[Red Moon]

Legally this is the position:

Taking children out of school for holidays is illegal

Schools, not parents, must decide whether children can be withdrawn from lessons for holidays or other family activities, Lord Justice Auld and Mr Justice Sullivan ruled.

They declared that parents can face a criminal conviction if they remove children in defiance of a school’s wishes. The court overturned a decision by magistrates in the London borough of Bromley to acquit a woman who took her daughters on two holidays without permission.

Mr Justice Sullivan said the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with failing to secure the attendance of her children at their primary school, in breach of the Education Act 1996.

She had removed the three girls for a week’s holiday in November 2003, which included participation in the finals of a dance contest, even though the school had refused permission for them to be absent.

The mother believed that the contest would be “important for their development”. The judge said that she had also won a holiday competition in January 2004, which led to further unauthorised absences.

Other absences were attributed to medical causes, the mother’s car breaking down, or traffic jams that delayed their arrival at school until after registration had been taken.

All three girls were performing above average at school, but Bromley education authority took the mother to court because of their poor attendance record. However, magistrates acquitted her at a hearing last September, saying that the woman had not failed to secure her daughters’ regular attendance. They said that she should have exercised greater care concerning holidays during term, but concluded that the absences were justified.

Allowing the local authority’s appeal yesterday, Mr Justice Sullivan said that the magistrates had misdirected themselves on the law. They had to decide only the strict liability issue of whether “the children had failed to attend school regularly”. It was plain in law that leave of absence “means leave granted by the school — not leave which magistrates consider might have been justified”. The magistrates “were simply not applying the correct statutory test”.

Lord Justice Auld said that the case should be sent back to the magistrates with a direction to convict the mother, but with an indication that she should receive an absolute discharge in view of the time that had elapsed.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the ruling. He said: “This will be very helpful to schools and heads who want to put a stop to term-time holidays which interfere with children’s education.”

The Department for Education and Skills has already made clear its disapproval of term-time holidays and has urged head teachers not to grant them unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Tony and Cherie Blair got into trouble with the headmaster of the London Oratory School in 1999, when it became clear that a family holiday in the Seychelles would cause their two sons to miss the first day of term. This emerged less than a week after David Blunkett, then the Education Secretary, had said that children should not be allowed to skip school for term-time travel.

Source: The Times

It's another of New Labour's Big Brother Laws that maeans you can't do what you want with your own children even for a single day during term time.

However the guidelines are that a school can agree to let your child take off up to ten school days a year for holidays but dependent on school's governing body adopting the guidelines.

What you need to do is contact the school's head teacher, not some lowly form teacher!

[Jake!]

Originally posted by Nickyy
The MEN is mad, yea.. we're not staying there that night, it's about 2 hours home, so we will just come home :3

And I told her because I would have been in even more trouble because she would be like where is Nicky? and they would all see gone to see the X Factor xD

She had a right go at two girls who went to see Pop Idol a few years ago xD

It's pure madness xD

1. She's thick. You can take an afternoon off, especially since you told her the truth.
2. Why would anyone want to see Pop Idol!

[Fom]

Ah just take the day off! Who cares! People do worse than you, you wont get in trouble. And if you do just go crazy!
I only left school 3 years ago, can't of changed that much. I had walked out of lessons and gone home before, I hated the last 2 years of school I was never in. Never effected me though.

[Nicky.]

Thanks everyone !

I will either -

Go to see someone a bit higher than my form tutor
Get mum to ring up about it
Take the whole day off and not mention it again, although I have double RM in the morning, and I love that subject xD

[Jake!]

Whats RM?

[Jen]

Nicky don't worry
In February I'm taking a thursday/ Friday off to go down to Dublin to see the Killers.... I shall be sick those days I too miss subjects I love... it sucks but sure... concerts are better.

[Nicky.]

Originally posted by Jake!
Whats RM?

Resistant materials :3

Woodwork and metal work!

I love it xD

I was the only girl in the year to take it.. and on my first project I got 2 A+'s .. one for the project and one for effort !

Highest mark in the year! I beat all the lads

Friday mornings are the best

[Princess]

^Concerts beat EVERYTHING!

Oh and Hugo,Heat's my bible too :P

[Nicky.]

Originally posted by JDIZZEL
Nicky don't worry
In February I'm taking a thursday/ Friday off to go down to Dublin to see the Killers.... I shall be sick those days I too miss subjects I love... it sucks but sure... concerts are better.

Lol xD
Naughty

(I know this will sounds really stupid) I hate being shouted at by her.. once I had 'Bring Letter In' written really small on my hand, and she had a go at me and I had to wash it off. Ultimately, I forgot it the next day!!

She's so strict

[Sam!]

Originally posted by Nickyy

Resistant materials :3

Woodwork and metal work!

I love it xD

I was the only girl in the year to take it.. and on my first project I got 2 A+'s .. one for the project and one for effort !

Highest mark in the year! I beat all the lads

Friday mornings are the best

Quite a few girls took RM at our school and quite a few guys took food, only one guy took textiles lol. Then its mixed in Graphics and Electronics.

[Nicky.]

Originally posted by Scampi

Quite a few girls took RM at our school and quite a few guys took food, only one guy took textiles lol. Then its mixed in Graphics and Electronics.

I think 3 lads took food.. and we don't have graphics, textiles and electronics xD

Not enough people took textiles, and we aint offered the other 2 xD

No lads took Child Development though :3

[Nicky.]

I just took a days holiday, and at the same time I got 19th June for McFly concert...

My teacher wasn't happy when it came in the register this morning.. but I don't care xD