School over reacting

[Blade]

Had a call to collect my son from school as they said he was very ill.

I drop everything I'm in the middle off to collect him which as a concerned parent we all would do.

I'm now very annoyed as when I collected him he's playing in the playground, asking why I didn't bring his scooter to school to ride home and as no scooter climbing on anything he can on the way home. At home he ate all his dinner and now playing in the garden. I asked him why he was ill and he says he has a cough which at night he does have when lay down but has not coughed once in the last hour I have had him.

I was busy doing chores so pretty annoyed but if they had dragged me or the missus out of work I would be fuming. What an over reaction and total waste of time which I will be telling his teacher such in the morning.

If I take my kids out of school I get fined if they cough once during rhe entire morning aeasion there sent home its a bloody joke.

[Kwacky]

It's great, isn't it?

The school will have that down as an attendance, so they want you to take your kid in but once they have him marked in the register then they can send him home. 100% attendance.

We had a letter last week setting out the fines for taking your child out of school. If a child happens to have both parents in the same house then both parents are fined. Robbing bastards.

[bb41]

How, things have changed since my day, I'd have to have a limb hanging off before I'd be given home leave.

We didn't finish until 3.45 either

[Kwacky]

3.45?

Part timer. 4.00 for me at both primary and secondary school.

[Blade]

How, things have changed since my day, I'd have to have a limb hanging off before I'd be given home leave.

We didn't finish until 3.45 either

Same in my day too,

@Kwacky yeah £60 per parent, per child, per week robbing barstools . I asked for permission to take him out as I work a rigid shift pattern with no flexibility or holidays and Head Teacher said he was treating everyone the same and said he would if he could but its the local authority who insist he does not authorise any special leave. I rang the local authority and a very helpful lady basically said he's talking horse sh1t and using them as an excuse. The real reason he doesnt want to approve the absence is because it effects his performance KPI's and the Ofsted report ranking.

[D6]

cheaper to pay the fine and go on holiday out of peak season still surely.

[Blade]

Yeah most probably. Things is 2 kids, 2 parents and 2 week holiday equals £480 fine.

[bb41]

3.45?

Part timer. 4.00 for me at both primary and secondary school.

Ha, I know.

I'm not sure how I feel about fines for taking time out, but surely a better example would be to give the children a worksheet to complete whilst away.

[Kwacky]

I wouldn't be surprised if the fines come from lobbying from the holiday companies. Some prices treble during the school holidays. Nothing has been done about it.

[Blade]

My lad has not missed a day in 3 years so won 100% attendance award 3 years in a row (basically since he started) I work a rigid shift pattern with no holidays and working in school holidays this year, he is a full year ahead of where he needs to be academically and we offered to take home work / course work on holiday but still told they said NO. What more can / could we do ?

[Blade]

Barstools still send him home cos he coughed once and I would have loose a days pays if i had been scheduled to be on shift. One rule for them one rule for hard working parents. I feel like fining them.

[Kwacky]

We booked a holiday earlier in the year when the school tried to fine us. We pointed out that the school was going to take strike action on the friday we decided to start our holiday that day. They backed down.

[Deegee]

There were a couple in Essex that took their child to America for the Maternal Grandfathers memorial service earlier this year, they were hauled into court for it and the County went for the jugular. In the end the Family moved abroad, presumably to somewhere where family life is actually valued.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-28375599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fwiw I think Kwacky has it right, lobbying from the Travel Industry is the only reason for this idiocy, the people in charge are mistakenly equating quantity of education with quality, Ofsted have ensured that quality has gone so quantity is the last resort.

[duke63]

My lad has not missed a day in 3 years so won 100% attendance award 3 years in a row (basically since he started) I work a rigid shift pattern with no holidays and working in school holidays this year, he is a full year ahead of where he needs to be academically and we offered to take home work / course work on holiday but still told they said NO. What more can / could we do ?

Bypass the head and ask to speak to the Chair of Governors and explain your reasons to them.

[duke63]

The reason the fines are there is because some parents take their kids out of school every year for holidays. When parents do that kids can miss a sizeable chunk of education.

[D6]

Can't kids pull a sickie? Say he has head lice, our measels or something?

[kiwikrasher]

Jesus, I didn't know you guys had that level of bullshit to deal with!! That's craziness. I don't understand how the hell a school has the authority to fine parents?? The school my son goes to doesn't even charger school fees. It's a rural school and all costs are meet by local fundraising and parental donations.

[Blade]

My lad has not missed a day in 3 years so won 100% attendance award 3 years in a row (basically since he started) I work a rigid shift pattern with no holidays and working in school holidays this year, he is a full year ahead of where he needs to be academically and we offered to take home work / course work on holiday but still told they said NO. What more can / could we do ?

Bypass the head and ask to speak to the Chair of Governors and explain your reasons to them.

Good suggestion Duke I might do that but tbh I don't hold up much hope he said he has had lots of enquiries from other shift workers, police, nurses, fireman etc... And stated he has said no to everyone.

[Deegee]

I think the answer to this lays politically, the School is playing by the rules set out by Government, the person to lobby is your MP. The Chair of Governors is duty bound to follow law in this as well as the Head.

Unfortunately as usual the law has ended up penalising those that can pay, the consistent truants from families that don't care whether their brats are at school or not and have no money to pay the fines, are to all intents and purposes above the law.

Speaking as someone whose wife works in education, the June / July period is when the kids want to be in school most, that's when the throttle is eased off and all the end of year stuff happens, the people that are most ignorant of their children's education are the ones that take their kids out of school between Christmas and Easter to go Skiing, that is a critical period which is virtually impossible to catch up on for most kids.

[duke63]

My lad has not missed a day in 3 years so won 100% attendance award 3 years in a row (basically since he started) I work a rigid shift pattern with no holidays and working in school holidays this year, he is a full year ahead of where he needs to be academically and we offered to take home work / course work on holiday but still told they said NO. What more can / could we do ?

Bypass the head and ask to speak to the Chair of Governors and explain your reasons to them.

Good suggestion Duke I might do that but tbh I don't hold up much hope he said he has had lots of enquiries from other shift workers, police, nurses, fireman etc... And stated he has said no to everyone.

Your case is precisely why the headteacher has the ability to allow a special case. You cannot choose your holidays so are severely restricted in holiday dates. He does have the power to grant it and if he won't, go to his bosses, the governors, to explain your case. They can over rule him.