Taking Holidays in term time

I want to take my child on holiday during term time. Is this my right?

Bottom line is ‘no’. Schools, or more accurately Headteachers, have the ability to authorise leave for all sorts of reasons but ultimately this is at their discretion. Having said that, you should expect that there is a consistent policy and that this is made known to the school community. You should also expect that there is back-up for the Headteacher’s approach from both the Governing Body and, where the school is a community school, the local authority.

So, what is the usual attitude then to a request for leave during term time?

Well, it is certainly true to say that schools and Headteachers are coming under pressure from the Government and Local Authorities to reduce the amount of term time absences actually granted. In the past it was quite common to be able to collect a holiday form from the school office, fill it in and have it returned and signed by the Head within hours. Many authorities have now withdrawn these forms entirely since they imply a kind of automatic right to the 10 days that is technically permissible. Most schools in these areas are now asking parents and carers to write in specifically requesting the leave. Some will even ask for justification – i.e. why the leave could not be taken during school holiday time (oh, and cheaper holidays is apparently not a good enough reason!).
Before reaching any decision, most schools will look at factors such as;

Your child’s general attendance pattern
Your child’s abilities or attainment
Previous requests for leave

So, will I get it then or not?

This is where it varies and it can, I am afraid, be down to pot luck in terms of the particular stance your Headteacher takes! Most schools will authorise some leave, some will only authorise the annual holiday leave (i.e. not the odd day for a trip to Covent Garden or wherever!), some will only authorise a maximum of 5 days in a year, some will try to accommodate the wishes of their parents and carers in a bid not to alienate them!

So, what if they don’t authorise it but I go anyway?

Well, this will be recorded as an ‘unauthorised absence’ on your child’s school records. That may be it – indeed this really only looks bad for the school itself when Ofsted come calling! However, unauthorised absence may well attract the attention of the local authority’s Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) and this could be bad news. They are able to carry out home visits and even have the power to take you to court where you might end up fined. Relatively rare, even now, but possible.

Bullying - what can you do?

This is always a sensitive one but, like all situations there are some simple steps that will begin to put you in control of a situation you may feel is beyond you.

1. Be clear on what you mean by ‘bullied’. Often, the school will not take seriously the allegation of bullying if it is something that is used by a parent the minute their child is involved in any sort of a dispute or an argument (even if it becomes physical) with one of their peers. If the behaviour you are referring to is targeted towards your child and is carried out over a period of time and by one or more individuals then it might very well be described as bullying. If it is an isolated incident, however unpleasant, then it should not be referred to as bullying.

2. If it is happening, talk to someone at the school about it. This will vary from school to school but the usual policy is to encourage a first port of call to be the class or form tutor. If you go straight to the Headteacher you will almost certainly be redirected via this first route, in all but the smaller Primary schools. Whatever you do, don’t waste your time going straight to the Chief Executive at the Local Authority as it will definitely be referred back to the school.

3. If the matter remains unresolved, speak to the Headteacher and expect some or all of the following to happen:

· A promise of a full investigation of the allegation

· A promise that you will be communicated with once this investigation has taken place

· An outline of the school’s approach to bullying (ask for a copy of the anti-bullying policy if you wish; it is your entitlement to see it)

· An outline of any specific strategies the school (and you) deem to be appropriate in connection with the specific incident

Usually, the matter can be resolved by recourse to the school. Where it hasn’t been resolved to your satisfaction, you may need to request a copy of the ‘schools complaints procedure’ which will guide you through the steps you are able to take next. These will almost certainly include writing to the Chair of Governors, after which it may be necessary for there to be a hearing from a group of selected Governors. Further to this, and only then, it may be appropriate to write to Officers of the Local Authority and ultimately the Secretary of State for Education.