Attendance and Punctuality

Attendance Matters
Discretionary Leave of Absence

The Attendance Team

Mrs Kelly Harrison

Headteacher

Mrs Jan Trancher

Family Support Worker

Mrs Suzy Hart

Admin Assistant

Research shows conclusively that children who attend school regularly and on time achieve best at school.

At St. Aidan's we actively encourage children to be in school whenever possible.

For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend school regularly and arrive at school on time unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s social and academic education and regular absence will seriously affect their learning.

We open our classroom doors at 8.40am in order for children to take off their coats and bags and get settled ready for our official 8.50am start.

School finishes at 3.20pm.

The compulsory time that school is open per typical week is 32 hours and 55 minutes.

We have a wonderful breakfast club that is available to all children. It is open from 7.45am to 8.40am. Children are provided with a healthy breakfast and are able to join in with fun activities. The cost is £1 per child except for Pupil Premium pupils where breakfast is provided for free.

We expect every child to be an ATTENDANCE HERO!

Remember:

If your child is regularly late by 5 minutes each day, in a year, your child will lose 3 full days of education.
If your child is regularly late by 10 minutes each day, in a year, your child will lose 6.5 days of education.
If your child is regularly late by 15 minutes each day, in a year, your child will lose 10 full days of education.
If your child is regularly late by 20 minutes each day, in a year, your child will lose 13 full days of education.
If your child is regularly late by 30 minutes each day, in a year, your child will lose 19.5 days of education.

Your child's attendance is essential for their academic growth. We aim to set the bar high for attendance and achieve outstanding results. Your support is vital in helping us achieve this goal. Let's work together to promote regular and punctual attendance.

Expectations

It is the parent/carers legal responsibility to make sure your child attends school. Each year we set a target for attendance and this is used to compare us to other schools nationally. Our current target is 95% attendance.

What YOU must do:

Try to telephone the school before 8.30am each day of your child’s absence.
Tell the school in advance, of any medical appointments and bring in appointment cards/letters.
If your child is ill, read the NHS advice, https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ to help you decide whether they can go to school.
If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school, send them in anyway as they often perk up on arrival.
Have a backup plan for if your child misses transport, call on a family member, neighbour or friend.
If you and your child are experiencing difficulties with school attendance then talk to us as a first step so we can help!

What WE will do:

Check your child’s attendance every day.
Phone home to discuss your child’s attendance with you.
Invite you into school for attendance meetings if we are concerned.
If we cannot establish a reason for absence, then we may make a welfare home visit.

Discretionary Leave of Absence

The headteacher has the authority to grant a pupil a leave of absence during term time, but only if they deem that there are 'exceptional circumstances'. The decision to grant a leave of absence is solely at the discretion of the headteacher and not a parents right.

Each request for term-time absence is carefully reviewed by the school, taking into account the unique details, situations, and context surrounding the request. It is important to remember that authorised absences also affect a child’s overall attendance.

It is important to submit any request as soon as it is expected and, if feasible, at least four weeks prior to the absence. This should be done in accordance with the leave of absence request form, which can be accessed through the school office or downloaded below. The headteacher may ask for evidence to support any leave of absence request.

Should your Exceptional Leave request be unauthorised and you still decide to go, it could result in a Fixed Penalty Fine.

Attendance-changes to Penalty Notices

You may be aware that the Department for Education has recently announced national changes to fixed penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence during term time. These changes will come into effect on 19th August 2024.

The changes to be aware of are:

Penalty notices issued for offences that take place after 19th August 2024 will be charged at a new rate of £160 per parent per child. This can be paid at £80 if paid within 21 days.
A 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 (after 9.30am). 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 3year 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)