Attendance

Children are required to attend school regularly and punctually. The school gates open at 8.40am and the school day starts at 8.50am. Children can go straight into class when they arrive at school.

However, please do not send your child to school if they are unwell. Please inform the school by leaving a message on the answer machine. Should we not have heard from you at the close of the register then school will seek to establish contact with you to confirm your child’s absence.

If your child is absent from school due to sickness and/or diarrhoea please be aware they must remain at home for 48 hours after the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.

Holidays During Term Time

The Government have introduced a new zero tolerance system towards holidays during term time. Holidays will only be authorised by the headteacher in exceptional circumstances and if a child’s attendance is at least good (96% or above).

If you wish to submit an application, forms are available from the office.

Unauthorised School Absence

Your child can only miss school if either:

• they are too ill to go
• you have advance permission from school

If a child is absent for a holiday/occasion not authorised by school or are absent when they are not ill, it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence in the school registers.

If 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence ( including late after the register closes) are recorded in a rolling period of ten school weeks an Education Penalty Notice can be issued by the local authority.

First Offence

• • • £160 per parent  per child, if paid within 28 days
    • reduced to £80 per parent per child, if paid within 21 days

Second Offence (within 3 years)

The second time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance, the amount will be £160 per parent per child, if paid within 28 days.

Third and any further offences (within 3 years)

The third time an offence is committed for term-time leave or irregular attendance, a penalty notice will not be issued. The case will be presented straight to the magistrates’ court. This could result in:

• • • • a fine of up to £2,500
      • a community order
      • a jail sentence of up to 3 months
      • a parenting order (this means you have to go to parenting classes and also do what the court says to improve your child’s school attendance)

 

The absence rates for the annual period up to 19th July 2024 were as follows:

Number of pupils of compulsory school age on roll		197
Number of pupil sessions		71644
Number of authorised absence		3266
Percentage of authorised absence		4.56%
Number of unauthorised absence		1468
Percentage of unauthorised absence		2.05%
Attendance		93.39%