Your child’s education is very important. Regular school attendance will help them fulfill their potential and ensure they have a brighter future.

We all want the best for our children. Going to school every day will help your child learn, develop and achieve. It will build confidence, friendship and ambition.

Children Missing Education Officers visit all schools regularly to check on pupil attendance. They look for key indicators of children with below 90% attendance and follow these up.

Absence

If your child is absent through sickness or any unavoidable cause, please could you inform the school by telephone in the first instance no later than 9.30am. This absence constitutes an authorised absence.

Holidays

If your child needs to take time out of school for any reason other than illness, please contact the school office who can provide the neccessary absence form or download the form here.

Punctuality

We expect all children to be in school by 8:50am. If your child arrives after 8:50am but before the register closes at 9:05am, they will be recorded as Late (L). The register closes at 9.05am and any child who is not in school will be recorded with an unauthorised (U) absence. Please be aware that unauthorised absences could lead to the school referring the matter to the Local Authority.

Authorised Absence

An authorised absence may be for illness, medical/dental appointments (which unavoidably fall within the school day), emergencies or another unavoidable cause. However, the school reserves the right to decide whether an absence should be authorised, or not. Although reasons given for absence will be recorded, the absence may not be authorised if the reason is not deemed appropriate, reasonable, or if there are ongoing attendance concerns. This may also include where absences for illness or other circumstances become too frequent. We may then wish to further explore the reasons for absence.

Unauthorised Absence

An unauthorised absence is where the school does not consider it reasonable to be absent due to the reason given, or overall level of concern, and/or for which no “Term Time Absence Request" has been received. This includes but is not limited to: parents/carers keeping children off school unnecessarily, truancy before or during the school day, unexplained absences, late arrival at school after registration has closed, shopping, looking after other children, birthdays, day trips, cheap holidays, shopping trips, visiting or being visited by family and friends or absence that has no exceptional circumstances.

Persistent Absence

Persistent Absence (PA) is where a child misses 10% or more of their education within a specific period of time (e.g. whole academic year, term or half-term) for whatever reason (authorised or unauthorised). Absence at this level may cause considerable damage to a child’s education and well-being. Any case that is at risk of moving towards becoming categorised as a Persistent Absence, is given priority and these pupils are tracked and monitored carefully through each school’s attendance and welfare systems

Reducing absence from school is a key priority nationally and locally because missing school damages a pupil’s attainment levels and also disrupts school routines and the learning of others. Above all, missing school seriously affects children’s longer term life opportunities.

If parents take their children on holiday in term time and leave of absence has not been granted, the Local Education Authority may issue a Penalty Notice under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996. The Penalty Notice imposes a fine of up to £100 per parent per child.


Please click the link to B&NES – Holidays in Term Time

If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate in contacting the school.