Why it is important to attend school regularly?

  • To give your child the best possible start in life.
  • They will be able to keep up with their work.
  • They will achieve better results.
  • They will develop friendships and social skills.

School attendance is central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential. The government has set a target of 95% attendance for all pupils. This rate allows for periods of illness or particular circumstances when absence from school is unavoidable. We want your child to attend school regularly as this supports their learning.

Absence
There are two types of absence: authorised and unauthorised.

Authorised absence includes:

  • A morning or afternoon session away from school for a good reason such as illness
  • Medical / Dental appointments (but we hope that parents will try to make these outside school time)
  • Emergencies or unavoidable events (e.g. family bereavements).

For all of these an explanation for the absence from the child’s parent / carer is required.

Unauthorised absence includes:

  • Parents keeping children away from school unnecessarily
  • Truancy
  • Unexplained absence
  • Late arrival after 8:50am (unless with an authorised reason)
  • Shopping trips
  • Day trips and holidays in school time.

Absences of this type are recorded as unauthorised on the school register.

If there are circumstances which make regular attendance difficult, please do speak to a member of school staff to see what support we can offer.

Sickness
If your child is ill and cannot attend school then you should inform the office via email, Dojo or telephone by 9am on the first day of absence and give some indication of the expected day of return. We recognise that there will be occasions when children are too unwell to attend school, but ask that parents do not keep children off unnecessarily. Remember if your child is too unwell to cope with the school day, we will always contact you.

Please also be aware that HPA Guidance states that children suffering from digestive illness should be kept away from school for 48 hours following the last bout of vomiting or diarrhoea.

Understanding barriers to attendance
The school recognises that some pupils face additional barriers to attendance, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), physical health conditions, mental health
needs and family circumstances. Where attendance concerns arise, the school will work in partnership with parents and external agencies where appropriate to identify barriers and
provide support.

Attendance Support Pathway
Where attendance concerns are identified, the school will normally follow a graduated approach:

  1. Early identification of attendance concerns through regular monitoring.
  2. Discussion with parents/carers to understand any barriers affecting attendance.
  3. Support and intervention, which may include pastoral support, attendance plans or
    referrals to appropriate services.
  4. Review and monitoring to assess progress and adjust support where necessary.
  5. Formal intervention, including involvement of the Local Authority Attendance Team,
    where attendance does not improve despite support being offered.

At every stage, the school will seek to work collaboratively with families to secure the best
outcomes for children.

Unauthorised Absence in Term Time

There is a National Framework for Penalty Notice Fines being issued for unauthorised absences recorded by schools. All schools by law must follow the Department for Education’s statutory guidance relating to school attendance. They must use the appropriate national attendance or absence code, and follow the criteria set out within the guidance.

The statutory guidance states:

  • A leave of absence must not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances and must be requested in advance
  • A leave of absence must be requested in advance by a parent who the pupil normally lives with
  • Schools must judge each application individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind each request
  • Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a pupil can be absent from school
  • A need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance
  • A school cannot grant a leave of absence retrospectively. If the parent did not apply in advance, the leave of absence should not be granted
  • Where this guidance refers to a parent, the school and/or local authority will need to decide which adult(s) is most appropriate. Generally, parents include:
    • All natural parents, whether they are married or not;
    • All those who have parental responsibility
    • Those who have day to day responsibility for the child

Please note all schools are expected to regularly inform parents about their child’s attendance and absence. Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to their educational progress. If the absence is not authorised and the leave is taken, schools may refer to the Local Authority for legal action.

Please follow this link for more information on the national threshold and how penalty fine notices are issued.

If you need to submit a request for term time absence, please complete this Google form: https://forms.gle/Qd3qh8dENKPRzQnY9

Punctuality
The school day starts at 8:30a.m. and we expect your child to be in school at that time. Your child will receive a late mark if they are not in by that time.

Registers are marked by 8:50a.m and then they will be closed. If your child arrives after that time, they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark, and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. This may mean that you could face the possibility of a Penalty Notice if the problem persists.

If your child has a persistent late record, you will be asked to meet with the Headteacher to resolve the problem, but you can approach us at any time if you are having problems getting
your child to school on time.

Please see our attendance policy for more information.

Attendance policy

Understanding penalty notice fines for school attendance