The school strongly discourages absences for the purpose of holidays, following Local Authority guidance that states 'Parents should not normally take students on holiday in term time. Parents who do take their children on holiday in term time without prior authorisation by the school may be fined'. Requests for such exceptional leave of absence must be made well in advance, in writing, addressed to the Deputy Headteacher - Student Development; requests leading up to and during GCSEs are detrimental to a child’s education and will not be granted. Requests for extended leave for purposes other than holidays should likewise be addressed to the Deputy Headteacher and will be considered on an individual basis. Alternatively, you may use the ‘Application for Student Absence’ form linked above. The school works with the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) to address unauthorised absences. If necessary the EWS can issue penalty notices for persistent non-attendance.