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Attendance

In the summer 2013 the Department for Education made amendments to the regulations concerning time off for students during the school term.

The Department for Education have published these amendments to the 2006 Regulations:

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006  Amendments have been made to the 2006 regulations in the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. These amendments, as described below, will come into force on 1 September 2013.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 currently allow Headteachers to grant leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time in “special circumstances” of up to ten school days leave per year. Headteachers can also grant extended leave for more than ten school days in exceptional circumstances.

Amendments to the 2006 regulations remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.

These amendments make it clear that Headteachers should not grant authorised absence for family holidays or any other reason unless there are exceptional circumstances.

A popular question on the DfE website is: Can I take my child on holiday in term time?

Headteachers have the discretion to grant leave, but they should only do so in exceptional circumstances. If a headteacher grants a leave request, it will be for them to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school. This leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday.

Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. Please be aware that a penalty notice (fine) can be issued to each parent who fails to ensure their children’s regular attendance at school.

Exceptional circumstances may include:

  • When a family needs to spend time together because of an immediate family member’s bereavement, crisis or serious illness
  • Funeral of immediate family member
  • Religious observance
  • Transport was not provided by the LA when it should have been
  • Children of service personnel about to go on deployment (permission would be considered as long as the request is accompanied by a letter from the Commanding Officer)
  • One day of absence could be authorised for a wedding of an immediate family member (1) and the invitation has been provided as evidence
  • One off sporting events/performing arts competitions, if the child is participating and is at county standard or above and a letter has been provided from the performing arts/sports regional governing body as evidence
  • One day of absence could be authorised for an immediate family member’s (1) graduation ceremony/passing out parade
  • Medical appointments (parents/carers should be encouraged to arrange non-urgent medical appointments outside of school hours when possible. If the medical appointment is during the school day, evidence must be provided. Schools should not authorise a whole days absence for a medical appointment that occurs in the morning – the child would be expected to return to school in the afternoon, and vice versa.

(1) The immediate family is a defined group of relations, used in rules or laws to determine which members of a person’s family are affected by those rules. It normally includes a person’s parents, spouses, siblings and children. It can contain others connected by birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership, or cohabitation, such as grandparents, grandchildren, siblings-in-law, half-siblings, adopted children and step-parents/step-children, and cohabiting partners

The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007

Amendments have been made to the 2007 Regulations in the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. These amendments, as described below, will come into force on 1 September 2013.

The 2007 regulations set out the procedures for issuing penalty notices (fines) to each parent who fails to ensure their children’s regular attendance at school or fails to ensure that their excluded child is not in a public place during the first five days of exclusion. Parents must pay £60 if they pay within 28 days; or £120 if they pay within 42 days.

Amendments to 2007 regulations will reduce the timescales for paying a penalty notice. Each parent must, from 1 September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. This brings attendance penalty notices into line with other types of penalty notices and allows local authorities to act faster on prosecutions.

If you feel that you have exceptional circumstances, which require your child to take leave during term time, please return the absence request form on this website or collect a copy from School reception, before arrangements have been finalised. This must be returned to the Headteacher.