Absence during term time

The importance of regular attendance at school

Regular attendance at school is vital to help children achieve and get the best possible start in life, children who frequently miss school often fall behind. There is a strong link between good school attendance and achieving good results.

Your responsibilities as a parent

All children aged between 5 and 16 are required by law to receive an education, and it is the duty of parents and carers to ensure that they are supported to do so.

Absence from school due to illness

Children sometimes have to miss school because of illness, if this is the case then you should contact the school office as early as possible on the day that your child is absent.

Is my child too ill for school? - Guidance from the NHS

Holidays during term time

Since September 2013, a change to government legislation has meant that schools are no longer allowed to authorise requests for children to be taken out of school for a holiday during term time.

Requests for leave can only be granted by schools if there are exceptional circumstances, and holidays are not considered exceptional. Requests for leave must also be made to the school in advance, as the Department for Education has told schools that they cannot authorise any absences after they have been taken.

A penalty notice is a fine to parents or carers if they fail to ensure that their child/ren attend school regularly. Leeds City Council is responsible for issuing penalty notices on behalf of schools in the city.

If a penalty notice is issued, it will be one fine to cover the whole period of the absence. So the fine would be the same amount for an absence of five days or 10 days. For example, a parent could be issued with a £60 fine if their child misses one day of school each week over a five-week period, whilst another parent might be issued the same fine for one two-week block of absence.

Penalty fines are £60 per child per parent if paid within 21 days, and £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days. If the fine is not paid, parents will be reported for prosecution.

Requests for exceptional absence

If you have exceptional reasons for requesting permission to take your child out of school during term time, please download an 'exceptional absence request form' from the 'useful documents' section and return the completed form to the headteacher. You will then be advised whether your request has been approved.