June 2013 Dear Parents, We have received a letter from the Lancashire authority detailing changes that the Department for Education has made to holiday requests during term time. This decision has been made to encourage schools to take a firmer stance on unnecessary absences during the school year. It has been introduced by the government to dispel the idea that parents are entitled to take their children on holiday during term time. From September 1st 2013, the Department for Education has made it clear that Headteachers cannot authorise any leave of absence for students during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. As a result of these changes, the Governing Body has made the following changes to our school attendance policy: • •
The policy has been changed to reflect the fact that Headteachers can only authorise leave of absence in term time in exceptional circumstances. The Application for Leave of Absence form has been altered to take into account the new regulations. This form will be used from September 1st 2013.
We hope that all parents will understand the limitations the government is placing on schools in granting any leave in term time. Therefore, we need parents to support the school in our efforts to reduce unnecessary absence and so minimise the impact on the education of students.
Yours sincerely, T. J. Ainsworth Deputy Headteacher