In order for children to achieve their full potential, it is essential that they attend school regularly. The expectation is that children will attend for at least 96% of the time, taking into account illness. If a child’s attendance becomes a concern, we will inform parents/carers and meet with them to try and resolve the situation, which would include offering support from school or additional agencies. However, if progress is not made, we may have to inform the Local Authority Legal Intervention Team and the process would become official.
Leave of Absence or Holidays in Term Time
Leave of absence or holidays in term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances in line with the regulations issued by the Department for Education. If parents/carers still decide to take their child out of school, this could lead to the issuing of a fixed penalty notice (PN).
Currently, the PN consists of £60 per child per parent/carer which increases to £120 if not paid within the first 21 days.
From August 19th 2024, there are changes Fixed Penalty Notices, with increased costs and differences in how this is applied over a rolling three-year period. This information can be found in the document below.
All absence requests, including for holidays, must be provided to the school in writing by completing the Leave of Absence form, which can be requested from the office or downloaded by clicking on the link below. This form should be handed into school in advance of the absence with details of the reasons.
Holiday in Term Time Policy and Procedures_2023
Attendance and Performance
There is a clear link between pupil attendance and the educational outcomes on a daily basis and by the end of each Key Stage.
Children who miss regular sessions will find it increasingly hard to cope in class. They will not have been present when the teacher is delivering lessons which explain new information and which builds onto the next element of learning. As a result, children may begin to fall behind which also impacts on their self-esteem.
Over time, this amount of lost learning inevitably has consequences with regards to SATs. Evidence shows that, on average, the lower the attendance the lower the SATs score. The table below shows the Year 6 data from the 2017 tests and the average score for children in particular attendance categories. Please note that children are expected to achieve a score of at least 100 to be at the national expectation.
Attendance Information for Parents Carers
Please see the current attendance of each year group since September 2024.
