Holidays and Leave of Absences

Family Holidays and Term Time Leave

Schools are open for 39 weeks of the year, and it is expected that family holidays are taken during the remaining 13 weeks of school holidays. Term-time holidays will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances.

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If a holiday during term time is unavoidable, parents/carers must complete a Leave of Absence Request Form and return it to the school office at least 4 weeks in advance. All requests will be responded to in writing within 5 school days.

 

Requests for leave will not be authorised in the following circumstances:

• Immediately before or during assessment periods

• If a child has any unauthorised absences on record

• If a child’s authorised absence exceeds 10%

• If the request is submitted less than 4 weeks before the proposed leave

 

Leave in term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. All other leave will be marked as unauthorised, and parents/carers may be issued with a Penalty Notice of £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid within 28 days.

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Important: All fines are issued and collected by the Local Authority (LA), not the school. This is a legal action, and schools are required to follow statutory procedures. Schools do not benefit financially from penalty notices.

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Legal Notice: Removal from Roll

Under the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, a pupil may be removed from the school roll if they have been absent for 20 consecutive school days and the school has made reasonable enquiries to locate the child without success. This typically applies when families move without notice or take extended unauthorised leave. A deletion notice must be issued by the Local Authority’s Children Missing Education (CME) team before removal can occur.

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