PLEASE NOTE: The law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.
If you take your child out of school for an accumulative total of 5 days or more (10 sessions) (90%) over a period of ten weeks, the school will deem this as irregular attendance and will consider a referral to the Local authority for consideration of legal action. This could include:
• A Penalty Notice payable up to £160 fine without further reference to you for a penalty notice this warning is valid for 12 months.
• Prosecution under s444 (1) Education Act 1996, where if convicted you may be fined up to £1,000.
• Prosecution under s444 (1) (a) Education Act 1996 where if convicted you may be fined up to £2,500 and/or 3 months’ imprisonment
To make a request for absence in term time you must have Parental Responsibility and be the parent with whom the child normally lives. If you do not have Parental Responsibility and normally live with the child, you must seek the consent of the parent who does and that person should complete this form. Schools will only consider requests from that parent and absence will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
When deciding whether to allow term time leave, for any reason, the school will only consider: the reason for the leave, the time and duration of the leave, whether or not the leave could have been taken during the statutory school holiday periods, your child’s record of attendance and the learning that will be missed.
Please do not be offended if asked to provide evidence for certain types of absence request – this is so we comply with local guidelines.
