Every School Day Counts!

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There are only 190 statutory school days in a year, leaving 175 days, including weekends and holidays, which are available for you to use for holidays.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 says that parents do not have the right to take their child out of school for a ‘holiday’.  Whilst we appreciate that family circumstances differ, Headteachers are legally only allowed to authorise a leave of absence when an application has been made in advance, and it is felt to be for an exceptional circumstance. Under the guidance, a family holiday is not deemed an exceptional circumstance.

If you do decide to take a leave of absence that has not been authorised by the Headteacher, this will be recorded in the register as an unauthorised absence.  This may result in a truancy penalty notice (TPN) of £60 (rising to £120) per parent, per child being issued.

Parents/carers should never simply discount the amount of a penalty notice from the cost of a cheaper holiday, because a TPN is classed as  a criminal offence and may result in prosecution and a criminal record.

Before a Special Leave of Absence is authorised, the Headteacher will consider the following points :

• Your child’s age

• The stage of your child’s education

• The time of year (e.g. SATs)

• The exceptional circumstances for Special Leave.

Attendance and Late starts to school

We know that those children who have the best rates of attendance achieve the best results.  Children need a good start to the school day to enable them to settle into their class with their classmates.  Please ensure that your child enters their classroom by 8:50 am  in time for registration.

Please consider the unspoken message you are giving your child by regularly missing school or being late.

Holidays in Term Time

Procedure

Parents complete a request for leave of absence form and return it to the school for authorisation at least 10 working days before the requested date (click on link below for PDF version of the form).

Parents are informed of the school’s decision (ideally within 5 working days).

If the holiday is not to be authorised, the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) will receive a copy of this communication with the parents at the same time - in such cases a Holidays In Term Time (HITT) warning notice will be served.

If a warning has been served and the holiday is taken and the conditions are in line with the Code of Conduct, a Truancy Penalty Notice (TPN) may be served.  This is a fine of up to £120 per child.

If the TPN is not paid the Local Authority may prosecute for the absence under the Code of Conduct Regulations.

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Please support us in encouraging good attendance and using school holidays for family time.

EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS