This in from Andrew Turner’s office, in their own words. Ed
Yesterday Andrew Turner, the Island’s MP, asked a question in Parliament about whether guidance had been given to headteachers about what constitutes ‘exceptional circumstances’ for holidays taken in term-time, pointing out the difficulties for parents who work during holiday periods.
The Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, said no specific guidance had been given and agreed with Mr Turner that ‘exceptional circumstances’ are determined by headteacher based on the ‘normal use of language’. He went on to say that wherever possible children should be in school.
Speaking after education questions Mr Turner commented:
“I raised this to make it absolutely clear that decisions on whether children can be taken out of school for a family holiday are for the headteacher. Some parents have been told that ‘the Government has banned all term-time holiday’; I have even seen it in a letter from a school.
“We all accept that children should be in school whenever possible – but heads can agree to a family holiday, and the decision on that is quite rightly a local one. Of course headteachers can consult others, but the decision is ultimately theirs. It would be quite wrong for guidance to be given from the Government, as these judgements need to be made in the context of individual circumstances and individual schools.”
