School Attendance

All children of statutory school-age who are registered at school must, by law, attend regularly.  Any absence from school can seriously disrupt a pupil’s continuity of learning and have a detrimental effect on their future progress.  We aim to work together with parents and pupils in order to ensure that every child achieves a high level of attendance and punctuality.  Good attendance is central to raising standards and pupil attainment and we expect all children, from Nursery through to Year 6, to attend school 100% of the time, provided they are well enough to do so.  For more information please read our School Attendance Policy.

Absence due to Diarrhoea and/or Vomiting

Please note that if your child is absent from school due to diarrhoea or vomiting they must remain at home for 48 hours after the last episode of sickness.  Children may not return to school until they have been clear of sickness for a full 48 hour period.

Absence for a Doctor, Dentist or Hospital Appointment

An increasing number of parents are taking children out of school for medical, dental and optical appointments. Firstly we ask parents to avoid making dentist, optician, or GP appointments during school time where possible.  Many of these appointments are routine and could be made outside of school hours. If this is not possible appointments should be arranged for the very beginning or end of the school day and you must bring in the appointment letter/card.  We will not authorise a medical absence without a letter or appointment card.  In situations where no evidence of an appointment is provided your child’s absence from school will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’.

Absence to visit the Opticians

Please note that time off for the opticians is not classed as a medical appointment so will not be authorised.  If your child is required to attend a hospital appointment in relation to their eyes the absence will be recorded as ‘authorised’ where the school office has been provided with the appointment card or letter.

In the case of unavoidable appointments, please do not keep your child off for the full day for a half hour appointment. Wherever possible children should be brought into school in the morning, picked up for the appointment and returned to school afterwards. 

Holidays in Term-Time and Leave of Absence Requests

Amendments to the 2006 pupil registration regulations make clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  Holidays do not constitute exceptional circumstances.  While leave of absence may be granted during term time, it is entirely at the discretion of the Headteacher and it is not a parental right.

If parents wish to take their child out of school, they must apply to the Headteacher at least two weeks in advance of the planned absence, fully explaining the reasons for the request.  Parents must complete a ‘Request for leave of absence’ form.  These can be collected from the school office or downloaded from the school website.  When we receive the leave of absence request, we may contact the parents to discuss the application.  We will then write to parents informing them whether or not the leave of absence has been agreed.

To download a Leave of Absence Request form please click on the link.

Penalty Notices

The National Framework for penalty notices came into effect 19 August 2024:

• the new threshold for penalty notices is 10 unauthorised sessions, within 10 rolling school weeks.
• the cost of the fine is £160 if paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
• escalation in cases of repeat offences: any second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3 year period, will be charged at the higher rate of £160 with no option for this second offence to be discharged at the lower rate of £80.
• limited number of penalty notices per parent: a national limit of 2 penalty notices can be issued to a parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period. At the 3rd (or subsequent) offence(s) another tool, such as prosecution, will be considered.

Fines are issued by the council on behalf of schools and parents have up to 28 days from receipt to pay the penalty notice in full. If payment is not received within this time, the Local Authority will begin proceedings in the Magistrates' Court for the original offence of failing to ensure your child's regular school attendance.

We would strongly encourage parents to book holidays out of school term time. There are 175 days per year when your child is off school which are available to use for holidays.  

Please help us in trying to improve our attendance.