Attendance and absence requests

Parents/carers of pupils who will not be attending school are required to telephone the school Attendance Officer before 9.00am to give the reason. The absence slip in the pupil’s planner must be signed by a parent or guardian confirming the reason for absence otherwise the absence will be logged as ‘unauthorised’. By law, only the school can authorise an absence. The Local Authority’s Education Support Service (ESS) investigates unexplained absences.

If, in very exceptional circumstances, parents/carers need to request absence from school they should apply four weeks in advance of absence by completing an official ‘Pupil Leave of Absence’ form.

Application for leave of absence during term time

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child's educational progress.

A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance in the year. They will also miss 50 hours of education. After a period of continued days of absence medical documentation may be required in order for the school to authorise any further periods of absence.

There is NO entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time, however, you may apply to the school for leave of absence if you believe there are exceptional circumstances.

The Education (Pupil registration)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2013 amended Regulation 7 prohibit Headteachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance (at least four weeks before) by the parent/carer with whom the pupil normally resides and the Headteacher considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.

If the absence is not authorised and the holiday/leave of absence is taken any way, the case will be referred to the Education Support Service (ESS) who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child take out of school.

Reporting an absence

My child is unable to attend school, what should I do?

Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence, preferably before 9.00am. Please make sure you state your child's name, form group and the reason for absence. Please speak clearly and spell any unusual names. Please note you must call for each day of absence.

My child is returning to school from a period of absence...

Send a note in on the first day they return, with an explanation of the absence or complete the absence slip at the back of your childs planner - you must do this even if you have already called the school.

Unauthorised absence

What if I don't contact the school?

We will call or text you on the first day of absence if no absence has been reported to the school.

Continued absence

What happens if there are persistent absences?

You will be invited to attend a meeting at school to discuss the situation with our Attendance Officer or Attendance Leadership Link. Here you can discuss any issues or ongoing medical problems your child may have. A support plan may be offered.

If attendance drops to below 90% then the matter may be referred to the Education Support Service (ESS).

For further information on Education Support Service (ESS) policies and procedures please follow this link.

Attendance Officer

Your Attendance Officer is Mrs Tugby, who can be contacted by calling 01384 986550 and selecting Option 1.