Minutes:
Councillor Quinn referred to concerns raised at a recent Governing Body meeting regarding the number of children, including children in our care, who are taken out of school, during term time, for holidays. The Head of Children’s Social Care clarified that permission to take pupils out of school during term time is granted only in exceptional circumstances.
The Head of the Virtual School explained that schools are requested not to authorise holidays and when a child is taken out of school for a holiday, that it is recorded as ‘unauthorised’.
The Panel noted that more stringent government regulations on school absence are due to come into effect from August 2024 and further information on the changes would be reported at a future meeting.
Councillor Reed, Chair of Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, informed the Panel that this issue had been a topic of focus at a recent meeting and Councillor Reed offered to provide further information to Councillor Quinn on the issues discussed at the meeting.