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Fleetdown Primary School head teacher in term-time holiday threat Fleetdown Primary School head teacher drops term-time holiday threat
(about 4 hours later)
A head teacher has threatened pupils with losing their school places if they take family holidays during term time. A head teacher who warned pupils could lose their school places if they took family holidays during term time has been ordered to drop the threat.
Angela Konarzewski, of Fleetdown Primary School in Kent, said those taking term-time holidays may find their places offered to children on the waiting list. Angela Konarzewski said places of pupils taking term-time holidays from Fleetdown Primary School could be offered to others on the waiting list.
She said parents, who already face a £60 fine for unauthorised absences, may have to "renegotiate" their child's spot at the school upon their return. She said parents might have to "renegotiate" their child's spot at the Dartford school upon their return.
Kent County Council has yet to comment. But Kent County Council said it believed such action was unlawful.
She said the school, in Dartford, was rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2014 and is in high demand, with two children vying for each place. Mrs Konarzewski said the school, rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2014, was in high demand, with two children vying for each place.
'Declaration of war' 'No legal provision'
Parents who fall foul of term-time holiday rules may have to sign a written agreement promising not to repeat the offence, Mrs Konarzewski said. And in a newsletter, she warned parents who fell foul of term-time holiday rules that they might have to sign a written agreement promising not to repeat the offence.
Even a small amount of absence has an impact on achievement, she said. She said even a small amount of absence had an impact on achievement.
"I think their education is more important than having a holiday with the family. It's not a human right to have a holiday," she said."I think their education is more important than having a holiday with the family. It's not a human right to have a holiday," she said.
"It's a form of child abuse, in my opinion.""It's a form of child abuse, in my opinion."
Former Ofsted inspector and deputy headmaster Chris McGovern agreed it was important for children to be in school unless there were special circumstances, and catching up could prove disruptive for teachers and pupils. But the council's education director Patrick Leeson said there was "no legal provision" for a school to remove a pupil for non-attendance.
But, he said: "Parents should be friends of the school, and this particular newsletter… is a bit like a declaration of war on parents." "Unauthorised absence from school to attend a holiday cannot be seen as persistent or serious breaches of a school's behaviour policy," he said.
'Build bridges, not trenches' "In addition... it would be unlawful to exclude a child for the behaviour of their parents."
Fellow Kent head teacher, Stuart Pywell, of St Stephen's Junior School in Canterbury, branded Mrs Konarzewski's proposal "draconian". "As it is a local authority school, Kent County Council will be instructing the governors to amend their relevant behavioural and absence policy to reflect current legislation."
He expressed concerns schools were trying to bolster attendance - a key inspection criteria - in order to maintain Ofsted ratings. Mrs Konarzewsky earlier acknowledged that current legislation meant pupils could not enforce an exclusion but said an "absent" child's place could be offered to a pupil on the waiting list.
Mr Pywell, whose school was rated "good" at its last inspection, said: "They judge English and maths and attendance. But what about the dance, the drama, the swimming, the music?
"Attendance… is only one small facet of quality education."
In response to the newsletter, the Campaign for Real Education said schools "should be building bridges with parents - not trenches".