Advice needed for new Penalty Notices issued by LEA

[MIKEEB]

Hi,

 

I have recently received a Penalty Notice from my Local Council for taking my daughter on holiday out of term time. The new regulations came in on September 2013 from DFE. I was unable to take a holiday in term time as I am self employed and this is my busiest time of year and only had some time available at the end of September when I had no customers or bookings..

 

I do not want to get into an argument about the moral implications of holidaying out of term time, every case has its own reasons etc..

 

My question is that can I fight this from a legal stand point. The penalty notice has come on a standard council invoice, therefore is this legal enforceable?

 

My question is that this is from Education Welfare Services, whereas we have never had anything to do with this service as it is for parents who do not look after their childrens welfare and for problem children. My daughter is only in year 3 yet achieving year 4 standards.

 

 

Please can anyone tell me if I can fight this - as I am sure there will be lots of parents like me around the country

 

Thanks

[Bazooka Boo]

I am absolutely gob smacked, that they can even consider trying to force people to pay 'penalty notices' for taking your own child on holiday in term time, when the teachers can strike at the drop of a hat forcing parents to take time off work.

 

I would definitely be arguing against this, dig my heels right in, it's blooming criminal!

 

However, as I don't have any kids, I don't have to go through the whole process of the draconian practices the government employs where they tell you how to treat/care/teach your own flesh and blood simply because they force you to give up ownership of it at birth.

[ploddertom]

I don't know the answer but will ask the question - did you either ask or inform them before you went away?

[MIKEEB]

Hi Bazooka Boo,

 

Exactly....

 

I am more concerned at some faceless entity telling me what I can and cant do with my own daughter!!! Yet the cheeky so and so's have days off for "teacher training" and days off to strike - but this does not affect my childs education???

[MIKEEB]

Hi Ploddertom,

 

Yes, we put in a request for unauthorised exceptional circustances - but did not get the refusal until the day before we traveled as the school said it was in my daughters tray at school.

 

The head said she would normally approve this request but it was now out of her hands and now NO headteachers are allowed in law to authorise term time holidays...

 

Is it worth trying to fight this or am I just wasting my time??

 

Cheers

[Bazooka Boo]

Mike, I have no experience of this at all, but I do have plenty of experience in showing councils and corporations the error of their ways, and that life does not revolve around profits and how to extort them from us.

 

IMHO I would question them at every single turn, make it more than their worth to rattle your cage.

[sytra]

The head said she would normally approve this request but it was now out of her hands and now NO headteachers are allowed in law to authorise term time holidays...

 

Cheers

I don't know anything about this but will shortly be having our own battles with the council i no doubt!! but my understanding is that the Headteachers CAN still authorise absence, the guidance issued to them is that they should use discretion as to whether or not it is exceptional. I think the Head in your case is trying it on