Useful Forms

This form should be completed by the parent/carer and returned to the school as far in advance as possible and preferably at least 6 weeks before the first date of the period of leave being requested. Parents/carers must obtain the schools permission before making any arrangements for leave in exceptional circumstances, otherwise the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. No parent/carer can demand leave of absence as of right. The Education regulations state that applications for leave must be made in advance by a parent with whom the child lives and can only be authorised by the school in exceptional circumstances. Each application is considered individually by the school. The following are examples of the criteria for leave of absence, which may be considered as ‘exceptional’: • Service personnel returning from active deployment • Where inflexibility of the parents’ leave or working arrangement is part of the organisational or company policy. This would need to be evidenced by the production or confirmation from the organisation/company • Where leave is recommended as part of a parents’ or child’s rehabilitation from medical or emotional problems. Evidence must be provided • When a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis Please note: Head teachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional This is not an exhaustive list and Head teachers must consider the individual circumstances of each case when making a decision on this matter. Where a Head teacher feels that there may be exceptional circumstances which do not fit the criteria, they may refer to the local authority for advice. The decision of the Head teacher is final. Parents who take a child on leave in term time without the permission of the school risk being issued with a penalty notice fine for unauthorised absences. Taking a pupil on leave during term time interrupts teaching and learning and can disrupt educational progress. Before completing this application form parent/carers are asked to consider the effect on their child’s continuity of education.

Important Notice: The school/setting will not give your child medicine unless you complete and sign this form, and the school or setting has a policy that the staff can administer medicine. As well as completing this form electronically, you will be required to drop the medicine off at the Office. Medicines must be in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacy.

The safety of children within our care from the moment they arrive, to the moment they depart is of utmost importance however there is a growing trend for the older children in the school to walk home unaccompanied at the end of the school day or at the end of an after school club. While we as a school promote independence in our children, we are always mindful that safety and security should come first, particularly when the evenings start to get darker. It is school policy that only children in year 5 and year 6 are allowed to walk home on their own, provided that the school and family have no concerns about the child’s ability to keep themselves safe, that you feel your child is mature enough to cope with this responsibility and that the school receives permission in writing from you, the parent/carer. No child will be allowed to walk home without prior consent from a parent or carer. We ask that children do not arrive at the school prior to 8:45am when the school doors open. This is for their own safety and security. Parents should ensure that their child understands the Green Cross Code/Road Safety, is aware of stranger danger and clearly understands what action to take in case of an emergency. It is advised that children of primary age walking home alone go straight to an agreed residence and do not go home to an unsupervised dwelling for a lengthy period of time and that you can ensure that your child will be safe when they arrive to an agreed residence. As part of our continual assessment of our safeguarding procedures we would like to ensure that we have an up to date register of all children who have permission to walk home alone. If you decide to change these arrangements please inform us so that our records can be updated accordingly. It is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to keep the school informed of any changes to contact details or collection arrangements. Please complete the form below if you would like your child to walk to and from school independently. This form MUST be filled in before children can walk to and from home alone.