Richmond School
Information For Parents | Holiday Forms and Information
Holidays
Term time dates are published in Parents’ Handbooks and are always available in student planners. They are also published on the web site in the General Information / Key Dates section.
Guidance for Student Leave of Absence from School during Term Time
Richmond School and North Yorkshire Education Authority believe that attendance at school is important and that absence can lead to poor progress and poor attainment.
Due to the link between attendance and attainment the government has recently put a priority on reducing all forms of absence and has set schools and Education Authorities targets to reduce absence.
The government has introduced Penalty Notice fines for parents whose children are out of school without the schools authorisation.
Families taking holidays during term time is a cause of absence which has been highlighted nationally as a disruptive factor in student’s education. In view of this please find below a summary for parents of the North Yorkshire policy on term time holidays, which is based on legislation and government guidelines.
- The Law says that parents/carers do not have the right to take their children out of school for a holiday in term time.
- Headteachers have the discretion to grant up to a maximum of 10 days leave for family holidays in each school year.
- Headteachers will take into account individual circumstances such as the attendance record of that child, whether the child would miss exams or any exceptional circumstances.
- Any requests must be made in advance on the official form obtainable from the school.
- If absence is not agreed and the student goes on the holiday, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and reported to the Education Authority.
- Where a student fails to return within 10 school days of an agreed date schools have the power to remove the child from the school roll.
Taking a holiday in term time means that the children miss important school time. We would therefore request the co-operation of the parents in considering the effect on their child’s continuity of the education before making requests for leave of absence in term time.
Application for Student Leave of Absence from School during Term Time
This form should be completed by the parent/carer and returned to the relevant Head of Year as far in advance as possible and at least 7 days before the first date of the period of absence being requested. Parents/carers must obtain the schools permission before making any bookings for holidays in term time.
No parent/carer can demand leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday as of right. The law says that schools have a discretionary power to grant up to 10 days authorised absence in each school year. Each application is considered individually by the school, taking into account factors like the timing of the holiday and the child’s attendance record.
Taking a holiday during term time means that the children miss important school time – both educationally and for other school activities. Before completing this application parents/carers are asked to consider the effect on their child’s continuity of education. Sixth Form students should consult the Attendance Policy, particularly if they are in receipt of EMA.
Application Form for Student Leave of Absence