NEARLY 4,500 school days were missed by children in Basingstoke and Deane taking unauthorised holidays over a 12-month period.

Figures released by the Department for Education show a breakdown of absence data for each school in the borough, including the reasons given for pupils taking time out from school.

During 2010-11, a total of 4,414 days were missed by children going on holiday without permission from their school.

Cases of unauthorised absence were highest at Fort Hill Community School , in Kenilworth Road, Winklebury, where a total of 414 school days were missed.

Pupils at Bramley Church of England Primary School, in Bramley Lane, missed 254 days due to unauthorised holiday.

Headteacher Ann Berresford said the school has a policy not to authorise any absence for holiday, which was agreed with other schools in the same cluster. She added: “Every day missed from school is a day missed of education.”

The Vyne Community School , in Vyne Road, Oakridge, Basingstoke, had the highest percentage of unauthorised absence, at 3.7 per cent (3,818 days), and the highest percentage of overall absences at 8.7 per cent (9,017 days).

More than 9,500 school days were lost to authorised appointments in the borough, and another 98,253 to illness.

Altogether, pupils in the borough missed 158,084 school days, of which 23,723 were unauthorised and 134,360 authorised.

During the same year, a total of 2,012 school days were missed in the borough’s schools because of pupils being excluded.

The Vyne Community School, in Vyne Road, South View, Basingstoke, had the highest number of exclusions for secondary schools in the borough, with 571 days missed.

In comparison, just 37 school days were missed at Bishop Challoner Secondary School , in St Michael’s Road, South Ham, because of exclusions.

Nearly 40 schools in the borough had no exclusions at all, including Winklebury Infant School, in Willoughby Way.

Nearly 400 school days were missed at schools in the borough for authorised religious reasons.

The Vyne Community School was one of just four schools in the borough to authorise leave for study in 2010-11, granting 127 days to pupils to work at home.