Requesting Leave of Absence

As you may know, the law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. The Department for Education allows a Headteacher the discretion to consider authorising a leave of absence in term time only in “exceptional circumstances”.

You may consider that a holiday will be educational, but your child will still miss out on the teaching that their peers will receive whilst your child is away. Children returning from a leave of absence during term time are also unprepared for the lessons which build on the teaching they have missed. This poses a potential risk of under achievement for your child.

If you wish to request a leave of absence, please complete the form below. This form is also available from school as a printed copy. If the absence is not considered to be an exceptional circumstance, and you nevertheless take your child out of school for the leave of absence this will be recorded as unauthorised leave.

Absence Request Form – Download Word Doc

All unauthorised absences, including holidays that have not been sanctioned by the Headteacher, are accumulated and parents who fail to ensure regular attendance of their children at school can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. The amount is £60 (per parent per child) if paid within 21 days and £120 (per parent per child) if paid between 21 and 28 days. Failure to pay a Penalty Notice will result in prosecution, except in limited circumstances.

All leave of absence requests must be completed on the below form, letters will no longer be accepted. This should be returned to the school at least 7 days before the start of the holiday. All requests must be made prior to the leave being taken. Leave cannot be authorised retrospectively.

In considering the decision whether to authorise, the following will be taken into account:-

• Reasons given for the holiday.
• Any holidays taken in previous or the current academic year.
• Your child’s previous attendance record; this includes attendance in the current academic year – which should be over 95% – as well as attendance in previous academic years.
• Whether your child will miss any tests/examinations (or important preparation for their tests).
• Whether your child is making good progress.