Family Holidays during Term Time
Every effort should be made to avoid family holidays during term time as this both disrupts the child’s education and reduces learning time. Parents/guardians should inform the school by letter of the dates before going on holiday.
Absences will be classified as authorised only in exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances may include:
A family holiday judged to be important to the wellbeing and cohesion of the family, following serious or terminal illness, bereavement or other traumatic events.
A family holiday classified under the ‘authorised absence’ category will not include such reasons as:
- The availability of cheap holidays
- The availability of desired accommodation
- Poor weather experience during school holidays
- Holidays which overlap the beginning or end of term
- Parental difficulty obtaining leave (except in cases where evidence is provided by the employer that it cannot accommodate leave during school holidays without serious consequences)
Family holidays with the above similar characteristics will be classified as unauthorised absence. Where the head teacher’s prior agreement has not been sought the absence will automatically be classed as unauthorised.
Extended Leave with Parental Consent
Where most family holidays will be recorded as unauthorised absence (see above) extended leave with parental consent will not be considered the same as a family holiday. Leave in such circumstances will be authorised under circumstances such as:
- Extended overseas educational trips not organised by the school
- Short-term parental placement abroad
- Family returning to its country of origin (to care for a relative, or for cultural reasons)
- Leave in relation to the children of travelling families
Exceptional Domestic Circumstances
Parents may request permission for such leave in writing and the school may authorise such requests under the following circumstances:
- The period immediately after an accident or illness
- A period of serious or critical illness of a close relative
- A domestic crisis which causes serious disruption to the family home, causing temporary relocation.
It should be emphasised that the school investigates unexplained absence and that the authority has the power to write to, interview or prosecute parents, or to refer pupils to the Reporter of the Children’s Panel, if necessary.Where attendance falls below a certain percentage, it is school policy to issue an attendance letter accompanied by a copy of a child’s individual attendance statistics to parents/carers. Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting with the Head Teacher to discuss attendance with a focus on supporting the child’s attendance at school.
Where absence continues to be an issue, further letters will be sent and concerns raised with the intention of a submission to the Reporter of the Children’s Panel
Attendance at School
Section 30 of the 1980 Education Act lays a duty on every parent of a child of ‘school age’ to ensure that their child attends school regularly. Attendance must be recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon.
Regulation 7 of The Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Amendment etc. Regulations 1993 requires each child’s absence from school to be recorded in the school register as authorised or unauthorised: as defined by the Scottish Government.
At the start of each school session, parents will be asked to provide contact details including at least one emergency contact number. Parents are required to inform the school if these contact details change during the course of the year.
Parents and carers are asked to inform the school if a pupil is unable to attend from the start of the school day on the first day of absence. Failure to do so will result in staff accessing all contact numbers provided for the child. In terms of child safety, police will be contacted if all attempts to locate the child have been exhausted.
Parents/carers are asked to inform the school by letter or by telephone if their child is likely to be absent for some time and to give the child a note on his or her return to school confirming the reason for absence.
School Holiday List August 2018 – June 2019
| August 2018 | |
| Tuesday 14th August: INSET Day | Children do not attend |
| Wednesday 15th August: INSET Day | |
| Thursday 16th August | Children return to school |
| September 2018 | |
| Thursday 20th September | School closes: 3pm |
| Tuesday 25th September | School re-opens: 9am |
| October 2018 | |
| Friday 12th October | School closes: 3pm |
| Monday 22nd October | School re-opens: 9am |
| November 2018 | |
| Monday 19th November INSET Day | Children do not attend |
| Christmas 2018 | |
| Friday 21st December | School closes: 2.30pm |
| Monday 7th January | School re-opens: 9am |
| February 2019 | |
| Friday 8th February | School closes: 3pm |
| Wednesday 13th February: INSET Day | Children do not attend |
| Thursday 14th February | School re-opens: 9am |
| Spring Break 2019 | |
| Friday 29th March | School closes |
| Monday 15th April | School re-opens: 9am |
| Easter 2019 | |
| Thursday 18th April | School closes |
| Tuesday 23rd April | School re-opens: 9am |
| May 2019 | |
| Monday 6th May | May Day |
| Tuesday 7th May: INSET Day | Children do not attend |
| Thursday 23rd May | School closes: 3pm |
| Tuesday 28th May | School re-opens: 9am |
| June 2019 | |
| Friday 28th June | School closes: 1pm |
