Late/Absence Procedures
Lateness
Pupils arriving after the register has been closed in class will be considered late.
Pupils arriving after doors have been closed at 8.55am am must report to the School Office so that their attendance can be recorded.
Pupils arriving after register closes will be officially absent for the morning session. This will be considered an unauthorised absence unless a satisfactory reason is given.
Action to address lateness will be taken on the advice of the Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service.
Illness
Parents/carers must contact the school on the first day of absence, and on each subsequent day of absence, before the start of the morning session.
Parents are asked to state the specific reason for absence and not use generic terms such as “ill”, “sick” etc. Parents/carers should provide a written explanation on their child’s return to school.
Where school is not made aware of the reason for a child’s absence we will contact parents/carers by telephone to ascertain this.
School staff may contact the Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service if they fail to gain contact with parents when a child is not in school.
If any member of staff is concerned about a reason for absence, the Headteacher should be informed.
If attendance falls below 90% then the school will consider recording any future absences as unauthorised.
For pupils with repeated illness, referrals to school nurse may be made.
Children Missing
Parents/carers must contact the school on the first day of absence. School expects a call before the start of the school day if possible and a message can be left on the answering machine if the call is before the office opens.
If a call has not been received when registers close, school will investigate the reason for absence by contacting the parents or carers.
If school cannot make contact, a home visit will be made on that day.
If contact is still not made, school may refer to the Social Care team and /or police as a safeguarding incident.
If a child is not back in school (and has reported in an illness) a member of the admin team will phone parents on day four to advise that a home visit will take place on day five.
If a child is absent for a longer period of time, a weekly home visit will take place.
Medical or Dental Appointments
Absence from school due to a medical or dental appointment which cannot be arranged outside school hours, will be considered as an authorised absence, provided that parents/carers are able to provide written confirmation of these appointments.
Parents/carers are encouraged to make all medical appointments out of school hours or take their child out of school for a short period of time to undertake the appointment.
Applications for Leave
Applications for leave are not granted.
Parents may request leave for pupils during term time if they consider that the request is due to an essential and exceptional circumstance. Leave may be granted at the discretion of the Headteacher, if the reason for leave could not reasonably taken at a time other than during the school term and where there are exceptional or compassionate grounds.
Holidays During Term Time
The law says that parents do not have the right to take their child out of school for holidays during term time and can only request leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances. If you take your child on holiday during term-time without the school’s authorisation this will be recorded as unauthorised absence and could result in action being taken against parents or carers.
Why shouldn’t I take my child on holiday during term time?
Holidaying during term time has a negative effect on a child’s attendance, their learning and their ability to achieve. If your child goes on holiday during term time, their attendance could drop to any of the below:
- 10 days absence = 95% attendance
- 19 days absence = 90% attendance
- 29 days absence = 85% attendance
- 38 days absence = 80% attendance
- 47 days absence = 75% attendance
Evidence suggests children with over 90% attendance are more likely to gain 5 or more A-C GCSE's or equivalent qualifications.
How do I request leave of absence?
All requests should be made on a Request for Leave of Absence which is available from your child’s school or available to download below. You should also submit any evidence to support your request. This should be submitted no later than 21 days before the start of the absence.
Will the school authorise taking my child away during term-time?
The legislation for authorising absence leave of absence requests (holidays) will only be granted for exceptional circumstances. The headteacher will consider and respond to your request. It’s up to the headteacher how many days your child can be away from school if leave is granted.
What happens if the head teacher does not agree my request?
- Your child’s absence will be marked as not authorised absence and you will be informed of this
- If you proceed to take your child out of school, school will request for the Local Authority to issue Penalty Notice
- The first time Penalty Notice amount will be: £160 per parent, per child when paid within 28 days.
Reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
- The second time penalty notice amount will be: £160 per parent, per child when paid within 28 days.
(No option to pay at £80 level)
- Third Offence and any further offences (within 3 years)
The third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case may be presented straight to the Magistrates Court under s.444 of the Education Act (1996) or other legal interventions considered.