Parent with care going on vacation

What question exactly are your asking? Your ex has booked a holiday whilst the children are at school. If you are unable to look after them, she has arranged for a friend to stay at the house to look after them.

While this may not be ideal, there is not really anything wrong with this other than you are upset about it. If you cannot look after the children, what are the alternatives? Do you not have any relatives that could stay with them? Could they not stay with friends for this week?

The other alternative is there are some childminders that will have children overnight but no doubt the cost of this would make it not possible.

Can I just say that the obvious solution is that which someone has already suggested. Go and fetch your children and bring them back to yours to stay for the week.

Yes it is disruptive to their schooling but you have to weigh that up against the alternatives offered.

I work in a school and we will always say absence during term time is not allowed except in exceptional circumstances. These circumstances are at the headteacher's or governor's discretion and depending on the head they may grant authorised absence or they may record it as unauthorised absence. They cannot stop you taking your children out of school and whilst they may not technically be able to 'allow' it they will understand your reasons if you tell them the background. Whilst I wouldn't like to advocate parents removing their children as and when they like it, the consequences are not really that serious on a one-off occasion!

Schools are under immense government pressure to meet attendance targets and whilst parents should support this initiative, sometimes the child's welfare is more important.

At the end of the day many parents do do as Haway suggests anyway although I have to say we so often catch the children out when parents lie!!!

Go with your gut instinct!!