St Mary's Term Dates
Guidance on holidays during term time
You should not normally take your child on holiday in term time as it can be disruptive both to your child's education and to the school.
Holidays in term time can only be agreed by the headteacher. Schools can use their discretion to grant up to 10 days’ authorised absence in a school year if:
- the parent the child normally lives with applies to the school in advance of the holiday
- there are special reasons for the holiday.
Schools can only agree to more than 10 school days’ absence in any school year in exceptional circumstances. Schools must judge each holiday request on a case by case basis. They can take into consideration:
- the time of year for the proposed trip
- if it's near any exam dates
- your child's overall attendance pattern
- any holidays already taken in the school year
- the age and stage of education of your child
- your wishes
- the ability of your child to catch up the work that they have missed
- the reason why you are taking the time off during term time.
Schools should not take into consideration:
- availability of cheap holidays
- availability of desired accommodation
- poor weather experienced in school holiday periods
- overlap with the beginning or end of term.
More information about our school's approach to planned absence is available here.