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Taking children out of school during term time
I will be taking my children out of school next month for our family holiday. 2 of my children have additional needs, one is diagnosed combined adhd and one awaiting assessment for adhd/asd. Neither of them cope well in overcrowded situations with one having social anxiety and the other being liable to wonder off etc. this is the main reason for going out of term time so it will not be as busy. Is there anything I can do in order to not receive an fine from my local authorities for doing this.
SenateUser 476
16 Sep 2023
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I have never heard of exams being sat at home. My son has a separate quiet room - would that work?
Can a disabled child or young person sit their examinations at home?
SenateUser 184
16 Mar 2025
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Is it possible to convince a University to agree a remedy for lack of disability support which is outside their standard published remedies?
Appeal has been upheld but their only suggested remedy is to resit the modules (from the last academic year - 2nd year) in the next academic year. The modules were passed but not at sufficient level to continue on integrated masters course so has dropped down to Bachelors (by a few percent). They will only re-instate to Masters if she passes the 2nd year modules at sufficient academic grade, but student is currently in final year of Bachelors and due to graduate before the exams take place! We are arguing that the failure to meet threshold is due to lack of disability support and provision and that if she passes 3rd year modules at sufficient level, this should indicate ability to continue.
Not sure how to argue this when response is "computer says no". Currently awaiting investigation of formal complaint.SenateUser 710
22 Nov 2024
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Can my son's school mark his private speech and language therapy sessions as "unauthorised" absence?
1) My son was diagnosed postnatally with a rare neurological condition that affects fewer than one in a million children born in the UK each year. He is currently under the care of the Neurology department at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where he will continue to have regular check-ups and MRI scans every six months throughout his childhood.
2) In 2022, his condition deteriorated, and after a series of urgent and invasive interventions at GOSH, his clinical team referred him for Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) in January 2023.
3) We later discovered that the school (an Academy) had opted out of the NHS-provided SaLT services. Additionally, the school's SaLT, who was employed through a third-party provider, went on maternity leave, leaving the school without any SaLT cover.
4) By July 2023, we, as his parents, felt it was crucial to privately commission SaLT services to ensure our son received the necessary support. Given the complexity of his rare condition and significant developmental delays, we decided to continue weekly private SaLT sessions alongside the therapy he receives(only started in January 2024) through his Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) at school.
5) Since 2023, when my son began attending private SaLT sessions, his school attendance for these appointments have been marked as "authorised," as they were recognised as medical appointments.
6) However, as of this morning, we have been informed that moving forward, his attendance for these sessions will be marked as "unauthorised" and this will be reflected in his annual report.
The school's policy defines authorised absence as:
• When a child is absent, because of illness, and an acceptable explanation has been received
• Religious Observance (as defined in the exemptions list)
• Where a child has had a fixed term exclusion from school
• Medical/dental appointments. As above, appointments should be made outside of school hours.
wherever possible and the minimum amount of time should be taken.
• Exceptional circumstances (unavoidable absence)
• Any prolonged absence may trigger an unannounced home visit by the attendance/safeguarding team
7) Our son enjoys his private SaLT sessions. We have previously inquired about alternative time slots outside of school hours, but none were available.
The school is effectively forcing us to discontinue his private therapy, despite being the very reason we had to seek it in the first place.
8) As I understand, in Bromley v Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (1999), it was determined that where speech and language therapy is necessary for the child to access and benefit from education, it should be treated as an educational provision, even if the therapy is delivered by health professionals.
At the same time under the Children and Families Act 2014, SLT is recognised as both a medical provision and an educational provision.SenateUser 612
20 Sep 2024
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Any thoughts or experience of schools making reasonable adjustments around piercings?
If piercings, currently less than 10, were obtained as a preferable alternative to significant self harm (not ideal I know but recognised by mental health professionals as best solution of a bad bunch currently). But the request to remove the piercings would make the child spiral, and stop attending school (would consider wearing retainers), has anyone got any ideas re case law or ideas for approaches.
SenateUser 677
18 Sep 2024
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Is it discrimination under Equality Act 2010? and is this considered a safeguarding issue?
