It is up to the school whether they authorise the absence or not - if they put it down as authorised, it won't even get flagged up by the local authority. Lancashire used to issue fines on a whim, we had to appeal loads for hospital appointments in Manchester (school *should* have authorised them but didn't).Nothing a school can do. They don't 'allow it', as in it's an unauthorised absence, but they can't physically stop a family going on holiday in term time. It's the local authority who fine, for persistent unauthorised absence (usually 2 weeks but can vary from area to are), so unfortunately fines are inconsistent depending on where you live. Schools have nothing to do with the issue of fines, all they do is keep a record of attendance.