Holidays (Term Time)

Please also refer to our Attendance Policy (Under Policies) Thank you.

Government regulations on holidays during term time changed considerably from 1^st September 2013. 

Previously the Headteacher has been able to authorise leave if there were special circumstances and the leave requested was no more than 10 days.  The Department for Education now states:

Amendments to the 2006 regulations remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments make clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.

As a result we will no longer have Holiday Request Forms available in school.  If you feel there are Exceptional Circumstances that require your child to miss school during term time you should ask at the school office for an Exceptional Leave Form, it should be completed and sent back to school with as much notice as possible before the leave is due to take place.  Exceptional reasons could be for example a member of the armed forces about to be deployed or returning from deployment, religious and cultural considerations, bereavement, a factory shut down, or the wedding of a parent.   

Any requests that are received for absence will now have to be considered under the amended Regulation.

Parents taking their children out of school without prior authorisation are committing an offence and could be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution. As a school we would really like to avoid that situation but the new regulations may not leave us with any choice.

You can view the amended regulations at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments

As a school we will have to adhere to these amendments in the law, strictly and fairly to ensure equity for all families.

The Educational Welfare Officer conducts an annual inspection of attendance and will look at all requests for leave of absence and at all absences from school. They will issue penalty notices which will incur fines for poor attendance. Your child?s education will suffer if they have time off school.

If you have any concerns about your child?s attendance please contact the headteacher and they  will be more than happy to meet with you or discuss your concerns over the phone.