“Regular school attendance has always been important. Without it, the efforts of the best teachers and the best schools will come to nothing. Education provides a means of advancement for all young people. Pupils need to attend regularly if they are to take full advantage of the education opportunities available to them in law. Irregular attendance undermines the educational process and leads to educational disadvantage.”

(School Attendance – Policy and Practice on categorisation of Absence. DfE)

If your child is unable to attend school please telephone the school office before 9.00 am. to explain the reason for absence.

Lateness

Any lateness causes disruption to the class and the teacher and is unsettling for the child. If, for any reason, your child arrives at school after the register has been taken you must go to the school office and sign them in.

Leave of Absence

We believe that children taking holidays during school time disrupts their education. Holidays will not be authorised during term time except for exceptional circumstances.

If parents need to take their child out of school time for any reason, a permission form, available from the school office, must be completed and submitted.

Where a child is taken out of school for a holiday during term time for 5 days or more without the authority of the Headteacher, each parent is liable to receive a penalty notice for each child. In these circumstances, a warning will not be given where it can be shown that parents had previously been warned that such absences would not be authorised.

Please see attached here more information on penalty notices.

Children who have attendance under 90% are deemed to be persistently absent and the Educational Welfare Officer will usually meet with parents to discuss this.