Petition
Exceptional circumstances for children's leave from school
Rejected
13 signatures
What the petition asks
Include 'children's visit to see their expat parent overseas' as an exceptional circumstance for the granting of authorised leave from school
I am a father of two children (both at secondary school) who currently works overseas in order to provide for his family. We have reverently had an application for leave rejected by our school on the basis it does not consistute exceptional circumstances. We are extremely careful of when we arrange family visits etc, however, and sometimes this does mean having to take our children out of school for a few ddays.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Attendance policy is a matter for the school to decide.
You may like to start a petition for the Government to introduce statutory guidance on when exceptional circumstances apply instead.
You may like to start a petition for the Government to introduce statutory guidance on when exceptional circumstances apply instead.
Timeline
| 15 Oct 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 21 Nov 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
13
Status
Rejected
Rejected
21 Nov 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 18 Aug 2026.