Child Day Off From School. Am I Wrong?

[Bushi]

OK, strange to be posting this on PH but really donot want to join mumsnet and people here seem to be fairly normal.

So I have a 6 year old daughter at school. 100% attendance doing really well.

She loves space, all the sciences etc.. met Chris Hadfield last week and shes really enthused about space travel, has been for a long while. 90% sure this is lead by her rather than dragged by me, ether way happy days. Loves maths, sciences, engineering...

Any way... we have the space launch on the 15th for Tim Peake, and I have tkts for us both to go to the National Space Centre and watch the launch live with an absolute bucket load of Childrens educational activities on the day to enthuse children in the stem subjects.

Applied to school for the day of and they have refused.

WTF? seems insane to me but I may be well off base.

Any views before I simply take her and feel the wrath of local councils and schools?

[Bushi]

pincher said:

On what grounds did they refuse your application?

I've heard of people taking their kids on holiday and it being approved as they claimed there were 'educational elements' to the holiday

Email: "Thank you for your email regarding your intention to attend the upcoming National Space Centre launch, unfortunately we will not be able to authorise Childs Name absence from school that day."

[Bushi]

Ok, cheers for the responses.
Clearly I made the mistake of going by the book.
Not something I normally do but trying to teach her proper moral values, may have to show her how rules can become a little grey.

Looking at the guidelines linked earlier schools do seem have leeway to grant leave for educational trips but I can see how it is difficult for them.

Now have to decide whether to simply up and go or not.

[Bushi]

Thanks all for the interest and support, apart from the expected 1-2 weirdos some good advice and experiance here.

Think I need to see the bigger picture, its a good school and ill play the system as it stands, in future a quiet word with her teacher I'm sure will go a long way.

Ill pop in and see them tomorrow RE this event.

Thanks all learnt a bit, every days a school day they say.

[Bushi]

deadtom said:

I'm highly jealous of the experience your daughter will have, and also that she met commander Hadfield.
.

I dont tend to get star struck, but that man has some charisma.
It was a few weeks ago he was simply giving a talk for his new book in North London but was the most motivational speaker I have witnessed.
Small girl asked him why he sang in space so he whips out the (luckilly) close by hidden guitar and off he goes for a 5 minute singalong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5clqxURVhY


He stayed for hours meeting everyone and singing happy birthday.
Everyone who left after seemed in a religious Hadfield haze, very strange experience.
Follow his twitter etc.. whenever he is close pop along, however small the event.

[Bushi]

Sheepshanks said:

That's right - but they have to decide within a set of rules that say they can only authorise in "exceptional circumstances".

Heads have complained that there's no official guidance on what constitutes "exceptional circumstances" but they're unlikely to include taking a kid out for a day to go to a science fair.

In the cold light of day thats pretty much the conclusion I have come to.
My schools got around 300 kids with differing interests and hobbies, I only have 2 to worry about.

Just have to play the game a little smarter.

[Bushi]

walm said:

Everyone seems to have missed this owing to the OUTRAGE.

The idea is to stop people taking holiday in term-time.
But because the government are idiots they made it a 10 session minimum.
So you can still go skiing and not get fined.

Taking a day is obviously perfectly OK but you aren't going to get permission.
So as long as you don't want to do it another 5 times THIS TERM - you won't get fined.
And even if you ARE fined - it's a tank of gas.

The OP has let the school know and hence avoided them worrying when she doesn't turn up.
That all he has to do.

Don't bother hassling the head or making a nuisance of yourself - just go and enjoy the day!!

That's exactly what is going to happen, spoke to her teaching assistant and clearly agreed with nearly every one here. Take it unapproved or sick its simply not an issue.

Obviously made the post in the heat of the moment, but read so much Daily Mail "outrage" nonsense from parents up in court with fines etc... posters and charts all over school with attendance percentages, the school have you thinking its the end of the world. I just needed a bit of perspective.

Cheers.