Attendance

Please be aware that if your child is absent from school and no reason can be established for their absence then this will be recorded as unauthorised until such a time that your child returns to school. Please provide absence information to school office staff and not to class teachers, as they do not have time to share this with office staff before the school day begins.

If you call the school office and staff are unable to answer the phone at the time of your call then you should leave a message providing your child's full name, their class and the reason for their absence.

Holidays in Term Time

As the warmer weather approaches, families may be tempted to book a holiday, or long weekend, during term time. It is therefore important to remind all parents and carers of the impact of this on a child's learning as well the changes to Penalty Notices and unauthorised absence that came into effect in August 2024. A summary of this guidance is:

• Penalty Notices are not new but the amount has changed, from £60 to £80 rising to £160 if not paid within 21 days

• A maximum of two fines can be accrued within a three-year rolling period before fines are automatically charged at the higher rate of £160 

• When the threshold for issuing a third Penalty Notice is reached, parents/carers will be issued with improvement notices, parenting orders or prosecution

• Prosecution will lead to a parent/carer needing to attend court and could result in a fine of up to £2,500

• Penalty Notices are not only issued for term time holidays but for any unauthorised absence from school that meets the required threshold. This includes, but may not be limited to, unauthorised lates and absences for which no reason is communicated to the academy on the day of absence

• Penalty Notices are issued to all adults who are responsible, either fully or partly, for the day-to-day care of a child and not only those with biological parental responsibility. For example, this will include live in partners and step-parents.

It cannot be stressed enough that every single day of school missed by your child is associated with lower attainment. Children miss out on subject expertise which subsequently creates gaps in knowledge; as lessons are not repeated this may be irretrievable. There is nothing else that replicates the immersive experience of being present in an actual school lesson. 

It is also important to note that it isn't just the days when a child is not in school when learning is missed. Pupils can be unfocused during the day(s) running up to a holiday and, upon return, are often tired, out of routine and demonstrate a change of attitude and regression. Whilst we understand the dilemma faced by parents and carers with regards to going on holiday in term time to save money, it is more important to consider the wider impact and message this is sending to children; that school is not important and it is ok not to go, despite it being a legal requirement to attend each and every day.