Leave during Term Time
PLEASE THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE TAKING YOUR CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL DURING TERM TIME:
In law you must ask for permission for your children to miss school, well in advance of the planned absence.
Parents can request a leave of absence but, by law, this can only be authorised if the circumstances are exceptional.
Parents who take a child of compulsory school age out of school without permission from the school may be issued with a penalty notice.
TO HELP YOUR CHILD DO WELL IN SCHOOL, YOU SHOULD:
Arrange family holidays/leave of absence to coincide with school holidays wherever possible.
Avoid times when there are important examinations or tests. (check with school)
Always ask the school well in advance for permission.
Be aware of the potential impact on your child’s education.
Government change of legislation
WESTGATE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Government has changed legislation relating to the authorisation of absences in term time. This comes into force on 1st September 2013. Their aim is to make schools take a firmer stance on unnecessary absence during term time i.e. people taking holidays in term time. The new rules state that headteachers can no longer authorise absences unless the circumstances are exceptional. No guidance is available from the government on what constitutes “exceptional” other than it is something that virtually never happens.
As a Governing Body we fully understand the financial difficulties that some parents face when booking holidays, particularly in the school holiday periods, however there is a clear expectation from the DFE that all schools ensure there is a significant reduction in the number of absences during term time.
If you wish to take your children out of school in term time for holidays in the future you will still need to fill in a holiday form. The format for these has changed and one is attached as an example. Unless the circumstances for the request are exceptional the absences will not be authorised, they will be recorded as unauthorised absences. If these absences get to a certain level the Local Authority Court Office will hand out fixed penalty notices to families (£120 per parent per child). As Governors we have looked at the new regulations and have decided that penalty notices will only be considered if unauthorised absence exceeds 10 days from school in term time in any one academic year.
We hope all parents will understand the limitations now placed on us by the government in authorising absences in term time. We need parents to support us in improving our attendance figures (95.5% which is just below the national average) by making sure unnecessary absences do not happen unless totally unavoidable. Our target for attendance in 2013/14 is 96%. Our governing body is aware that we have a good positive relationship with our parents and this is important to us, so any sanctions against parents will only take place in appropriate circumstances.
Further information can be obtained from www.dfe.gov.uk
