Statutory Duty of Schools
The Education Act 1996 requires parents or guardians to make sure their children receive efficient, full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Schools are responsible for recording pupil attendance twice a day: once at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. An entry must be made in the attendance register for all pupils of compulsory school age who are on the school’s admission roll.
Aim
This is a successful primary school and your child plays their part in making it so. We aim to create an environment that enables and encourages all members of our school community to reach out for excellence. For our pupils to gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital they attend regularly. Your child should arrive at school on time every day our school is open, unless there is an unavoidable reason for absence.
We consistently work towards a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity is used to convey to pupils and their parents or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance.
The Government expects schools and local authorities to:
- Promote good attendance and reduce absence (including persistent absence)
- Make sure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
- Act early to address patterns of absence
- Parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age, who are registered at school, attend regularly.
Why Regular Attendance is Important
Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence also disrupts teaching routines so may affect the learning of others in the same class.
Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason is an offence in law and may result in prosecution.
Promoting Regular Attendance
Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility – parents, pupils and all members of school staff.
To help us all focus on this we will:
- Give you details on attendance in our weekly newsletter and on the website
- Report to you at least termly on your child’s attendance and punctuality rate
- Celebrate the best class attendance in each zone weekly, with an award of an extra playtime
- Communicate with and support families of children where attendance is below the expected level
Requests for Extended Leave During Term Time
Children have 13 weeks’ holidays. You will not normally be given permission for any of these reasons:-
- Extended leave requests will not normally be granted in school term time. Where exceptional circumstances exist, a maximum of 5 days may be granted.
- If your child is in Reception, Year 2 or Year 6 they will never be granted permission, until after assessment periods are finished in May.
- If your child has poor attendance records unless related to medical issues.
- If your child has taken time out of school in the past key stage.
- If it is the first two weeks of a new school year.
Permission will not be given for:-
- Family Weddings
- Meeting people at the airport
- Buying clothes, or having haircuts
- Visiting family in other parts of the UK for any reason
- The holiday or flight is cheaper
- The weather is better
- A family member can only get time off work during school time
- Having medical treatment abroad that is available in the UK
Making a Request for Leave During Term Time
Parents need to submit a request by completing the Request to Leave form. The head teacher will then make a decision on whether or not to provide permission.
If permission is not given and your child is still taken out of school:-
- this will be an unauthorised absence and go on their school records
- a fine warning will be sent to you
- if your child is absent for 5 school days, a fine will be issued. This will be £80 for each parent for each child absent from school. This would be subject to further charges if fines are not paid by the due date.
- if your child does not return to school after 9 days, the Attendance Officer will become involved.
