Attendance
Leave of absence
Children who have medical or other similar appointments during school hours are not allowed home on their own. They must be collected by a parent or known adult and signed out in the off site register.
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006
Amendments have been made to the 2006 regulations in the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. These amendments, as described below, came into force on 1 September 2013.
Term-time holiday requests
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 used to allow headteachers to grant leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time in “exceptional circumstances” of up to ten school days leave per year. Headteachers could also grant extended leave for more than ten school days in exceptional circumstances.
Amendments to the 2006 regulations removed references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers now determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.
If a parent requests a child’s absence from school, due to exceptional circumstances, the Headteacher will take into account the child’s current attendance level before making a decision to approve the absence or not.
In any event, parents should avoid requesting leave of absence for their child during the period of SATs assessment which takes place throughout May.
Attendance is monitored throughout the year. Pupils with high levels of attendance are rewarded with certificates. Parents of those pupils who have low attendance percentages or high levels of lateness will be contacted by the Headteacher to discuss measures to improve attendance. The School Nurse may also support parents experiencing difficulties in improving attendance. As a last resort the ESWO (Educational Social Welfare Officer) will be involved.
The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007
Amendments have been made to the 2007 Regulations in the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. These amendments, as described below, will came into force on 1 September 2013.
The 2007 regulations set out the procedures for issuing penalty notices (fines) to each parent who fails to ensure their children’s regular attendance at school or fails to ensure that their excluded child is not in a public place during the first five days of exclusion. Parents must pay £60 if they pay within 28 days; or £120 if they pay within 42 days.
Amendments to 2007 regulations will reduce the timescales for paying a penalty notice. Parents must, from 1 September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. This brings attendance penalty notices into line with other types of penalty notices and allows local authorities to act faster on prosecutions.