Attendance

Holidays During Term Time
To support children's education, holidays should be taken during the school holiday periods.

The Department for Education expects schools not to authorise leave of absence for holidays taken during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Any request for leave of absence must be submitted to the school in advance and will be considered in line with DfE and Local Authority guidance.

To request a Leave of Absence for your child, please complete the online form available here:

Bradford Council Leave of Absence Form

Please email us on attendance@addingham.bradford.sch.uk if you have any questions.

Penalty Notices

From September 2026, Addingham Primary School will follow the attendance procedures set out by the Department for Education and Bradford Local Authority.

A Penalty Notice may be issued if a child accumulates 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-week period. This may include unauthorised holidays taken during term time and other circumstances outlined within the Bradford Local Authority Code of Conduct.

It is important to note that any money received through Penalty Notices is collected by the Local Authority and does not come to the school.

The current penalty is:

· £80 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days.

· £160 per parent, per child, if paid within 28 days.

Where a second Penalty Notice is issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year period, the discounted rate is no longer available and the full amount of £160 must be paid.

The Local Authority can no longer issue a third Penalty Notice for the same child within a three-year period. In these circumstances, legal proceedings are likely to be considered instead and may result in prosecution.

If a child is taken out of school for 20 or more school days without permission, Bradford Council may choose to proceed directly to prosecution through the Magistrates' Court without first issuing a Penalty Notice.