Holidays in Term Time

From September 2013, schools are only able to grant time off school under ‘exceptional circumstances’. Leave is unlikely to be approved for the purposes of a family holiday. There are some reasons for absence that under normal circumstances will be approved without any problems – attending a family funeral, hospital or medical appointments, for example. Even then, requests will only be granted within the bounds of a sensible amount of time. Requests for time off for a day out, because relatives are visiting or for a family member's birthday are extremely unlikely to be authorised.

Parents sometimes wonder why a week or two out in a whole academic year is such a big deal. Surely it won't have a major effect on their children's education? Regardless of the fact that the legislation prohibits Headteachers from granting leave, except in ‘exceptional circumstances’, taking your children out of school really does have an impact on their education and on the school.

It is not just about the children taken out of school but the disruption it causes their classmates and the system as a whole. This puts enormous pressure on teachers planning lessons around these absences. Time spent out of school during term time is never truly made up. Every day at school counts enormously for pupils but so does every consecutive day attended. Pupils need to be able to absorb new facts and knowledge, acquire new skills and consolidate those skills before building further and progressing. They simply cannot do that if their time in school is disrupted by too many preventable absences.

Kings Copse will follow DfE and Hampshire guidance regarding absence from school.

Should you wish to put in a request for a leave of absence in term time, please download a holiday form from this page or request a form the school office.

Further details regarding penalties for non-attendance from school can be viewed in the Hampshire information leaflet and our school policy. Please see the links under 'Related Forms'.