Any requests for leave during term time will be considered in line with the above policy and we urge parents to read this policy carefully before they submit a request for leave.
Application for Leave of Absence in Exceptional Circumstances
Holidays In Term Time:
Taking holidays in term time will affect a child’s schooling as much as any other absence.
There is NO automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday.
New DFE guidance released in August 2024 on attendance in school is outlined below. We recommend parents read this carefully before booking holidays or considering any unauthorised absences.
Penalty notices and legal intervention
Where parents do not comply with this policy, and a pupil reaches the national threshold of 10 sessions (5days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 weeks, the school has a duty to inform the local authority.
A fixed penalty notice will then be issued by the local authority in line with the their code of conduct and the DfE’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance.
Penalty notices for unauthorised absences will be charged at £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
A penalty notice of £120 may also be issued where parents allow their child to be present in a public place during school hours without reasonable justification during the first five days of a fixed period or permanent exclusion. This will be reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days.
Parents will only get up to two fines for the same child in a three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
Where attendance still does not improve following a fixed penalty notice, the school will work with the LA to take forward attendance prosecution as a last resort.
Parents who are prosecuted and attend court because their child has not been attending school may be fined up to £2,500.