Attendance
Our School Day and Attendance
Attendance
The Law
Your child must receive full-time education. As parent or carer, you are responsible for making sure this happens. Irregular attendance will undermine your child’s education.
A low attendance rate will seriously slow down your child’s educational progress; affect their learning and their friendships.
Authorised Absence
Only the Headteacher can authorise absence and is not obliged to accept your explanation. Absence can be authorised for the following reasons: sickness; a one off event such as a sibling graduation; family bereavement; a public performance.
Absences will not be authorised if:
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Another member of the family is ill
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The family have overslept or had a late night
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There are problems with uniform/clothing
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You have forgotten school dates
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Your child attends a medical/dental appointment for more than half a day without written proof that this is necessary
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There is an annual family event such as a birthday
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You take your child shopping
Holiday in school time
You do not have the automatic right to withdraw your child from school for a family holiday. The holiday will be classed as “unauthorised” and parents/carers may have penalty notices issued by the Attendance Advisory Service (AAS).
Headteachers may not grant ANY leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers will no longer be able to permit family holidays or extended leave.
From 1st September 2013, each fined parent must pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days.
Please note that these changes are made by the Government’s Department of Education and we have no influence or power to overrule them.
Monitoring attendance
Maundene Primary School has a ‘five-step’ approach to monitoring absence and lateness. It will not always be appropriate to progress through all of these steps or even to carry them out in the order listed.
‘Five Steps’
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Telephoning home on the first day of absence
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Weekly checking of attendance and termly meetings with the Attendance Advisory Practitioner (AAP)
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Referring low attendance to the AAP
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Inviting parents/carers to meet with the Headteacher and/or the AAP
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Prosecution by the Attendance Advisory Service if attendance does not significantly improve
Lateness
Lateness will also be referred to the AAP and can provide grounds for prosecution. Children must be encouraged to walk directly to school as quickly as possible in order to keep themselves safe.
Your child must be in class and ready to learn by 8:40 am for registration to take place at 9:00am. If your child arrives after 9:15am, they will receive a ‘U’ mark and this will count as an unauthorised absence/late (unless satisfactory proof or evidence is provided).
If a child receives 10 sessions of unauthorised absences/lateness, they will be referred to the AAP who will then contact you.
Unauthorised absences and penalty notices
As from 1 September 2013 The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 increases the current amounts of penalty notices payable by parents/carers. These will apply to any parent/carer who fails to ensure the regular attendance of their child.
The amount stated on the penalty notices has increased from £50 to £60 (for each child) for those who pay within 28 days, and from £100 to £120 for those who pay within 42 days. The Attendance Advisory Service will issue a penalty notice to EACH parent/carer of EACH child.
Illness
Parents are expected to notify the school on the first day of their child’s absence, either by:
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Telephone the school office on 01634 864721. The office is staffed from 8:00am
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Leave a message on the absence line
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Send an email to office@inspiremaundene.co.uk
We will contact you if your child is not in school and we have not had a reason for absence, it is therefore essential that we have a current number on which to contact you.
We will require a call on each and every subsequent day of absence.
If your child has an upset stomach please be aware the school policy is that your child remains off school for 48 hours from the last bout of sickness or diarrhea.
If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school ie cold symptoms, bring them anyway. They often perk up during the day but we will contact you if they do not (not if sickness and diarrhea).
If you are unsure please contact the office for advice.
If your child has a well-known childhood illness, contact the school for advice on recovery time.