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Kent 4 star Council

Family holidays and your child's education

You are strongly urged to avoid booking a family holiday during term time. Parents do not have the right to take their child out of school for such a holiday, but schools may choose to grant leave of absence of up to two weeks in any school year to enable a child to go on a family holiday.

In deciding whether or not to authorise leave for a family holiday, schools will consider each case individually and will look at the child's overall record of attendance. In most situations, schools will not authorise holidays if they fall around exam or test times or if they coincide with the start of the school year.

Occasionally, holidays of more than two weeks to visit family living overseas may be unavoidable. Parents should discuss with the school the most appropriate time of the year and point in the child's education for this visit to take place. This will help minimise disruption to the child's progress at school.

A guide for schools containing advice on the subject of family holidays is available for download below, along with a sample letter schools may use to advise parents of the issues surrounding holidays during term time.

Copyright Kent County Council 2008