Family Holidays and Extended Leave
Parents are strongly advised to avoid taking their children on holiday during term time. Parents do not have an automatic right to remove their child from school during term time for the purpose of a holiday and should be made aware that if their child is absent for 10 school days they will miss 5% of their education during that academic year. Although there is a clear expectation for Headteachers not to grant holiday requests; exceptional circumstances can be considered. Up to 10 school days leave in any one school year may be granted at the discretion of the Headteacher.
Parents wishing to take their child on holiday during term time must complete a Request for Leave form along with a written request to the Headteacher before holiday arrangements are made. Documentary evidence of leave and return dates may be required in order to process your request. Retrospective requests will not be considered and therefore will result in the absence being categorised as unauthorised. Each request will be considered individually and will take the following factors into account:
- Length of the proposed leave
- Age of the student
- The student’s general absence/attendance record
- Proximity of assessments and public examinations
- Student’s ability to catch up the work missed
- Student’s educational needs
- General welfare of the student
- Circumstances of the request
- Purpose of the leave
- Previous term time holidays taken
- When the request was made
All requests for leave of absence will be responded to in writing. Where a request has been granted the letter should state:
- Â The expected date of return
- That parents must contact school should any delays occur
If the permission to take leave is not granted and the student still goes on holiday, the absence will be unauthorised. In such cases the school may refer the matter to the County Attendance Team who may issue a Penalty Notice.
Only in exceptional circumstances will absence of more than 10 school days be agreed. In such cases, consideration will also be given to cultural needs and family circumstances, such as minority ethnic children returning to their country of origin. In these cases granting leave for longer periods than normal may be considered justified. In all cases though, parents will be required to justify why the holiday needs to be taken during term time.