"unauthorised leave"

Eleven Plus (11+) in Gloucestershire (Glos)

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Milla
Posts: 2556
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:25 pm

"unauthorised leave"

Post by Milla »

can anyone tell me what this means in practice?
We applied to Tommy's for leave to go skiing (many reasons why we can't go at half term, not "just" financial) only to get a letter back saying that leisure / holiday did not justify missing school and that if DS1 were not there it would count as "unauthorised leave" but I don't know what this means really. To us, I mean. I thought it would be more an Ofsted thing and a black mark against the school that someone hadn't turned up. Or does it mean that Glos LEA will fine us or what??
Thanks for any light anyone can shed.
Tolstoy
Posts: 2755
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Post by Tolstoy »

This came up in a govs meeting.

I think I am right in saying that the authority have decided that if a persons un-authorised leave exceeds 10 sessions ( one day = 2 sessions) you will get a letter informing you that this is unacceptable and any more unauthorised that year will result in a fine of £50. This is the bit I am a little un-sure of but I do believe that after a year you then start from scratch.

Therefore taking a week off skiing like we did will result with at best a snotty lettter that you can ignore with pleasure as it is quieter on the slopes so worth it. At worse you get a £50 fine which compared to the extra costs involved going during the hols is peanuts and still worth the better skiing enviroment.

Schools however should they wish can authorise this leave at heads and governors discretion if the child has otherwise good attendance. Our school absence policy allows for this, so my primary children will be authorised.

Personally I feel this is how it should be. The current system in some schools encourages people to lie and pretend their children are sick which is not good policy in my view as it masks a real underlying problem of some children having too many sick days.
Milla
Posts: 2556
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:25 pm

Post by Milla »

thanks, Tolstoy.
Yes, we thought we'd go the truthful route - primary SHOULD be OK, I hope, but sadly Tommy's not interested. I was fearful that "unauthorised leave" might involve a fine of up to £100 a day which starts making the financial attraction a little less so.

I'm, to be honest, a little worried about the educational impact of missing a week's school - he missed a few days last term with swine flu although luckily this coincided with a trip to Germany which most of his class was on. He's not top of the class so I have no laurels to rest on there. He is only year 8, but you can still miss vital stepping stones of understanding, particularly in maths, so I will be asking which chapters they will be covering so that we can try to keep up from a distance. Husband is adamant we go. We didn't last year. I sort of feel that we have to opt out of these holidays for a few years but he fears that he will be too old if we leave it any longer. Of course it may start snowing again in which case this is all academic :wink:

BTW, mine would have been EXACTLY the same, disgruntled at missing "free" days off school! Hope you had a great time.
slackmum
Posts: 139
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:21 pm

Post by slackmum »

For years we got our skiing holidays authorised then the LEA said school should not do it any more so got a no letter back, told we faced a fine. We just ignored it, after all he was doing well and the fine was a lot less than the extra cost of the holiday. Apparently the LEA picks a number of offenders every year and fines them. Bizzare when the schools themselves have decided to close for more than a week.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Post by mitasol »

I know I'm not from your area so possibly not relevant but my primary de-registered a child who had a number of unauthorised holiday absences. This was not a one off, it happened over the course of the year, time off at the beginning and end of the holidays. The family came back, after the start of term, to discover the place had been filled by another child. :shock:

edited to add: I found this http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschoo ... is/remove/
So it looks like you can have quite a long holiday before they are allowed to boot you out. :lol:
Tolstoy
Posts: 2755
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Post by Tolstoy »

Bizzare when the schools themselves have decided to close for more than a week.
Plus all the so- called educational trips :? . I find it rather ironic that it would cost us as much to send one child skiing with the school as taking all four with us :roll:
Apparently the LEA picks a number of offenders every year and fines them
wonder how that would stand up in court. Hardly equal opps :!:
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