Overview
You must make sure your child gets a full-time education that meets their needs (eg if they have special educational needs). You can send your child to school or educate them yourself.
Children must get an education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16.
If your child is unexpectedly missing from school and the local council thinks you’re not giving them home education, you’ll be contacted by the school or the council’s educational welfare officer. They’ll contact you even if your child is only missing for a day.
You can be prosecuted if you don’t give your child an education. You’ll normally get warnings and offers of help from the local council first.
You can get education and attendance information from your council.
When your child can miss school
You can only allow your child to miss school if either:
- They’re too ill to go in
- You’ve got advance permission from the school
There’s extra support available if your child can’t go to school for long periods because of a health problem.
Holidays in term time
You have to get permission from the head teacher if you want to take your child out of school during term time.
You can only do this if:
- You make an application to the head teacher in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with)
- There are exceptional circumstances
It’s up to the head teacher how many days your child can be away from school if leave is granted.
Follow the links below for yearly useful information and leave of absence application.
Leave-of-Absence-Information-to-Parents-2016-2017.pdf
Leave-of-Absence-Form.pdf
We understand that holidays are generally less expensive during term time but this does NOT count as an Exceptional Circumstance.
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Parents please note:
Leave which is taken for the following reasons will not be authorised:
- Availability of cheaper holidays
- Availability of desired accommodation
- Poor weather experienced in school holidays
- Overlap with beginning or end of term
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We greatly appreciate parental support to reduce the total amount of days lost due to holidays. We are committed to working in partnership with you to enable your child to reach their academic targets and to support their social development and for this to happen we need to keep individual attendance as high as possible and we all need to play our part.
Why attendance matters:
- Less than 5 days absence = 98%+ attendance
- 14 days absence (approx.) = 93.5% attendance
- 20 days absence (approx.) = 90% attendance
- More than 30 days absence = 88% attendance
If a child achieves 80% attendance this means that they have missed approximately 40 days of education over the academic year, averaging 1 day per week. If a child’s attendance equates to 80% over their time in secondary school they will miss more than a full year of education.
Your child’s progress academically as well as socially is our shared priority.
| Be aware: Holidays which are unauthorised should not be taken. If they are taken, parents are in breach of their legal duty to ensure that their child attends school full time and may be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution through the courts. |