The law allows the school to consider individual requests to authorise a future absence. Headteachers are only permitted to grant leave of absence for any reason if they are satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist. Any request for leave must be made in writing to the Headteacher using the Absence Request Form.
To request leave of absence you must have parental responsibility and be the parent with whom the child normally lives. If you do not have parental responsibility and/or normally live with the child, you must seek the consent of the parent who does, and that person should complete the request form.
When deciding whether to allow term time leave, for any reason, the school will only consider:
- The reason for the leave (i.e. whether there are exceptional circumstances)
- The time and duration of the leave
- Whether or not the leave could have been taken during the statutory school holiday periods
- Learning that will be missed
Parents are asked not to book family holidays during term time. The Headteacher and Admissions and attendance committee, has the discretion to grant leave, but will only do so in exceptional circumstances. Any pupil who goes on holiday during term time, without the schools permission will have the absence recorded as unauthorised. Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time, without consent from the school, in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and Cornwall Councils Code of Conduct regarding Penalty Notices. If a parent takes a child on holiday after a request has been refused and the parent warned in writing, the local authority will consider prosecuting.
- All absence requests should completed on the school absence request form before any bookings are made.
- Any absence that has not been agreed by the Headteacher or attendance committee will be recorded as unauthorised and the local authority may consider prosecuting.
- Authorisation will not be granted retrospectively.
- Absence requests will not be granted if the absence will push the child’s attendance below
95% for the academic year.
To take holiday in school time, because the cost is cheaper during term time, does not constitute an exceptional circumstance and will not be authorised.