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Home: Children and families: Parents and carers: Schools: Term time holidays

Term time holidays: Guidance for schools

Directorate for Children & Young People - October 2011
nick.bartholomew@kirklees.gov.uk

General guidance
  • Time off school for family holidays is not a right. Schools have discretion to allow up to 10 days absence in a school year for a family holiday if they believe that the circumstances warrant it.
  • Holidays which are taken for the following reasons should not be authorised:
    • availability of cheap holidays;
    • availability of the desired accommodation;
    • poor weather experienced in school holiday periods; and
    • overlap with beginning or end of term.
  • It is for head teachers to determine if the request is reasonable.
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Special circumstances and exceptional circumstances
  • Special circumstances
    Schools may agree up to 10 days holiday leave. For example:
    • for service personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays outside term-time if the holiday will have minimal disruption to the pupil's education; and
    • when a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis.
  • Exceptional circumstances
    Schools can approve more than 10 days holiday leave - called extended leave of absence or extended holidays. However, parents are advised to discuss with the school whether their plans could be changed to overlap with school holidays and thereby reduce the effect on their child's education.
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Term time holidays taken without proper authorisation
Where family holidays or extended holidays are taken without proper authorisation, schools may respond as follows:
  • The absence will be treated as unauthorised and recorded on the child's Record of Achievement.
  • Parents can be given a Penalty Notice or prosecuted for periods of unauthorised holidays.
  • In certain circumstances, schools may delete pupils from the registers who fail to return on the date they were expected back from extended leave.
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