Please complete this form if you are applying for an exceptional leave of absence for your child.

School will NOT normally authorise absences including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Exceptional circumstances do not normally include holidays during term time - however this may include a funeral*, or the wedding of a close family member**

This should be submitted at least 2 weeks (where possible) before your planned leave of absence. If your application is not approved, the absence will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’.

*All requests for leave (including holidays) need to be submitted via the form for the headteacher’s authorisation. This is so that we can accurately record your child’s absence. Please note, we are required by law to record the non-attendance of your child, regardless of reason for absence.

** A close family member is defined as the following, in accordance with LA regulations - child’s own sibling, child’s parent, child’s grandparent, sibling of child’s parent.

Please refer to both the absence policy and the local authority guidelines before submitting this form

Further information can be found here - Atttendance

Leave of Absence Policy

In September 2013 the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances. These regulations also state that leave cannot be authorised retrospectively.
Any requests should be on an official online absence request form will be processed by the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made.
You may be issued with a Penalty Notice should leave be taken which is not authorised. If unpaid this could lead to prosecution under section 444(1) of The Education Act 1996.

Fines
Please also be aware that unauthorised absences of over 2 days usually trigger a penalty notice, issued by Derbyshire County Council. Unauthorised absences of under 2 days will be counted when considering your child’s attendance through the year. We are required by law to report the the non-attendance of your child to the authority.

Derbyshire County Council can issue each parent a fine of £60, per child. This rises to £120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school.
The local authority also has powers to prosecute should you fail to ensure your child attends consistently and on time.

IMPORTANT CHANGES FROM 19th AUGUST 2024

The government are bringing in new legislation around absence from school and this will mean the following for parents and carers-

1) Absence fines charged to parents will rise from £60 to £80, or £160 if not paid within 21 days

2) Only two fines can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year rolling period. Any second notice will automatically be charged at £160. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

3) From September, schools will have to consider a fine if a pupil misses 10 sessions (half days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks- including occasions when a child is marked as late.

4) If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.