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Chesswood Junior School

Chesswood Junior School

Request for Authorised Absence

Authorised Absence Overview

Under exceptional circumstances pupils may be granted absence from school. Any request for absence must be submitted BEFORE the absence is undertaken unless there is an emergency that would naturally take priority.

Under normal circumstances we would ask for a minimum of five working days notice being given before the first day of absence. In an emergency, as a minimum, we would request a phonecall 01903 204141 or an email

office@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk 

to inform school of the absence and the reasons for it. We will still require the online form to be completed but understand other matters may need to take precedence, for example: an unexpected serious illness of a family member.

Request for absence form

Please complete the form below to request absence for your child for any absence other than their own ill health. You may complete the form on this page or follow this LINK to open in a new window (this is advisable if using a smaller device such as a phone or tablet). The request will take less than 5 mins to complete under normal circumstances.

Absence will only be agreed in exceptional circumstances.

  • In line with Government legislation, leave of absence during term time will not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances.
  • Whether circumstances are or are not exceptional any absence from school aside from a child's personal illness should be communicated formally using the online form on this page. 
  • Parents must share accurate information about the reasons for the absence, even when it may not be authorised and lead to a fixed penalty notice. Wherever we receive seemingly deliberately misleading information e.g. stating a child is ill when they are away fro a special birthday treat; or away on a family holiday; we will take the strongest possible action thereafter in relation to attendance.
  • Requests will be authorised by the head teacher or his delegate when the request is in line with previous decision making.
  • Further evidence or documentation may be requested by the school to support an informed decision e.g. a formal letter from an employer that confirms th employee is unable to use their holiday within school organised holiday periods..
  • Both the current and previous attendance histories will be taken into account e.g. annual attendance rate from previous years.
  • Parents are expected to arrange scheduled school holidays for their own family holidays or other overseas visits and family gatherings. Wherever this is difficult, as a minimum we would expect absence to be attached to a scheduled school holiday to minimise time out of any school term.