Whilst we are sympathetic to the reasons why people request to take their children out of school, it is important to point out that we are only able to authorise absences for exceptional circumstances in accordance with the DFE and LA guidelines. As it is a legal obligation for children above 5 to be in school, all absences are reviewed by our Education Welfare Officer and we are held accountable to prove that we have all the relevant information/evidence to support the absence. Unauthorised absence could result in the issue of a penalty notice against parents/carers.
Children are at school for 190 days a year - this means that they are with you for the other 175 days! Taking them out of school will mean that your child is missing parts of the national curriculum, which will not be repeated in your child's school career:
HOW TO REQUEST FOR AN ABSENCE:
COMPLETE A FORM: If you need to take your child out of school please complete the Absence Application Form (available on the Forms page). Provide as much information as possible and return for the attention of Mrs Charles at least 2 weeks in advance of the absence date. If a form is not provided or arrives late we may not be able to consider your request. Mrs Charles will consider each application on its merits, taking into consideration attendance levels, timings of the absence, the general welfare/wellbeing of a child, and the frequency of requests. At this stage, depending on the details of the absence, Mrs Chares may authorise, or unauthorise the absence or request for more information. You will receive a letter detailing this.
IF EVIDENCE IS REQUIRED: In order to consider your application we may require further information, for example:
After we have received this from you, we will be able to consider your application fully and will respond to you as to whether we are able to authorise it.