Leave of Absence

If a parent or carer wishes to request a period of leave of absence for their child, they are required to write to the Headteacher by completing the appropriate leave of absence form, which can be collected from the school office.

This should be done before any flights, holiday bookings or other arrangements are made.

There is no entitlement to time off in term time. 

A school can only grant Leave of Absence if

• A request for leave of absence is submitted before leave is taken
• And the Headteacher believes the reason is exceptional

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As the Headteacher, I will only grant a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances. A holiday or travelling abroad is not exceptional.

There are 38 weeks in the year when school is open and 14 weeks (175 DAYS) when families can visit family overseas; go on holiday; travel or attend non urgent medical appointments. So before you ask for leave of absence please consider… Is your request for leave of absence exceptional?

If the request is denied, the school will inform the parent of the reason and the request will be noted in the school (electronic) register.

Absence which is taken and not authorised could be liable for a Fixed Penalty fine £60 per parent, per child. This fine will double to £120 if not paid within 21 days. Unpaid fines will result in court proceedings leading to a criminal record for unpaid fines.

If unauthorised leave is taken on a second occasion, fixed penalty notices will be issued again at £60 per parent, per child. Again the fine will double to £120 if not paid within 21 days. 

If unauthorised leave is taken on a third occasion, no Penalty Notice will be issued and that parent will be taken straight to Court under the higher-level aggravated offence.

This means that the parent may be subject to a much more severe penalty i.e. a maximum fine of up to £2,500 or 3 months in custody or, a community order which may involve them doing a number of hours of unpaid work.