Term time absence prosecution unfair ?

[Yamin151]

Seems to me that there must have been other circumstances and issues at a lay here. As someone mentioned, many families asking the same and decided to clamp down? Ongoing issues with this family? Who knows. I feel we can't judge on whether being near the holidays meant they could wait, maybe they were too worried to, maybe it was eve br but right at the start, whatever. However, I know that in our primary, with a good relationship and trust on both sides, an issue such as this simply would not have arisen. Permission would have been given and no further problems. This screams breakdown of communications and relationships to me.

[quasimodo]

That is a different situation ... this was an illness with a school holiday close by.

1. It was a "serious" illness.

2.The grandfather was elderly.

3.The family was of modest means.

4.The grandfather had never been to Mecca which as a non Muslim I know all Muslims try and go once in their lifetimes as a religious duty and if they are fortunate will go many times

5.The son was going to use the money he was saving for his father so that he could go on the Haj on the fines which means the illness was so serious his father would never be able to travel from India to Saudi Arabia.

I think we will simply live to disagree on this one.

[Guest55]

I'm sorry you don't know that these are 'facts'.

I'm sure authorised absence would not have been allowed for any child so this is fair.

[Yamin151]

You are right about the facts, guest, who knows what false info we are being fed. But we don't know that it wasn't a serious illness eithe, and any kind of elderly relative illness would have got a leave of absence granted from my boys primary school. I simply know it. But that's based on a good relationship and a historic record for not asking unless necessary.

[quasimodo]

I am just glad its not a headmaster at my child's school.I certainly wouldn't send her to a school where the discretion is exercised in such an unfair manner for other pupils.

As for the facts just read the article and apply your knowledge of the community.

[Guest55]

quasimodo - all children would be treated the same - no permission for absence for a serious illness of a grandparent when a holiday is so close.

A head cannot allow certain children to have permission for this and others not to - this is what you appear to suggest.

[quasimodo]

[Moon unit]

The problem here is that we just don't know the facts of this case. Obviously there are operations that are to deal with urgent life threatening illness. The fact that this family were able to request the leave in advance makes me believe that it is likely that this situation was not a life threatening one. There isn't a suggestion from the article that the grandfather was seriously ill when the request was made.
Subsequently it was discovered that the situation was more serious than first thought but this was not the case at the outset when leave was declined.

[southbucks3]

Absolutely every child should have the same treatment regardless of the cultural community it's parents have decided to be part of. Where would this stop, a family itself is a micro community, I could declare that I must take my ailing grandfather and our family to visit Graceland as he worshipped Elvis Presley. A head teacher cannot decide one person's beliefs and wants are more important than another's, all families must be treated the same within the guidelines created by the government that was in turn elected by a democratic society.

[vas]

I have taken my children on several holidays missing a few days at the end of term, even at AS (with permission). I think the school is very aware that the primary responsibility for a child's education lies with the child and the parents; the interest that anyone else has, can only be secondary to that.

No responsible parent will take a child out of school to their detriment (unless in exceptional circumstances) and it's sad the responsibilities placed on the teachers and the government to take over the roles of parents.

I suppose it all stems from the massive "blame" culture we see more and more, and the system finding ways to protect it self from it.