what? The MH of all children has been affected so much during the pandemic - DD2 works in CAMHS and they are very seriously overwhelmed just now - inpatients full with massive WL (very very seriously ill young people), outpatients services inundated with long waiting lists. DD1 teaches P1 (5) youngest class - most barely been to nursery in last 1 ½ years before starting school, they have no idea how to sit and listen, take coats off, go to toilet, react to each other without hitting out, follow any instructions! F... the school. Tell them he has been pinged and self isolating, tell them he has D&V - 48 hours off after last bout of it! Don't pay a fine! Your grandson will benefit from this so much more than being in school for 3 days more! 3 DAYS - how many months did he miss due to Covid! Good for you Miss Adventure!!!

MerylStreep

HurdyGurdy
Teachers don’t worry when parents have to loose a days pay or scrabble around for child care when they have their ^teachers training day^

Do you think teachers have any say in these ?? Honestly ?

Yes let him go on the holiday. Look on it as therapeutic for him. He’d have to take time off if he was sick or tested positive for COVID, he’ll easily catch up. The school are doing a “computer says no” response as they have to say no to holidays for everyone. Tell them he is having essential family therapy and can’t attend school on those days, just don’t use the word “holiday”.

Schools can be looked on unfavourably by Ofsted Inspectors if there are unauthorised absences. Some head teachers will look compassionately at individual cases but fines can be imposed if holidays are taken without permission. Like the teacher training days referred to earlier, it’s out of the control of the schools, sadly.

Please dont tell children to lie, it's really unpleasant for them. If you want to go on holiday go, and take the consequences, at 13 it will usually to complete the work missed, it will usually be the responsibility of the child to find that out.

Take them on holiday!

He should go, grab the opportunity, if nothing else we’ve all learnt that in the last 18 months. I hope they thoroughly enjoy themselves.

LauraNorder

Education doesn’t always take place in the classroom.
Travel is educational.

⬆️ exactly.

When my older two DDs were at primary school in Oxfordshire, we used to take them up to the Scottish Highlands, stopping off at Dundee to 'pick up' their grandparents. I used to write to the headteacher and say that they would be absent. We climbed munros and lucked around in lochs and the sea and mountain streams.

Later, when DD1 went on a school field trip to The Gower in south Wales, she discovered that she was the only kid (a mix of 12-13 yos) who had ever walked on anything wilder than a pavement.

*mucked

I don't think I lied but I took DS out of school for a day when he was 6. We had friends staying from England and Scottish schools return in August so it was a perfect day for a seaside picnic.
The school however, soon knew all about it because he wrote about it in his news the following day!.
I may still have his news jotter.

I think your only fined if you miss ten ten sessions consecutively ( so an Am and PM is two sessions ) and mental health well being far out ways 3 days of school if absense is not usually an issue.
I would explain you would like to explain face to face to the head of year why and how it benefits the said individual/s .

Let him go MissA. Time spent with his big brother and a change of scene will do them both a power of good and will give you some much needed time for yourself too.
You havnt been well, you have had the most terrible time. Some don’t know that here, but as you say you want a balanced view.
I would explain the very particular circumstances to the school and I hope they see the sense in your request and I hope have a wonderful time. If they still don’t agree you may have to pay a fine, which you have said you will.
Years gone by we always took the children out of school fir a week attached to the start or end of the school holidays and a 2 week absence was fully accepted by the school and education authority. Not only that, it was seen as a learning experience, which it was.X

I would lay it on thick if contacted by the education department. You are looking after your grandson and need some respite yourself too.

IMO the family shouldn't have even requested leave from school and just gone 'sick'. I agree with other posters that school absences should be allowed for the remainder of this year and next

You are teaching your grandson that despite being refused leave of absence it is all right to ignore rules and regulations.
This is exactly the same as the recent thread about cheating; if I want to do it it is all right, because it does not matter.

eazybee MissA did the honest thing by asking but there are circumstances presumably you know nothing about which definitely over ride rules and regulations.

eazybee

You are teaching your grandson that despite being refused leave of absence it is all right to ignore rules and regulations.
This is exactly the same as the recent thread about cheating; if I want to do it it is all right, because it does not matter.

"Because it doesn't matter"

It doesn't. It is OK to break some rules and regulations. It depends on the rule. Spending precious time with family is at least as important as schooling if not more so. A child being absent from school again and again and again might matter but actually it might not. My mum missed almost a year* of school as a teenager because of illness; kids have recently missed vast tracts of school because of pandemic fears. A few extra days with gran is neither here nor there in the big scheme of things.

*she did that year again; no big deal.

Cheating is not the same thing at all.

Missing school again and again of course impacts on life chances. Saying it doesnt is consigning a group of children to really not great lives. That's not the issue here of course.

Follow your instinct MissA. Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t think twice about allowing DGS beneficial time with his brother.
Life isn’t only about schooling.

I don't know your back story but it sounds as if there are circumstances that totally justify this holiday.

I don't live in the UK but they seem to be exceptionally strict about this kind of thing.

He should definitely go. It is a one off and the poor mite has been through so much.
Yes sometimes honesty doesn't pay but you will feel better knowing you have been upfront.

When I was teaching families routinely took their children out of school and off for a week or a fortnight's holiday. There weren't any rules about it then. I don't think it did any of the children any harm whatsoever. I would imagine much of the stuff we taught them rarely comes to mind now, but I bet they all have a story to tell about the holidays they had.
Just let him have his 3 days. You both deserve them.