Are you thinking about taking your child out of school for a holiday in term time?

Obtain a form from the school office to make your request.

Before submitting a request for holiday please consider the below information.

Information leaflet for parents - your questions answered (see attachment) 

From September 2013, by law, all holidays in term time (now called leave of absence in exceptional circumstances) must be agreed by the head teacher/principal before the holiday is taken. The targets for schools have tightened further and a children will now be considered as being 'Persistently Absent', if their attendance is below 90%.

Parents/carers do not have a right to take their children out of school during term time and may be fined for taking holidays without the school's consent.

A penalty notice (similar to a parking ticket) may be issued where parents/carers fail to ensure regular school attendance.

Penalty notices, when issued, tells the parents/carers to pay a fine of £60 (if paid within 21 days) or £120 if paid within 28 days (from September 2013).

It is the head teacher's/principal's decision if an absence is to be authorised or not. They may request the Attendance and Prosecution Service to consider issuing a penalty notice for any pupil with irregular school attendance.*

(*Supplements existing sanctions under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996 (as amended by Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 and Section 36 of the Children Act 1989). Parents may be prosecuted for the original offence if the penalty is not paid.)

For more information please visit the following government website:
Gov.uk - Legal Action to Enforce School Attendance (Penalty Notice)