Leave of Absence Requests

 

Guidance from Central Bedfordshire Council (August 2013) regarding family holidays during term time and the use of Fixed Penalty Notices (September 2014) make it clear that there is no right of entitlement to term-time leave and any requests for such leave will not, as a rule, be granted.

 

It is only in very ‘exceptional circumstances’ that leave will be granted.  Any decision as to what constitutes ‘exceptional circumstances’ is down to the discretion of the Headteacher.

 

The following instances are offered as examples of what might reasonably be considered to constitute ‘exceptional circumstances’:

 

• A parent or other close relative of the child has a serious, life-threatening or terminal medical condition and it is believed that the holiday requested may be the last opportunity for the family to experience such an event.
• A parent is in the armed forces and is shortly due to be posted overseas to a known danger-spot.
• The family is in an extreme state of crisis and it is considered that the holiday in question may help the family to avert or better deal with this crisis.

 

Fixed Penalty Notices

 

A Penalty Notice (starting from £80 per parent/carer per child) may be issued when:

 

• A pupil is taken out of school during term-time for a holiday which has not been authorised by the school.
• A truancy patrol carried out by a School Attendance Officer has found a pupil absent from school and the absence has not been authorised by the school.
• A child’s school attendance has been poor and his/her school believe that the issuing of a Penalty Notice may lead to an improvement in the child’s attendance (for example, when a child is persistently late for school and his/her parents/carers fail to address the situation).

Further information on the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices can be viewed via Central Bedfordshire website 

 

Please support us by avoiding holidays during term-time.