Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to define exceptional circumstances for the purpose of grant of leave of absence from schools so that greater consistency can be established.

Head teachers have the discretion to grant a pupil a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. Our guidance is clear that they should consider each application individually taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.

In relation to the current pandemic, the Department for Education has updated our guidance on this issue to ensure that schools will not be penalised for the impacts of COVID-19 on their attendance figures. Parents and head teachers should act in accordance with latest information and advice from Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England. This advice is being updated regularly as the situation develops, and more in­­­formation can be obtained from the dedicated Department for Education helpline, open seven days a week.

Where a pupil is in self-isolation, in accordance with the latest advice, the Department for Education has made it clear to all schools that the pupil should be recorded in the attendance register as ‘unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances’. Code Y – unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances – should be used in this ins­tance.

Schools have also been advised that where a pupil does not attend school and is not self-isolating, the pupil will be recorded as absent but we expect headteachers will authorise absence where a pupil is not able to attend because of an underlying health condition that means they, or a family member in their household, are particularly vulnerable to the virus.

Recording a pupil as unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances and authorising absence will not lead to enforcement action being taken.