Dear Parent/Carer
Ref: Term Time Holiday Amendments- July 2013
Please find below a letter regarding major changes to holidays being taken in term time.
We are writing to inform you that the Department for Education have amended the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, with regard to Headteachers being able to grant leave of absence for family holidays for up to ten school days.
From September 2013 the amendments remove references to family holidays as well as the statutory threshold of ten days. The amendments make clear that Headteachers may NOT grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances, in which case the Headteacher will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted. The fact that a holiday is cheaper during term time will not be considered as exceptional circumstances.
If parents proceed to take the pupil out of school for a family holiday, all of the absences during this period will now be recorded as ‘unauthorised’. This will affect your child’s attendance record. Where a pupil has irregular attendance and the absences are unauthorised, the parents are committing an offence and could be issued with a Penalty Notice or prosecuted in accordance with the the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007.
We are aware that this may cause difficulties for some families but the Government has a clear aim to ensure that pupil attendance at school is given a top priority. There has always been a clear link between a pupil’s attendance record and their level of achievement and we hope that you will support all of our efforts, in ensuring that children reach their full potential through their one chance in education.
The following link will give the specific information with regard to these statutory amendments: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/
a00223868/regulations-amendments
Yours sincerely
Mrs A. Rourke
