Term Dates and Term Time Holiday Requests

The Department for Education states that children MUST attend school and there is no legal proviso for term time holidays. At Newington Academy we try to be flexible when parents have no option but to take a child out of school during term time however evidence for the necessity of this holiday will be required. This evidence may take the form of a letter from a parents employer stating that holidays cannot be taken during the school holiday period. All holiday requests MUST be received by the school office a minimum of 7 days before the holiday start date.

If your child has a school attendance record of over 95% and the holiday is for 10 school sessions (5 days) or less the school has the option of agreeing to the request on the condition that the application is made in line with the definition for exceptional cirucmstances. If your child has a poor school attendance history, or the holiday is in excess of 10 school sessions (5 days), then the application will be declined. All parents requesting a term time holiday will be asked to meet with the head teacher, Mrs Leighton, to discuss their request.

Examples of exceptional circumstances include;

-Service Personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays outside term-time

-Acute crisis within the family, where the family needs to spend time together to support each other

-Court order/formal agreement where parents have separated

If a declined holiday is still taken, or if no application is made, parents will be subject to a Penalty Notice of £60 per child, per family member from Hull City Council.