Leave in term time
Parents and carers are advised to use the school term dates to ensure family holidays are planned in line with school holidays and not during term time. Term Dates are available here
It is not appropriate for the school to authorise absences for shopping, looking after other children, day trips etc. Leave may, however, be granted in an emergency or exceptional circumstances (e.g. bereavement) or for medical appointments which cannot be arranged out of school time.
There is no entitlement for parents to remove their pupil from school for the purposes of a holiday in term time.
In exceptional circumstances parents may request to remove their pupil for a family holiday. If parents do decide to take a holiday (against advice and legislation) then they should complete a leave from learning form available from the school office or website, at least three weeks prior to the trip, stating the first day of absence the date of return to school, and the reason for taking the holiday. Please remember that since September 2013 all holidays in term time are unauthorised except in extreme or exceptional circumstances.
The same leave from learning form can also be used to seek permission for any requests for non-attendance.
The governors have agreed that lower costs/cheaper fares, taking holidays with different sets of parents, visiting family abroad, medical appointments abroad, visits to foreign embassies, receiving the sacraments abroad, significant birthdays or anniversaries etc will not be accepted as an “exceptional” circumstances.
Parents should not assume that returning the form guarantees that the leave of absence request will be approved.
The Head teacher has the authority (through current legislation) to decide whether or not to authorise the requested absence.
The Head teacher will inform parents of the reason/s for a request being refused.
Parents who do decide to remove their child from school during term time must consider the following:
- If a pupil is removed for a family holiday without approval, the absence will be marked as “unauthorised” in the class register. In addition, the Head teacher may report the absence to the Attendance and Children out of School Team who have the authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.
- A pupil who is removed for a prolonged period in term time (that is – longer than a normal absence for sickness) will miss a large amount of school work while he or she is away and will be unprepared for the work on returning to school.
- Teachers will not be able to spend time helping a pupil to catch up with the work missed during the holiday.
- The school will not provide extra work to do at home to make up for that missed. This is not appropriate as the pupil will have missed the initial teaching input.
| Penalties for unauthorised absence |
| Timeline |
One child |
Two children |
| Paid within 21 days |
£60 per parent |
£60 per child = £120 per parent |
| After 21 days and before 28 days |
£120 per parent |
£120 per child = £240 per parent |
| After 28 days |
You will be summons to appear before the Magistrates’ Court on the grounds you have failed to secure your child’s regular attendance |
You will be summons to appear before the Magistrates’ Court on the grounds you have failed to secure your child’s regular attendance |
