School refuses to allow cancer mum to take kids on holiday

A mum who is recovering from major surgery plans to take her children out of class for a family holiday – despite their school ‘banning’ the trip.



Helen Hedge, 37, of Links Road, Radford, Coventry is getting over major cancer surgery and can’t travel for three months on doctor’s orders.

That ruled out the school holidays for a much-needed break – so she organised a trip to the Canary Islands at the start of the September term for her two primary school age children.

She filled in a request for exceptional leave – but Whitmore Park Primary School says it will not authorise the absence.

Helen was told her request is ‘‘not acceptable”.

She had a hysterectomy last year after finding out she was a carrier of the rare BRAC1 gene – which has an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer.

As a preventative measure she underwent a double mastectomy last month and will spend the summer recovering.

The mum said: “The school is fully aware of my operations and why I could only do this holiday in September. I had tried calling the headteacher before school closed to talk to her but there are only so many times I can call the school and leave messages.

“I filled in all the forms but heard nothing, then yesterday I received this letter from the school saying it had not been authorised and the reasons for it are outrageous.