Fines for taking kids out of school during term time. Thoughts.

Let's check the average attainment by attendance rate. I would put money on their being a correlation even controlling for other factors.

The kids whose grades suffer due to attendance don't tend to be the kids taken out for the odd holiday, they tend to have much more serious attendance issues.
 
I have a very studious child, she was very disparaging about the last two weeks of term. I'm also a secondary school teacher and whilst I had my own exam classes working to the last lesson I know that quite a few of the other subjects broke out the DVDs well before the last week of term...

A more common sense approach should be used rather than resorting to fines and threat of prison.

So because there were some bad teachers at your child's school, it should be permissable for parents across the country to take their children on holiday during term time?

Secondly even if it was allowed during thise 2 weeks, it just moves the issue of high prices on. Doesn't actually solve anything.
 
We went to Austrailia for three weeks, kids missed one week of school. Head teacher ok'd it. Still let us know we would get letters regarding % attendance being low. They would stop once the % of time missed, out of school, raised above a certain level, they missed the first week of term so was at 100% absent In week two etc etc

He basically told us if they had poor attendance he wouldn't be able to stop the fine as it a goverment target. Also helps that both my wife and I work so the kids don't have much choice but to go to school and they have developed a good understanding that effort = reward. The head also said that went in our favour as he would have not given consent or even actively pushed for a fine rather than help us massage the system.

We had three children at the school so it wouldn't of been two hard if some one wanted to be a jobs worth.
 
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The kids whose grades suffer due to attendance don't tend to be the kids taken out for the odd holiday, they tend to have much more serious attendance issues.

I would bet there being a correlation even amongst the high 95-100% range.
 
Thoughts?

You don't NEED to go on holiday - it's not a right.

Want to go on holiday during term time? Don't have kids.

If I've chosen to go on holiday in term time, I don't expect to, nor would I like to, see kids on holiday as well.

Teachers can't book holidays during term time, why should parents/kids? *Disclaimer - my wifes a teacher.

Do day trips, instead of a week (or two) long holiday.


How are those?
 
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The cost per student is £6,300 per year (£33 per student per school day).

I think the government should recoup this for unauthorised absences.

edit: let me double check that

edit: okay it varies by region £4000-£9000 is the normal range.

There are 190 school days, so it is anywhere from £21-£47 per child per day.
 
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Take two teachers outside each day and shoot them, then the message would get through.

BTW my brother is a head teacher in Essex - could he be fitted in next Wednesday?

WTF does he know about life? He went to school aged 5 and he's still there aged 62 (similar to politicians who go to school, study politics, learn how to answer difficult questions, never do a real day's work in their lives... rant, rant, rant). My brother married a school teacher 30 odd years ago (never met her) they have two offsprings and one of them is a teacher!

So that could be half of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's allocation :D
 
Thoughts?

You don't NEED to go on holiday - it's not a right.

Want to go on holiday during term time? Don't have kids.

If I've chosen to go on holiday in term time, I don't expect to, nor would I like to, see kids on holiday as well.

Teachers can't book holidays during term time, why should kids? *Disclaimer - my wifes a teacher.

Do day trips, instead of a week (or two) long holiday.


How are those?

You sound like a barrel of laughs that's for sure. :rolleyes:

Fine is cheaper anyway so I don't care, just give the vultures the money and happy days. ;)

This is what I don't get? since when did fines on parents become a form of corporal punishment!!! :confused:
 
lol "fines", that's the problem with this whole situation, everyone thinks they are fines and we must pay them.
They are unenforceable penalty charges. They can't be fines because they haven't come from a court ruling, and unenforceable because whoever is demanding money from you hasn't physically sustained a loss. The UK is still under common law rule and anyone claiming compensation must be able to prove they are lawfully owed it. In this case it's impossible to prove.

So, the way they do it is by getting you to fill out a "holiday request form".
That form is a legally binding contract which you sign, and if you don't pay them they have you for breech of contract, and then you get fined by the courts.

When they tried it with me (£50 per child per parent, £200 total), I challenged their authority and requested evidence that they were not in breech of the Bill of Rights ACT, and also asked why there was a VAT number for each penalty (they don't tax compensation). I never heard from them again so I served them with an estoppel.
Now the school knows that I know the law surrounding fines and penalties, they haven't bothered me ever since.
I take MY kids out whenever I want, there is nothing they can do about it. They don't even bother trying with me.

Gypsies on the other hand are immune to this for some reason. :confused:
Gypsies are not members of this society, therefore government statues don't apply to them.
Want the same immunity for your kids? Then don't register their birth. Simple.
 
