LEAVE OF ABSENCE DURING TERM TIME

It is important that children attend school regularly so that their learning is not disrupted and they have consistent access to the curriculum and learning experiences.

Parents are strongly urged to avoid booking a family holiday during term time.

Following guidance from the DfE, on receipt of a leave of absence request, the Head Teacher and the School’s Governing Body will consider whether the circumstances of the request are ‘exceptional’ and communicate to the parent/carer if their request has been approved or not. A leave of absence during term time for the purposes of a holiday is not normally considered to qualify as exceptional and will therefore not be approved.

If a leave of absence goes ahead after a request for approval has been declined, the absence will be recorded on the pupil’s registration record as unauthorised.

The National Framework includes:

• A single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period. The three-year period begins from the date of the first penalty notice issued on or after 19 August 2024.
• Unauthorised absence sessions can be consecutive (e.g. 10 sessions of holiday in one week) or sporadic (e.g. 6 sessions of unauthorised absence in 1 week and 1 per week for the next 4 weeks).  The 10 school week period may span different terms or school years.
• The option of using a ‘Notice to Improve’ where support is appropriate to provide a final opportunity to engage with support to prevent a penalty notice being issued. 
• The first penalty notice issued to the parent for that pupil will be charged at £160 if paid within 28 days reducing to £80 if paid within 21 days. (this is less than an inflationary rise since 2013)
• Where it is deemed appropriate to issue a second penalty notice to the same parent for the same pupil within 3 years of the first notice, the second notice is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days. 
• A third penalty notice must not be issued within a 3 year period. Therefore, in cases where the threshold is met for a third (or subsequent) times within those 3 years, a penalty notice cannot be issued and alternative action should be taken instead. This will often include considering prosecution, but may include other tools such as one of the other attendance legal interventions.

Leave of Absence Request

Please complete this form including your child's name and class, first date of absence, last date of absence and the total number of days affected. Please also include the reason for the absence. Your request will be reviewed and you will receive notification of the decision.