Term Time

Holidays during School Term Time

Holidays in term time can now only be authorised in the most exceptional circumstances.

Any request for leave must be made in writing to the Head teacher in advance .  There are leave of absence forms available in the school office or can be found below,  for parents to complete and we will then respond to your request promptly.

There is no formal definition offered for exceptional leave at present by the Department for Education.  However, from discussion with the DfE and professional associations it is suggested that exceptional leave would be:

• Rare
• Significant
• Unavoidable
• Short
  (NAHT, 2014)

Taking a child on holiday in term time interrupts the learning of the whole class as teachers have to spend time helping children catch up when they return. 

We ask that parents please arrange holidays during the 13 week school holiday periods.  Schools are open 190 days which leaves 175 days of the year for holidays.

We trust that you will support school in ensuring that term times are for education and this is our priority at Bryn Saint Peter’s.

Headteachers cannot authorise request for holidays in term time. Parents who do take children out of school may be fined by the local authority.

Please see our attendance policy for more detailed information.

Further information from Wigan Local Authority:

Under the Education Act 1996, parents and carers have a duty to make sure their children regularly attend school. If parents or carers fail to do this, they can be prosecuted.

Working within a Code of Conduct the Local Authority can issue a penalty notice to parents or carers if a child has missed a number of sessions without permission from the school.

If your child falls within one or more of these categories within a 12 week period

• 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence with under 90% attendance
• 20 sessions (10 days) of unauthorised absence
• persistently arrives late for school after the close of registration

 you could receive a Penalty Notice of from the Local Authority.

Failure to pay a penalty notice may result in prosecution (a separate penalty notice may be issued to each parent for each child).

In law, an offence is committed if a parent fails to secure a child’s regular attendance at school.

Wigan Council Attendance Service, in conjunction with schools, will use these powers as an early deterrent to prevent patterns of unauthorised absence developing.

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