Leave of Absence

If you would like to request that your child take a leave of absence during school time.  Please print and complete the form below or collect one from our Office Manager, Iain Long.

Why is high attendance important to my child's education?

As a parent/carer you want the best for your children. Having a good education is an important factor in opening up more opportunities in adult life. Did you know that:

  • a child who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life
  • 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more good grades of GCSE and around one third achieve no GCSEs at all
  • poor examination results limit young people’s options and poor attendance suggests to colleges and employers that these students are unreliable
  • poor school attendance is also closely associated with crime a quarter of school age offenders have truanted repeatedly
  • at least 1 million children take at least one half day off a year without permission
  • 7.5 million school days are missed each year through unauthorised absence.

GCSEs may seem a long way off for you and your child but all absence at any stage leads to gaps in your child’s learning. This in turn can:

  • mean that they fall behind in work
  • affect their motivation
  • affect their enjoyment of learning
  • lead to poor behaviour
  • affect their desire to attend school regularly
  • affect their confidence in school
  • mean they miss out on the social life of school and extra curricular opportunities and experiences
  • affect their ability to have or keep friendships