Request for Leave of Absence
If you are planning on taking your child out of school during term time then we ask that you complete the following ‘Request for Leave of Absence’ form below. Please note that all requests must be made at least 2 weeks in advance of the requested date of absence.
Parents are asked to note the following information:-
- The JTMATs Attendance Policy is to fully comply with Government regulations. Statutory guidelines state “Headteachers may not grant leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances”.
- The school may seek advice from the Trust Strategic Attendance Manager and liaise with the head teachers at schools’ siblings attend.
- Requests for leave in exceptional circumstances should be made at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
- Retrospective approval for absence cannot be granted. Parents do not have the right of appeal if a request for a leave of absence is declined, the head teacher’s decision is final.
- Leave of absence will NOT be granted for pupils who have already been absent from school for 6 days or more, regardless of the reasons for previous absence.
- Leave of absence will NOT be granted for pupils when the requested leave of absence will mean that they will have absence amounting to 6 days or more.
- Leave of absence will NOT be granted for holidays during term time regardless of circumstances.
- Where leave of absence is NOT authorised and parents decide to take pupils out of school despite the school’s decision, absence will be recorded as unauthorised and subject to a penalty notice.
- A Penalty Notice fine will be issued under the national threshold which is set at 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. However, if parent(s)/carer(s) avoid the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below this threshold, or for repeated absence for birthdays or other family events, we may ask the local authority to consider whether a penalty notice would be appropriate.
- The first penalty notice for leave in term time will increase to £160 per parent per child but can be reduced to £80 per parent per child if paid within 21 days.
- If a second penalty notice is issued within three years of the first penalty notice, then this will be at a fixed rate of £160 per parent per child with no reduction for early payment.
- A third penalty notice cannot be issued within a three-year period and therefore this will be dealt with through prosecution in the Magistrates Court. If you are found guilty the potential fine is up to £1,000.
- If the penalty notice is not paid within the given period, the local authority will prosecute for the original offence to which the notice applies.
- If the school grants a leave of absence request and subsequently obtains evidence that indicates an application was falsified, the school reserves the right to amend the child’s attendance records to record the absence as unauthorised and apply for the issuing of a penalty notice.
- Where a pupil fails to return to school after an agreed period of leave of absence, absence will be recorded as unauthorised, a penalty notice requested, and they may be reported to the Local Authority as ‘A Child Missing in Education’ and potentially lose their place at the school.
- Schools are under no obligation to provide work for pupils who are absent from school, unless parents/carers have received a licence from the LA for their child to take part in sporting/arts/theatre events as part of professional organisation, as detailed above.
The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is exceptional. (Ofsted, May 2025)
