Information about term time holidays and imposed penalties

alwaysonthego_2

Previously, head teachers had the right to use their discretion to authorise term time holiday for up to 10 school days.

In September, 2013, the government amended the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 to remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.

Penalties

The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007
Amendments have been made to the 2007 Regulations in the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. These amendments, as described below, will come into force on 1 September 2013.
The 2007 regulations set out the procedures for issuing penalty notices (fines) to each parent who fails to ensure their children’s regular attendance at school or fails to ensure that their excluded child is not in a public place during the first five days of exclusion. Parents must pay £60 if they pay within 28 days; or £120 if they pay within 42 days.
Amendments to 2007 regulations will reduce the timescales for paying a penalty notice. Parents must, from 1 September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. This brings attendance penalty notices into line with other types of penalty notices and allows local authorities to act faster on prosecutions.

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments

Definition of a parent (thanks to Mojisola)

It's quite a wide definition-
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload..._Behaviour.pdf
Definition of a parent
A parent means:
All natural parents, whether they are married or not;
Any person who has parental responsibility for a child or young person; and,
Any person who has care of a child or young person i.e. lives with and looks after the child.

The local authority and school will need to decide who comes within the definition of parent in respect of a particular pupil when using the legal measures, but generally parents include all those with day to day responsibility for a child.

This means that the step-parent can be penalised even though they do not have parental responsibility.

different LEAs seems to have a different take on the new amendments.

BARKING AND DAGENHAM
BARNET
BARNSLEY
BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET
BEDFORD
BEXLEY
BIRMINGHAM
BLACKBURN
BLACKPOOL
BOLTON
BRADFORD
BRACKNELL FOREST

CAMBRIDGESHIRE
CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE

DARLINGTON
DERBYSHIRE
DEVON
DONCASTER

DURHAM
EALING
EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE
EAST SUSSEX
ESSEX
HAMPSHIRE
HARINGEY
ISLE OF WIGHT
KENT
LANCASHIRE
LEEDS
LEWISHAM
LIVERPOOL
MEDWAY
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
PEMBROKESHIRE
PETERBOROUGH
RUTLAND
SANDWELL
SHEFFIELD
SHROPSHIRE
SOUTH TYNESIDE
STOCKPORT
SUFFOLK
SWINDON
TAMESIDE
TORBAY
WARWICKSHIRE
WILTSHIRE
WOKINGHAM (PICKLEKIN)
[URL="file://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/pdf/Education%20Investigation%20..."]WORCHESTERSHIRE[/URL]
YORK