Can I take my child on holiday in Term time?
Parents and carers are strongly advised to avoid taking children out of school for family holidays during term time. Taking a holiday during term time will mean your child misses out on a portion of their educational entitlement and their right to the learning opportunities offered to them. Children who have missed school, even for a short period of time, often find it difficult to catch up.
If parents and carers consider the effects of lost learning and still decide to take a holiday during term time, a written request, in advance of the planned holiday, and in line with the school’s policy must be made.
Unfortunately, in some cases whereby written holiday requests have not been made by parents, and schools have been unable to successfully locate children missing from school as safe and well, safeguarding investigations will be carried out.
It remains the discretion of each head teacher, alongside school governors, to decide whether leave during term time will be authorised or not. Head teachers may not ordinarily grant any leave of absence during term time, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In line with current guidance, it is highly unlikely a head teacher would be able to consider a family holiday as exceptional.
Will I receive a fine for taking my child out of school?
If exceptional circumstances are not agreed by the headteacher and your child misses school with marked unauthorised absence in the register, this could result in the issue of a fixed penalty fine.
Fixed penalty fines of up to £120 each can be issued in respect of each parent and each child. For two parents and two children, for example, fines amounting to a maximum £480 could be issued. If these remain unpaid the local authority may take further legal proceedings against you which may result in an increased fine and additional court costs.
Penalty notice code of conduct