Regular attendance at school is vital to ensure continuity, development and progression in education. Children are expected to attend school every day, unless there is a valid reason for not doing so.
Pupils are also expected to be in school on time. It cannot be over emphasised that regular and punctual attendance is essential for a child to make the best possible progress. You are respectfully requested to arrange medical appointments outside of school hours.
Parents/Guardians do not have the automatic right to withdraw their child(ren) from school for a holiday during term time, and in law, have to apply for permissions in advance. However, there may be circumstances that warrant a pupil taking time off in term time and this is why headteachers are best placed to make the decision. The Education (Pupil Registration) (Wales) Regulations 2010 state that headteachers have a discretionary power to authorise leave for a family holiday during term time where parents/guardians seek permission. Except for exceptional circumstances, no more than 10 days’ leave should be granted for this purpose.
The headteacher will consider individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis. A number of aspects will be taken into account, including the time of year, length and purpose of the holiday, impact on continuity of learning, timing of exams or tests, circumstances of the family and the wishes of parents/guardians, as well as the overall attendance and attainment of the child.
If a headteacher decides not to grant a parent’s/guardian’s request for a holiday in term time, but the parent/guardian takes the child on holiday regardless, this is classed as an 'unauthorised’ absence.
Leave of absence therefore, is only granted at the discretion of the Headteacher based on the child’s percentage attendance over the previous 12 months. All requests for holidays during term time must be recorded on the school’s 'Leave of Absence' request form and parents/guardians will be notified of the Headteacher's decision in writing.