Attendance

Absence procedures

If your child is absent, you must:

• contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence, ideally by 9.00am

If your child is absent, we will:

• telephone you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you

If we cannot contact you by telephone, we will try all other communication avenues available to us including a safe & welfare visit to your home.

Attendance (%)	What this means for your child:	What will happen?
96% - 100%	Your child's attendance is on-track. They are attending school and have access to learning opportunities.	Your child will be rewarded, each term with an attendance certificate.
90% - 96 %	Your child is falling below threshold or in danger of becoming persistently absent.	This will be monitored by their class teacher and the attendance officer. You will be invited into school to discuss your child's attendance. An attendance contract may be made.
Below 90%	Your child has lost 10 or more days of learning and is classified as 'persistently absent.	You could receive a Penalty Notice if your child has 10 unauthorised absences within a 10 week period.

Punctuality

Schools are legally required to take a register of pupils first thing in the morning and at some point in the afternoon. We close our registers 10 minutes after registration.

If your child is late but the register is still open, they are marked as late. If the register has already closed when your child arrives late and without a satisfactory explanation, it may be classed as an unauthorised absence. This may lead to legal action for not ensuring regular and punctual school attendance.

Punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education a year.

Leave of Absence Legislation

If you are thinking of taking your child out of school during term time, school will require you to complete a Leave of Absence form. Please attach any supporting evidence for the leave request and provide an explanation as to why the Leave of Absence is required.

Leave of Absence requests can only be granted if the principal considers that the request meets “exceptional circumstances”.

Important Information for Parents - Changes to the issue of Penalty Notices to address School Attendance from 19th of August 2024: THE EDUCATION (PENALTY NOTICES) (ENGLAND) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2024 No. 210.

From 19.08.24 new legislation comes into force regarding the criteria for and the issue of penalty notices to address school attendance. A national framework for parental fines is being introduced for any pupil who misses 10 or more half-days within any 10-week period. Please note that if you have requested a Leave of Absence that commences from September 2024 onwards, any Penalty Notice/s issued will be at the new rates and trigger the start of the three year threshold period, as specified below.

The following changes have been made:

the number of unauthorised absences that may trigger a potential fine: 10 unauthorised absences (5 days) in a 10 school week period.
the number of penalty notices that can be issued to a parent in respect of the same individual child: a maximum of 2 penalty notices will be issued (per parent, per child) within a 3 year period
for the first penalty notice issued to each parent in respect of the same individual child in a 3-year period: the amount of the penalty notice has increased from £120 to £160 if paid within 28 days and £60 to £80 if paid within 21 days
any second penalty notice issued to the same parent in respect of the same individual child within 3 years of the date the first penalty notice issue is now set at £160 to be paid within 28 days – NB: No discount for earlier payment is offered.
any further absences will proceed for prosecution in the Magistrate Court for the same parent in respect of the same child within 3 years of the date of the first penalty was issued – The maximum fine the court can impose for a first offence is £1,000 per parent, per child. If, however, you have a history of offences of this nature you may be prosecuted under Section 444(1A) Education Act 1996 and the court can fine you up to £2,500 per child, order payment of the prosecution costs, impose a Parenting Order and/or sentence you to a period of imprisonment of up to 3 months .This reflects the seriousness of unauthorised absence from school.

We empathise and listen but will not tolerate non-attendance in conjunction with the Department of Education guidelines.

Please speak to us if you have concerns about your child’s attendance. We want to support you in addressing any barriers that prevent your child from attending on time every day.

Leave of absence letter to parents 2024

Why attendance matters

Regular attendance at school means that your child can make the most of their education and improve their chances in adult life. School can also help your child’s social skills such as making and developing friendships. A regular and punctual attendance pattern will help your child when they enter the world of work.

The link between attendance and attainment in school is clear. The more a pupil is in school the more they increase their opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Helping children to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility - parents and carers, pupils, and all members of school staff. If you need any support with your child’s attendance, please speak with our attendance officer who would be happy to help.