Attendance

It is important for your child’s future that he or she makes the most of his or her time at school. This means attending regularly and turning up on time, qualities valued by employers. Every school has a legal duty to ensure children have the opportunity to achieve at school. The Headteacher and Educational Welfare Officer meet regularly to monitor attendance and identify all pupils whose attendance falls below 95%. The Headteacher will contact parents/carers if there are concerns about the level of attendance or punctuality at school. If there is a problem or medical condition that is likely to continue to affect attendance, please contact the Head teacher.

• By law, you are responsible for making sure that your children are educated between the ages of 5 and 16.

• If your child is registered at school, he or she must go to school on time every day during term-time, unless there is a good reason (such as illness). If they do not go to school regularly, you may be fined.

• It is your responsibility to tell the school if your child cannot attend. *

• If attendance problems do develop, the school will expect you to help their staff and the education welfare service to solve the problems.

• You do not have a right to take children on holiday in term-time.  The school must agree this beforehand.

If your child is unable to attend school, it is the parent’s responsibility to contact the school on the first day of absence.

Please telephone the school by 9.00 am (a message may be left on the answer machine) or send a note in with another family or brother or sister.  If we do not hear from you we will try to make contact with you to confirm the reason for absence.Please send a note to the class teacher on your child’s return to school to confirm the dates and the reason for absence in writing.

Requests for Leave of Absence in Term Time.

If pupils are to reach their potential they need to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. Regular, uninterrupted school attendance is a key factor in helping pupils reach their potential. Every effort should always be made to avoid disruption to a pupil’s education.

Following amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 which came into effect 1st September 2013, Head Teachers are only allowed to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances. The decision as to whether any request is considered as ‘exceptional circumstances’ rests solely with the Head Teacher.

The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are rare, significant, unavoidable and short; ‘unavoidable’ should be taken to mean an event that could not reasonably be scheduled at another time.

In considering whether or not to authorise a request for exceptional leave of absence in term time the Head Teacher will look at each individual case and only grant authorisation if the circumstances are truly exceptional.  Additionally, any request should be made prior to the leave of absence and should be submitted to the school using the Request for Leave of Absence form.  Parents/Carers may be asked to provide additional information/evidence or meet with the school to discuss the circumstances.

Parents/Carers will be notified of the Head Teacher’s decision at the earliest opportunity. If the circumstances are not considered to be exceptional then parents/carers will be informed of this and made aware that the Local Authority may be asked to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.

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Request for Leave of Absence  Form

Please give your child a note with details of the times and reason to hand to the class teacher before the appointment. When collecting or returning your child from an appointment during the school day, please check them in and out at the office in order to maintain an accurate register.

Attendance Policy September 2023

Attendance Matters Leaflet_EYFS

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