Our minimum expectation for attendance is 95%. If your child's attendance falls below this level, we may refer to our Education Welfare Officer.
Request for Exceptional Leave of Absence Guidance
Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 has been amended (as of 1 September
2013) to prohibit the proprietor (headteacher) of a maintained school granting leave of absence to a student except where an application has been made in advance and the proprietor considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application. The expectation of the Local Authority is that term time holidays should not be planned or booked as a matter of course as they are likely to be unauthorised and may lead to the issuing of a penalty notice (fine).
Exceptional circumstances
Are defined as:
- Forces Personnel on leave from a foreign posting
- Exceptional significant family events or circumstances – these will be considered on an individual basis with you.
The Headteacher will consider every above request individually but the following will not meet the
criteria set by the DfE:
- Relatives coming to visit
- Cheaper holidays in England and abroad
- Family day trips
- Employers declining parents leave during school holidays;
- Visiting family/friends that have different half term holidays and may include refusal to attend family weddings and visits to see family abroad.
- Birthdays
Authorised officers have the discretion to issue a penalty notice without warning where the parent has chosen to take the child on leave during term time without authorisation or evidence is subsequently found to suggest a child was away from school with the knowledge of the parent and does not meet the statutory defences mentioned below.
Penalty Notices
Through section 444A and section 444B of the Education Act 1996, it has become possible that certain cases of unauthorised absence can be dealt with by way of a Penalty Notice. Penalty Notices require each parent of a child of compulsory school age, whose attendance has been unsatisfactory, to pay a penalty, currently £60.00 if paid within 21 days or £120.00 if paid within 28 days. If you not pay the Penalty Notice, such cases you will be automatically summonsed to appear in Court for an offence under Section 444(1) Education Act 1996 and can result in a criminal conviction recorded against you.
Courts have a wider range of sentencing options, which could include a maximum fine of up to £1000.
The only statutory defences to the offence under Section 444(1) Education Act 1996 are:
- The child was absent for medical reasons
- The LEA failed to provide transport when required to do so
- The absences were due to religious observance
- You had permission of the school or there was an unavoidable cause
It is the policy of King's Academy Prospect, in line with the guidance from the Department for Education not to authorise any leave (loss of learning) during term time. However, if you wish to request an Exceptional Leave of Absence (Loss of Learning) you need to read the following advice and complete the form below. It is the policy of both the school and local authority to issue FPN (Fixed Penalty Notices) for unauthorised absence.
This form must be completed prior to the requested Exceptional Leave of Absence (Loss of Learning). Each request will be considered individually and we will take into account:
- The student’s previous attendance history
- The time of year
- Attendance and punctuality in the current academic year
- The student’s current academic progress and attainment
- The nature of the request and if any previous requests have been made
Request for Exceptional Leave of Absence - Loss of Learning
If your child is absent from school due to illness, or any other reason, our Attendance Officer must be informed before 8.30am. Medical Evidence will be required for absences to be authorised.
Attendance Officer: Mrs K Turner
email: kturner@kgaprospect.uk