Unless exceptional circumstances apply, Belmont School does not authorise the taking of family holidays in term time. This is in accordance with government regulations which came into force in September 2013 and state: 'Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.'

• Belmont School would interpret 'exceptional' in this context as fully meeting the criteria of rare, significant, unavoidable and short. We consider the attendance over time and not simply within the current school year. This interpretation will have different parameters from one case to another but the normality will be that requests for authorised absence will be refused.
• Parents/carers are reminded that pupils have regular opportunities for holidays and that absence from school, for any reason, can have a negative impact on a child's educational progress and potential achievement. It is the responsibility of the requesting parents/carers to evidence the exceptionality of the circumstances.
• Parents/carers who find themselves unable to take time off during school holidays should discuss this with their employer, not the school. For work commitments to be considered exceptional, the parent would have to be able to evidence unavoidable circumstances, which have prevented them from being with their children during the school holidays, eg service men/women who are not permitted to take leave during certain times of the year.
• All requests for leave of absence for holidays during term time will be screened and the Headteacher may determine the number of school days that a child can be away from school (as justified by the exceptional circumstances for non-attendance during term time), or a request made to the Local Authority for the issuing of a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN)