Attendance

As you are all aware attendance in school is vital to a child's education and their ability to learn. It is expected that children will achieve at least 95% across the year and many of our children do achieve this.

Children absent for no valid reason and those who arrive late (after registration closes) will be marked as unauthorised.

Where there is a problem with attendance please come and speak to the teacher or headteacher.

Family Holidays in Term Time

Previous interpretations of the regulations where Head Teachers could grant pupils leave of absence of up to 10 days for the purpose of a two week family holiday in term time has been interpreted by some parents as a right to an automatic two week term-time holiday. This is not acceptable and the rules have been strengthened to prevent this happening in future.

For this reason the Government has brought in new guidance tightening up the regulations related to pupils taking time off in term-time. These new rules came into force on 1 September 2013.

Head Teachers are no longer permitted to authorise absence for holidays taken during term time.

They are permitted to grant leave only in exceptional circumstances. If you think you have exceptional circumstances please talk to us without delay and before arrangements are entered into or money committed.

If exceptional circumstances are accepted the Head Teacher will determine how much absence will be authorised.

Holidays which are unauthorised should not be taken. If they are taken, parents are in breach of their legal duty to ensure that their child attends school full time and may be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution through the courts.