Details from the Department of Education are as follows:

• The Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence during term time, except in very exceptional circumstances.  Holidays for reasons of convenience or price do NOT qualify. Exceptional circumstances are absences due to, for example, military movement, funerals, weddings and terminal illness or the bereavement of a parent or sibling.
• In exceptional circumstances, if leave is granted, the head teacher should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school.

You should not normally take your child on holidays in term time – it can be disruptive both to your child’s learning and to the school.

Any application should be made as far in advance of the holiday as possible, and you should speak to the school before you book.  Whilst absence may be granted in exceptional circumstances during term time, it is entirely the school’s decision and is not a parental right.  As a result, Wiltshire Council has amended its policy on unauthorised absences.

The government expects schools and local authorities to promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence; ensure every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled and act early to address patterns of absence.

• Parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly
• All pupils to be punctual to their lessons.

Penalty notices will be used where a pupil’s absence has not been authorised by the school.

Parents will be notified that an absence has been marked as unauthorised and that the consequence of an unauthorised absence of 5 days or more within any 6 month period of an academic year is that the Local Authority will be notified in order to issue a Penalty Notice to each parent for each child. Click here for more information on the Wiltshire Councils Policy on non-school attendance – fixed penalty notice. Non-school attendance

If you have any concerns, please speak to Mrs O'Rourke.