Request For Exceptional Circumstances Absence In Term Time

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Lewes Road, Ringmer, East Sussex, BN8 5RB
Tel: 01273 812220
Fax: 01273 813961
Email:
Dear Parents/Carers
Principal Ms Kathryn Stonier BA (Hons) NPQH
REQUEST FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES ABSENCE IN TERM TIME
The law does not grant parents/carers an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. Any
absence from school will disrupt your child’s learning. You may consider that a holiday will be educational but your
child will still miss out on the teaching that their peers will receive. Children returning from a term time holiday are
also unprepared for the lessons which build on the teaching they have missed. Teachers then have to give more
time to help individual children catch up on missed work. This poses a potential risk of the under achievement of not
only themselves but other students in the class. This is something we all have a responsibility to avoid.
The Department for Education does allow a head teacher the discretion to consider authorising an absence in term
time but only in special/exceptional circumstances – these are defined as follows:-
i)
service personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays outside term-time if the
holiday will have minimal disruption to the student’s education
ii)
when a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis
If you consider that your request falls into this category you will need to complete the form on the reverse of this
notification. A response will be sent to you as soon as possible. If the holiday is not considered to be a
special/exceptional circumstance, and you nevertheless take your child out of school, the absence will be recorded
as unauthorised in line with County Council guidance.
In the case of an unauthorised holiday the Education Support, Behaviour & Attendance Service will be notified of
the holiday taken and a Penalty Notice will be issued. Please note that such a Penalty is issued to each parent for
each child taken out of school. A Penalty Notice is a fine of £60 which increases to £120 if not paid within the first
21 days. Thereafter, if the Penalty remains unpaid this may result in legal action.
All requests for absence must be completed on the attached form, letters will not be accepted. This should be
returned to the school at least 14 days before the start of the absence.
I hope you will support our efforts to raise attendance and attainment at our school.
Yours sincerely
Kathy Stonier
Principal
Enc

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