Parents do not have a right or entitlement to take children on holiday during term time. If you apply for leave of absence and remove your child from school, their absence will be recorded as unauthorised for the period they are absent. Parents will still need to complete an Application for Leave of Absence form, detailing the reason for their request, as we still need to know that you child will not be in school.

Cheaper prices cannot be considered to be a valid reason. We have to prioritise education before finance. The cost of educating a child for a week far outweighs the savings made by taking time out of school for a cheaper holiday.

The decision whether or not to apply for a penalty notice against parents is entirely at the discretion of the school.

In accordance with Government guidelines, the Local Education Authority reserves the right to fine parents who take their children out of the Academy for holidays during term time without approval.

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s educational progress. A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance in the year, 10 days absence also means the pupil will miss 50 hours of education. There is no entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time, however, you may apply to the school for leave of absence if you believe there are exceptional circumstances.

If the absence is NOT authorised and the holiday is taken, the case may be referred to the Education Welfare Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.

From time to time, exceptional circumstances may occur which will necessitate a child’s leave of absence from the academy. These may include such things as: religious festivals; family bereavements; family weddings; special occasions, events or other out of academy activities; public performances. Requests for leave of absence should be submitted to school, giving as much notice as possible, using a Leave of Absence form . Each request will be considered on its merits and is at the discretion of the Headteacher. The child’s overall attendance pattern, the nature of the event, the amount of notice given and the impact on the child’s academic progress will be taken into consideration. Birthday celebrations, shopping, sleeping in, or day trips will not normally be authorised.