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lol "fines", that's the problem with this whole situation, everyone thinks they are fines and we must pay them.
They are unenforceable penalty charges. They can't be fines because they haven't come from a court ruling, and unenforceable because whoever is demanding money from you hasn't physically sustained a loss. The UK is still under common law rule and anyone claiming compensation must be able to prove they are lawfully owed it. In this case it's impossible to prove.

Our daughters new school mentioned something was changing to make it stricter from September, so not sure the above is necessarily the case any more?
 
lol "fines", that's the problem with this whole situation, everyone thinks they are fines and we must pay them.
They are unenforceable penalty charges. They can't be fines because they haven't come from a court ruling, and unenforceable because whoever is demanding money from you hasn't physically sustained a loss. The UK is still under common law rule and anyone claiming compensation must be able to prove they are lawfully owed it. In this case it's impossible to prove.

So, the way they do it is by getting you to fill out a "holiday request form".
That form is a legally binding contract which you sign, and if you don't pay them they have you for breech of contract, and then you get fined by the courts.

When they tried it with me (£50 per child per parent, £200 total), I challenged their authority and requested evidence that they were not in breech of the Bill of Rights ACT, and also asked why there was a VAT number for each penalty (they don't tax compensation). I never heard from them again so I served them with an estoppel.
Now the school knows that I know the law surrounding fines and penalties, they haven't bothered me ever since.
I take MY kids out whenever I want, there is nothing they can do about it. They don't even bother trying with me.

I detect BS.

Gypsies are not members of this society, therefore government statues don't apply to them.
Want the same immunity for your kids? Then don't register their birth. Simple.

Yup, thought so.

Are you also a "freemen on the land"?
 

What jail time? Its only if you dont pay the £60 fine


Thats what gets me about the parents on the radio today.


Woah "we are been prosecuted, we could both go to jail and lose our jobs, hows that good for the child?" I assume you didnt pay the £60 fine but could afford a weeks holiday to Sarajevo


No sympathy. Take you choices, go early and save a fortune and just pay your £60. Job done.
 

You do realise that would be extreme cases in which they would implement such proceedings.

1 week a year, pay the fine and do the crime I say. Saves us a good few quid.

Daughter doing fine top grades etc and never ever any problem when it comes to parents evening. ;)

Example Tenerife in school time 3 of us £800, in school holidays £1500. :eek:

Fine £120 go figure. :rolleyes:

Tell you what double it and I will still be happy! :D
 
lol "fines", that's the problem with this whole situation, everyone thinks they are fines and we must pay them.
They are unenforceable penalty charges. They can't be fines because they haven't come from a court ruling, and unenforceable because whoever is demanding money from you hasn't physically sustained a loss. The UK is still under common law rule and anyone claiming compensation must be able to prove they are lawfully owed it. In this case it's impossible to prove.

So, the way they do it is by getting you to fill out a "holiday request form".
That form is a legally binding contract which you sign, and if you don't pay them they have you for breech of contract, and then you get fined by the courts.

When they tried it with me (£50 per child per parent, £200 total), I challenged their authority and requested evidence that they were not in breech of the Bill of Rights ACT, and also asked why there was a VAT number for each penalty (they don't tax compensation). I never heard from them again so I served them with an estoppel.
Now the school knows that I know the law surrounding fines and penalties, they haven't bothered me ever since.
I take MY kids out whenever I want, there is nothing they can do about it. They don't even bother trying with me.


Gypsies are not members of this society, therefore government statues don't apply to them.
Want the same immunity for your kids? Then don't register their birth. Simple.

Meanwhile, in the real world...
 
This isn't a claim of compensation. So they don't need to show a sustained loss.

In the same way a speeding ticket isn't one of a sustained damages.
 
I find it amazing how so many people just appeared :rolleyes:

1) people moaning about parents doing the same then bragging about cheap holidays... you do realise it is precisely because of the additional cost that your holiday is subsidised and thus offered at the cheap rate you seem keen to rub in everyones face

2) there have been 3 petitions raised on this in the last 18months. The firwt debated in parliament was changed from the petition to scrap ban on term time holidays to the cost of holidays, the second and third were just dismissed. .. shows how much contempt the government have

3) the religious clause is there solely to cover this forums favourite religion (kids able to take 8wks off and no fine yet i know of someone who had a Friday and monday off and was hammered with a fine for a holiday)

Provided attendance is over 95% it shouldn't be a problem and kids should absolutely have family time. School is not the pinnacle of needs (see Maslow) if education accepts this arbitrarily then its a crock.

Heads should use discretion fairly and reasonably. Some people have to work half terms, for others its a choice. All these people with the diminished capacity of understanding using the "you choose to have kids" its quite clear that they have not learned anything from their own childhood
 
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