School Absence

By law, schools must record absences and the reason given. If a child cannot come to school because of illness, parents must contact school before 8:30am, and EACH subsequent day of absence thereafter. If a parent fails to inform the school as to why their child is not in school this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.  School has to right to investigate absences further, especially if there is cause for concern.

If a child is absent from school and we have received no notification as to the reason why, every effort will be made to contact an appropriate adult. When contact is made with parents the school will determine if the absence is authorised or unauthorised; if no contact is made it will be assumed that the child is absent without permission. The school will only authorise a medical absence if the circumstances are unavoidable and has the right to request medical evidence if a parent rings the school to confirm their child is unwell, or if there is cause for concern. School is unable to authorise any holiday request.

Attendance is monitored closely by Administration staff, Teachers and is overseen by the Deputy Head teacher, Mrs Cairns, who can be contacted via the school office. Attendance percentages (for classes) are calculated at the end of every week and shared on the newsletter. Individual children with an attendance percentage below 90% fall into the ‘Persistent Absentee’ category and the school has a responsibility to reduce the number of children whose attendance is below 90% over the school year.  When a child’s attendance falls below 90% (at any stage of the year) an attendance meeting with parents will be arranged and unannounced home visits will be made. The purpose of this meeting is for you and your child (if appropriate) to meet with Mrs Cairns and/or other staff members to identify the reasons for absence and to work together to resolve any concerns and improve attendance.

Leave of Absence

The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time. The Education Regulations 2013 prohibits Head teachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Headteacher considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.

If the absence is not authorised and the leave of absence is taken, the case will be referred to the Local Authority who may issue a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 28 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.

Any second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period will be issued at the rate of £160 to be paid within 28 days with no option for a discounted rate.

The threshold at which a penalty notice must be considered is set at 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-school week period. This may include absences as a result of arriving late after the register closes. The 10 school weeks may span different terms or school years.

A maximum of 2 penalty notices may be issued to a parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period, so at the 3rd (or subsequent) offence(s) another course of action will need to be considered (such as prosecution or one of the other attendance legal interventions).

Medical Appointments

Non-urgent medical appointments should not be made during the school day. If the appointment needs to be during school hours, please provide the school with appointment cards or hospital letters, so that a copy can be taken for our school records.

If you have a concern or there is an issue around attendance, please contact the school. There is advice and support for children and their families.  Staff in school may refer the child to the school nurse if a child is repeatedly absent from school for medical reasons.

Punctuality

Clarendon Primary School expects good punctuality. Our school doors open at 8.30am for school age pupils.  The school day commences at 8.40am and registers are closed at 8.50am.  We operate a ‘late-gate’ whereby Mrs Stone will welcome children in to school and support them with routines to ensure that they are not regularly late for school.

How can you help?

• Ensure your child goes to bed at an age appropriate time.
• Ensure your child arrives on time: 8.40am for children from Reception to Year 6.
• Prepare packed lunches, school bags and breakfast items the night before.
• Make sure the alarm clock is set at a reasonable time for getting everyone up and ready.

For further information on penalty notices, please click here for the Local Authorities Guidance or click here for the Resources for Families pack, which is produced in association with the Department for Education.