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Lons Infant School
Learning, Opportunities, Nurturing, Success
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Term Time Holidays and Term Dates
Term Time Holidays and Leave of Absence Requests
When can my child miss school?
Under current Government legislation, you can only allow your child to miss school if:
- he or she is too ill to attend;
- you have permission from the school in advance.
How do I request permission for an absence?
You must submit a request to the school before you arrange for your child to have time away.
If you wish to take your child out of school during term time, you must submit a formal request to the Headteacher via the school office. This is done by requesting a Leave of Absence Form from the school office or by clicking on the link below.
The Headteacher will then consider whether to give permission for the absence. A letter will then be sent to both parents (where applicable) advising of the Headteacher decision.
When will absence requests be approved?
Permission for term time absences will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. This does not include:
- cheap holidays or holidays that have already been paid for;
- an absence that coincides with important school events such as the start of term or statutory testing.
The Headteacher will consider each absence request individually and decide whether the absence will be authorised. However, what is decided for one request for leave of absence does not set a precedent for any further requests from yourself or other parents.
What if my absence isn't approved and I take my child on an unauthorised absence?
If your request for a leave of absence is refused and you still choose to take your child out of school for a holiday or other reason, you may be fined or even prosecuted.
National Framework for penalty notices
To provide consistency, the government has introduced a new national framework for when schools and local authorities believe that they have exhausted all offers of support and the parent or carer is not engaging with the attempt to improve their child's attendance at school.
The threshold for when a school should consider next steps is 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A school week means any week in which there is at least one school session. This can be made up of any form of unauthorised absence, including late after close of register (attendance code U) and odd days of unauthorised absence (attendance code O) which add up to 5 days within a 10-week period.
At this point, the school will consider if it's likely that the attendance will improve with further support. They may then decide to refer the case to us for formal monitoring. This may proceed to legal action if the attendance does not improve.
Education penalty notices are issued to parents of statutory school age children. They can be issued to each parent or carer who is deemed liable for the child's absence from school. The costs and process are as follows.
First offence
The first time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance. The amount will be:
- £160 per parent per child, if paid within 28 days
- reduced to £80 per parent per child, if paid within 21 days
Second offence (within 3 years)
The second time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance. The amount will be £160 per parent per child, if paid within 28 days.
Third offence and any further offences (within 3 years)
The third time an offence is committed for term-time leave or irregular attendance, a penalty notice will not be issued. The case will be presented straight to the magistrates' court.
Why is it important not to take my child out of school during term time?
Missing two weeks of school for a holiday might not seem very much but it can have a big effect of your child's education.
For example, if your child misses two weeks of school every year, this adds up to more than two terms over the child's whole time at school.
Making sure your child attends school as much as possible means:
- your child will have the same education and opportunities as everyone else in class;
- you won't need to worry about catching up on work or that your child might fall behind because of missing an important lesson;
- your child won't miss out on activities at the start and end of term which are often fun and a chance to develop friendships.
You can find out more about the legislation surrounding term time leave of absences by clicking here.
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/attendance-missing-home-education/school-attendance/school-attendance.aspx
Leave of Absence form
School term dates 2024 - 2025
2024 - 2025 INSET days
4th September 2024
25th October 2024
20th December 2024
17th March 2025
23rd June 2025