My wife and I are thinking of taking a short trip (5 nights) to France in October with the kids to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

The dates we are looking at are just before half-term and I'm worried that the school will try to block it as our eldest is taking his SATS this year.

We have a really good relationship with the Headmaster but I have this niggling feeling that his absence won't be authorised as the school is desperately trying to make the top 50 in the UK.

Any advice or tips on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Why not go at half term?
I'd tend to agree with a headmaster who didn't allow ANY authorised absences for holidays that can be taken at another time.

The price of the trip cynically trebles for half-term week.

Jesus wouldn't be bothered about SATs.

I gather that isn't a recent phenomenon and you will have been aware of it when you chose to have children.

Correct.

Is 4 days lost in primary education worth over £900?

Jesus.

"Come to the Sin Bin and we'll help you through life".

That is a decision you alone can make, I'd have you done for keeping children off school without a valid reason, and a cheap holiday is not a valid reason IMO.

No it isn't but i guess they have to look at the school as a whole. If they didn't have a policy too many kids would be missing term time because parents would be dragging them out all the time. Ultimately it would mean too much disruption.

Could be - my daughter's school fees are £160,000+ pa.