Attendance & Punctuality
Good attendance is the most significant aspect of a child’s school life. Every day of school they miss is a day of learning and opportunity that they miss. Children only attend 190/365 days in a school year so every session is vital and missing school puts them behind.
Absence under exceptional circumstances explained
Absence can only be granted only under exceptional circumstances. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 changed the rules about term-time holidays. The amendments removed references to family holidays and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of 10 school days. The amendments specify that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless they consider there to be "exceptional circumstances" for doing so. If leave is granted, head teachers should determine the number of days a child can be away from school. The government has not defined the 'exceptional circumstances’ referred to in the 2013 regulations. It is for the head teacher to decide what they view as exceptional circumstances.
Guidance suggests: Schools should consider each request individually taking into account the circumstances, such as: the nature of the event for which leave is sought, the frequency of the request; whether the parent gave advanced notice; and the pupil’s attainment, attendance and ability to catch up on missed schooling.
The DfE explains that although head teachers have the discretion to grant leave, such leave is unlikely to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. As a Governing Body we define exceptional circumstances as: being of unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value to the child which outweighs the loss of teaching time.