ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
click here to read our Attendance Policy September 2024
ABSENCE REPORTING
Our school day starts at 8.40am. Parents and Carers will be required to contact the school office via telephone before 8:30am on the first day of absence via telephone 01744 678670, option 1 and leave a message providing your child’s full name, reason for absence and anticipated length of absence.
If your child has not arrived by 8.55am and there is no reason for absence provided, Parents/Carers will receive a text message prompting you to contact school with a reason. If contact has not been made, the school attendance team will telephone all contacts provided on the data collection form. If the absence continues without explanation further contact will be made to ensure safeguarding, including home visits from the attendance team or Mrs Hewitt, our Education Welfare Officer.
Where a pupil is absent for three school days in a row, Parents/Carers are expected to contact school to provide an update on the absence. A member of the attendance team will make a welfare call on day 3 of any absence.
Attendance Policy information
Section 444 of the Education Act 1996 states that parents and carers of children aged 5 to 16 years of age have to ensure they receive full time education.
Their child must attend school regularly and stay there all day, or provide them with an effective education elsewhere.
Registers are marked at the beginning of the school sessions at 8.50 am. and 1.00 pm. Each school day is separated into two sessions, a morning and afternoon session.
Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
Authorised absence is absence authorised by the headteacher. Parents/carers may not authorise absence but must inform the school of the reason for absence on the day by telephone or email or as soon as possible thereafter.
Acceptable reasons for absence
·Genuine illness.
·An urgent hospital, doctor or dentist appointment, which cannot be made after school.
·Exceptional circumstances e.g. family bereavement which affects your child.
You need to consult with the headteacher about this.
Unacceptable reasons for absence
Illness of parent or siblings
To go shopping / haircut
To visit relatives / family day out
Holidays
Birthdays
Because you overslept
Because he/she doesn’t want to go to school
To help at home
Because you don’t feel like taking him/her.
From August 2024 please be advised: If you decide to take a leave of absence without authorisation from school and the unauthorised absence meets the LA Code of Conduct Penalty Notice criteria of 10 sessions absence (5 school days) within a 10 school week period, the Local Authority will issue you with a Penalty Notice fine. Penalty Notice fines are £80 to be paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days, after this time the fine is withdrawn. You are then at risk of prosecution for the original offence of failing to secure regular attendance at school (Section 4441 of the Education Act 1996). This offence carries a maximum fine of £1000.
If a second Penalty Notice is issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3 year period the fine will be £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80. A limit of 2 Penalty Notices can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3 year period.
At the 3rd or subsequent offence the Local Authority will consider a prosecution or other Attendance Legal Intervention.
Medical proof will be required for any absences taken immediately before or after a request for leave of absence that leads to more than 5 days absence/ 10 sessions otherwise a Penalty Notice may be issued.
Late arrival
Children are recorded as late if they arrive after the register has been taken at 8.50am . An unauthorised absence (U code) is recorded if they arrive after the register has closed at 9.30am. . Parents/carers bringing children to school after the register has been taken are asked to sign children in at the office; this is an important Health and Safety requirement. Your child will then be taken to class by a member of staff.