Son is a full time wheelchair user (unable to stand or crawl) year 3 at mainstream village school. There were adaptions needed to access the top playground (keystage 2) and a ramp was put in last year.
On the 17th May, he suddenly said children were allowed to play on the grass bank alongside the playground (this is quite steep and the kids often roll down it). My son described how he felt sad and lonely as all he could do was sit and watch his friends. We explained this to the headteacher who at first defensively said:
1) No children are allowed on the bank, shortly after 2) The children are only allowed on the bank when i'm there 3) Then 10 minutes later, advised there were no rules about the bank. When further talks were had she advised she cant stop the kids going on as its the 'shaded area'.
My son told her how he felt and she said to him whilst I was sitting there "Its really fun going on the bank, that's why the children want to go on there, but they'll move onto something again soon."
We had asked if there could be rules applied that limited 2 houses (school are divided into 4 houses) on the bank at any one time. This would ensure that our son had some friends down on the playground with him at all times. No further communication from the head. We had also questioned why our sons 1-1 had not seen him alone and offered support, but this was not addressed.
On the 5th July, our son was upset again as he was made to feel this way again. When we questioned why this had not been addressed or rules put in place, we were told the Senco was meeting with the School Council (made up of children aged 8-10 years) the following week to decide the rules.
The rules they came back with is that each classroom/year group of 30 children are allowcated 2 x 30 minutes sessions at lunch on certain days.
We said that this per class (only one class per year at school) will make our son feel even more isolated from his peers.
We raised a complaint and have been told its not under the Equality Act 2010 as its a physical feature - but we are not asking them to flatten it, but just make reasonable adjustment to their rules/policies.
Also stated its not a safe guarding issue - surely if it is having an effect on our sons Mental Health and using the words that the head said to him, it is safeguarding.
We lodged a complaint to the governors whom have sent a really weak reply saying "the head never intended to cause any offence and regrets the vocabulary chosen.
They have looked at the timetables and confident our son receives 1-1 dedicated support. (That's as per his EHCP).
There has been a few things happen previously like everytime our son moves areas, new equipment has been put in the playgrounds from reception and key stage 1. Then when he moved up to this one, they got an accessible grant and the Head wanted to put in 'monkey bars' using the money, my son told us and we were able to speak with school and find something more appropriate but there seems little thought.
Just wanting for the head to take responsibility and show some care.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thank you.SenateUser 611
16 Jul 2024
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LA duty to support during school holidays
Good Afternoon
School Holiday Help!
Bear with me it’s a long one, we have 4 year old boy/girl twins. Who are off to separate schools come September my girl the local mainstream and my boy ASD hub another mainstream. For the last 2 1/2 years they’ve attended preschool together, my boy has had a 1:1 for a good portion of that time and although they really didn’t have to they have absorbed the cost for this during holiday club. They are happy to keep him during the holidays but we need to fund 1:1.
I have been trying since April to get something sorted. I initially applied for participation funding but the form was lost, I then applied again and was told to also apply for a carers assessment which I did. We’ve just had that back but it seems the social worker had done an assessment for participation fund which I asked her several times if this was the case as far as I was concerned the participation and the carers assessment were two very different things so wasn’t sure why she was involving herself in it.
We’ve been given 6 hours for 6 weeks only (which isn’t what I was asking the social worker for) my bill for the twins is close to £2,500 for the summer. We’ve had to take a mortgage break to pay for it.
We both work full time and have no family locally and I believe my son should have the same opportunity as my daughter, and our family have the same opportunity to work as other families do (and not working isn’t an option)
I have tried everything we have one SEN play scheme for his age which is only available to book 1 day a week and is grossly oversubscribed. The HAF activities all ask he has a 1:1 and are at schools/playing fields and he’s a runner he’d be out of there. Childminders/nannies don’t wanna know about school holidays only.
I’ve raised a complaint with LA about the way the whole thing has been handled but also about lack of services.
Do I have any more options? What is the LA’s duty in supporting us? I remember reading something in the children’s act about them having a duty to support parents who wish to work/study? Could I call an emergency review of his EHCP to look at the social care element as his needs are currently met during term time we can muddle through.
Erm yeah just help! Thanks if you got this far!SenateUser 455
08 Aug 2023