Medical or Dental Appointments

 

Parents are asked to make medical/dental appointments outside of school time. If medical appointments are within the school day, evidence of the appointment is requested, and if/when provided, is copied and recorded. If the appointment is in the morning we expect a child to return afterwards. If the appointment is in the afternoon, we expect a child to be in school beforehand.

 

Punctuality

 

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. The school day begins promptly at 8.55am. Please ensure your child is not late for school.

 

If a child misses the start of the day they can miss work and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons, can be embarrassing for the child and can also encourage absence.

 

Children who are late will be marked late in the register. Any late attendance is recorded on the end of year school reports to parents. 

 

Repeated late arrival and collection from school are monitored by the school and referred to the Education Welfare Officer if the situation is not improved following school support.

 

If parents are going to be late collecting their child from school at the end of the day then they must contact the school as soon as possible. If their child is going to be collected by another adult, parents must ensure that they have informed school. School will only allow pupils to leave school with those named by the parent. 

 

Requests for Term-Time Absence

 

The school recognises that there may be reasons for short periods of absence from the school; these can be for a variety of reasons. The school will authorise absence for the following:

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• educated off site,

• interview for entry into another educational institution,

• a temporary, time-limited part-time timetable

• exceptional circumstances

 

We define ‘exceptional’ circumstances and so valid reasons for authorised absence to be:  

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• Bereavement 

• Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil’s parents belong.  If necessary, the school will seek advice from the parents’ religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart 

• Significant events such as a family wedding of an immediate family member. 

 

Parents are expected to complete a Leave of Absence Request Form (available from the school office) for exceptional circumstances at least four weeks before the start of the holiday.

 

Leave taken for the following reasons will not be authorised:

• Availability of cheaper holidays

• Availability of desired accommodation

• Poor weather experienced in school holidays

• Overlap with beginning or end of term

• Booked the wrong dates by mistake

• Booked by another family member

• Attending a wedding that is not immediate family

• Family birthdays

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If the leave has not been approved or an application for leave was not completed, penalty notices will be issued. 

 

Fixed Penalty Notices

 

Fixed Penalty Notices are served on parents as an alternative to prosecution where they have failed to ensure that their child of compulsory school age regularly attends the school where they are registered. 

Who may be fined?

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Penalty Notice Fines are issued to each parent who allow their child to be absent from school. For example: Three siblings absent for term time leave, would result in each parent who allowed the holiday receiving three separate fines.

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The following changes will come into force for Penalty Notice Fines issued for unauthorised holidays recorded by schools after 19 August 2024.

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First Offence

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The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for an unauthorised absence, the fine amount will be:

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        • £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.

        • Increasing to £160 if paid between days 22-28.

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Second Offence (within 3 years)

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The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence the amount will be:

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        • £160 per parent (who allowed the holiday), per child, payable within 28 days.

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Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years)

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The third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued and local authorities will need to consider other available measures to address the absence concerns. This may mean that cases are presented before a Magistrate’s Court. Prosecution can result in criminal records and fines of up to £2,500.

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Cases found guilty in the Magistrates’ Court can show on the parent’s future DBS certificate due to ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.

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Part payments or payment plans are not available and fines must be paid in full within 21 or 28 days, at the rate specified within the Penalty Notice.

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