Taking holidays during Term Time
Dear Parent/Carer
National Framework for Penalty Notices for School Attendance
A new National Framework for Penalty Notices for School Absence will come into effect from the 19th August 2024. A penalty notice is an out of court settlement which is intended to cause improved attendance without the need for a criminal prosecution.
The National Framework aims to:
- Make penalty notices more effective by ensuring they are only used in cases where they are the most appropriate tool.
- Prioritise the support first approach by expecting support to be used in cases where it is appropriate.
- Improve consistency in the use of penalty notices across England by introducing a new national threshold at which they are considered.
- Improve the deterrent effect of a penalty notice by increasing the amount and introducing a new national limit of 2 penalty notices within a 3 year period.
The National Framework includes:
- A single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period. The three-year period begins from the date of the first penalty notice issued on or after 19 August 2024.
- Unauthorised absence sessions can be consecutive (e.g. 10 sessions of holiday in one week) or sporadic (e.g. 6 sessions of unauthorised absence in 1 week and 1 per week for the next 4 weeks). The 10 school week period may span different terms or school years.
- The option of using a ‘Notice to Improve’ where support is appropriate to provide a final opportunity to engage with support to prevent a penalty notice being issued.
- The first penalty notice issued to the parent for that pupil will be charged at £160 if paid within 28 days reducing to £80 if paid within 21 days. (this is less than an inflationary rise since 2013)
- Where it is deemed appropriate to issue a second penalty notice to the same parent for the same pupil within 3 years of the first notice, the second notice is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days.
- A third penalty notice must not be issued within a 3 year period. Therefore, in cases where the threshold is met for a third (or subsequent) times within those 3 years, a penalty notice cannot be issued and alternative action should be taken instead. This will often include considering prosecution, but may include other tools such as one of the other attendance legal interventions.
The penalty notice system is not a money making scheme and local authorities do not have income targets. Monies should be first used for the administration of the penalty notice system and prosecution. Any revenues collected through the system must be ring fenced for attendance and any surplus must be paid to the Secretary of State.
Any request for a leave of absence should be made in writing to the school for consideration by the Head Teacher in line with the criteria of ‘exceptional circumstances’ as provided for by the current regulations, or by completing and returning the attached form.
Should you still choose to take your child out of school during the requested period, the leave of absence will still be recorded on your child’s registration record as unauthorised.
If your child is ill
Parents are asked to report a pupil absence due to illness, before 8.45am. It is preferable that you do this via School Spider, or telephone school and leave a message. If we don’t hear from you by 9am, we will follow our safeguarding procedures and ring to check where your child is.