Procedures for dealing with Absence and Lateness

Procedures for dealing with Absence and lateness section needs the text changed to the following:

  • If your child is going to be absent for any reason, you must inform the school of the reason for this absence by calling the office on 01325 267 222. All absences are logged on the school Management Information System (MIS), Arbor 
  • If no message is received, our Parent Support Adviser (PSA) or member of the school office will telephone parents/carers of all unexplained absentees to check children’s welfare and record explanations of absence. If parents/carers can not be contacted, a text message will be sent and the office staff will ring at a later time. Your child’s safety is at the heart of all decisions made and this ensures that we know where your child is if they are not at school.
  • We ask that you contact the school daily if you child is absent for more than one day. Please do not be offended if the school contacts you. 

Requests for Leave of Absence

If you intend to take your child out of school for any reason other than illness, you are required to complete a Leave of Absence form. These are available at the office. 

If your child needs a medical appointment, where possible, these should be made before or after school. Where this is not possible, an appointment letter must be given/shown to the school when completing a Leave of Absence form. 

From September 2013, parents no longer have the right to request leave of absence for their children for an annual holiday. Therefore, Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If there are exceptional circumstances, ‘Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from if the leave is granted’. In this instance, each request will be judged individually. 

Long term/holiday absence taken without approval will be recorded as unauthorised and a referral will be made the Local Authority, who in conjunction with the school, will decide on the appropriate action to take. This may be a formal warning of the issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice. This Penalty Notice is a fine of £80 which is issued to each parent. If the payment is not made within 21 days, it will rise to £160 per parent. If you get a second fine in three years, it will be £160 charge. If you fail to pay this within 21 days, you may be taken to court.

Please Note: The school does not issue or administer Penalty Notices and once issued has no powers over their enforcement.