ATTENDANCE

ELMROADPRIMARY SCHOOL

Regular attendance at school is essential for children to make proper progress. Parents will know that the DFE has issued very strict guidelines about absence from school. We expect children to attend school on a regular basis and will only authorise absences in cases of illness or other genuine circumstances. We aim for children to attend for at least 95% of lessons.

The school will record electronically all attendances and absences. These will be made available for scrutiny by the Educational Welfare Officers as well as being analysed by the school itself. We will inform parents regularly if their children are not reaching this target. There will also be a breakdown of the child’s attendance with their school report, at the end of the year. Persistent poor attendance will be challenged and followed up by the EWO.

It is important to remember that lateness also disrupts education and any children arriving after the registers are closed will be classed as absent.

However, we are pleased that the great majority of parents ensure that their children do attend school regularly and give the school sound reasons for any absences that their children might have. Good attendance (98% or above) is rewarded by entering the children into a draw for gift vouchers and a voucher for a new bicycle in the Summer term. All children with 100% attendance receive a certificate each term.

Illness - should a child be ill during term time:

  • The secretary or the class teacher should be informed on the first day of absence. Absence without explanation will be followed up by the school.
  • A note of explanation should be sent with the child when he/she returns to school.
  • If illness is persistent the school will ask for medical certificates.
  • Parents will be contacted by Scholarpacktext messaging or phone on the first day of absence to provide an explanation if the school has not been notified.
  • Persistent absence will always be dealt with by the Education Welfare Officer who may decide to proceed with a penalty notice, fine or court proceedings.

Policy on Absence during Term Time

Absence during term time as a result of term time holidays

  • Interrupts continuity of learning
  • Disrupts the progress of individual children
  • Creates disruption in schools

A. UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE: As the Government changed the PA (Persistent Absence) threshold to 90% (in effect from Sept. 2015), the Local Authority mayissue a Penalty Notice in relation to a child whose attendance at school is less than90% over a given period. To allow time and opportunity for early intervention workwith the family, attendance will be monitored by school and Local Authority beforeenforcement actions are considered. Such a Fine is intended to offer a rapidintervention, which may be used to address non-school attendance before itbecomes entrenched, following guidance in section 13.

B. UNAUTHORISED TERM TIME LEAVE(includes Holiday): Any parent who takes a child out of school for term time leave for 6 consecutive sessions (3 days) ormore over a 4 week period, not authorised by the school (under exceptionalcircumstances rule), may receive a Penalty Notice. Therefore Penalty Noticeswill be issued for single event absences of at least 3 consecutive schooldays or more where these absences are unauthorised because they areneither exceptional nor unavoidable. The absences must be recorded with a‘G’ code in the attendance register. Such cases will have to be supported byevidence of parents being warned about a potential Penalty Notice. (The SupremeCourt Judgement in the case between Isle of Wight Council v Platt (6th April 2017)clarified the meaning of regular school attendance in relation to Section 444Education Act 1996. To attend school “regularly” means “in accordance with therules prescribed by the school”.)

Issuing of a Penalty Notice results in:

  • A fine of £60 per parent/carer/guardian, per child if payment is made to the Local Authority within 21 days
  • The cost increases to £120 per parent/carer/guardian, per child if payment is not received within that time and but is paidwithin28 days
  • Parents/carers/guardians who fail to pay the fine within 28 days will be liable for prosecution in a Magistrates Court, where, upon conviction, a sentence of a fine of up to £2,500 and/or up to three months in prison may be imposed.

Penalty Notices may only be served in accordance with Cambridgeshire County Council’s code of conduct, a copy of which is obtained by the school. Principal will consult with the education Welfare Officer and consider the seriousness of the non attendance and the response from parents/carers/guardians before issuing a Penalty Notice. Further advice and guidance on this matter can be located on the Department of Education website under the heading ‘advice on school attendance’.

Attendance over one school year

If a child has:

  • 98% attendance = less than 4 days absent from school
  • 95% attendance = less than 10 days absent from school
  • 90% attendance = four weeks absent from school
  • 85% attendance = 5 ½ weeks absent from school
  • 80% attendance = 7 ½ weeks absent from school

Attendance over five school years

If a child has:

  • 85-90% attendance = about ½ a year off school
  • 80% attendance = 38 weeks off school = one school year missed

Exceptional Circumstances

Leave for exceptional circumstances can only be granted by the Principal. There are very few categories that will meet the criteria.

Examples of typical circumstances that do not meet the criteria include:

  • Snow-but school is open and the child lives close enough to walk
  • Lack of transport
  • Parents/siblings ill
  • Pupil to tired
  • Returning to home country to attend doctors
  • Holidays for weddings or family events
  • Holidays in term time to coincide with parents work patterns
  • Over sleeping
  • Shopping trip

September 2017