Attendance
Click the link below to see our Attendance Policy:
Attendance Message from the Chair of Governors
Attendance / Absence
You will be aware that previously there was provision for schools (at the discretion of their Headteacher) to allow families to take holiday in term time, authorising up to 10 days leave from school. At Bede, in common with many other schools, this arrangement was subject to an analysis of a child’s overall attendance and their academic attainment before authorised absence could be considered.
A study into reducing school absence, in April 2012, undertaken by the Government (The Taylor Report) concluded that:-
“If children are taken away for a two week holiday every year and have an average number of days off for sickness and appointments, then by the time they leave at 16 they will have missed an entire year of their schooling.”
Subsequently, the Government has withdrawn the holiday in term time facility. The guidance from the Department for Education’s website states;
“The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time. Any application for leave must be in exceptional circumstances and the Headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave.
Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school.”
The current fixed penalty suggested for Gateshead schools is £120 per parent (for each child) for unauthorised absence created by taking holiday during term time.
‘Exceptional circumstances’ is defined as a ‘once in a lifetime’ arrangement. It is unlikely, looking at our holiday requests from this school year, that any at all would be granted in this school during the 2014/15 year given the new guidelines to school.
Any parent considering their circumstances to be sufficiently exceptional to warrant an application for leave during term time from September 2014 should write to the Headteacher, explaining their exceptional circumstances.
Whilst parents should remember that this change is a Government initiative, the Governing Body of Bede Community Primary School fully endorse this change and will be following guidelines issued to improve pupil attendance.
Mrs Sarah Diggle (Chair of Governors)