Absence Procedure

Penalty Notices

For your information, if you take your child out of school without the approval of the school, and the total amount of absence is 5 or more days you will be liable to receive a penalty notice per parent/carer and the following will apply:

1.            If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2.            If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3.            If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

4.          The issue of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where a pupil has incurred 10 or more unauthorised sessions during the preceding 10 school weeks. The parents’ failure to engage with supportive measures proposed by the school will be a factor when considering the issue of a Penalty Notice.  Unauthorised absence will include late arrival after the close of registration without good reason.

Attendance Awards

When all of the reception children have become full time at school in September, and with the help of Studybugs, at the end of each week, punctuality and attendance is calculated on a class by class basis.

Certificates and a tropy are presented in assembly to the class with the highest weekly attendance score, and at the end of each term, prizes are awarded to the class with the overall highest termly attendance.  At the end of the academic year, a grand prize is given to the top three classes with the highest attendance for the whole academic year.

This is a fiercely contested competition within the classes and cheers can always be heard in assembly when the winning class has been announced and awarded the trophy!

Attendance Data

Failure to notify reasons for absence will be recorded as unauthorised; absences are checked on a half termly basis and periststent absence will be reported to the Inclusion Officer. We regularly review children’s attendance when it falls below 90% but always aim to work with families to understand these reasons for absence and to work together to improve this.

We expect all children to attend school regularly. Statistically, children whose attendance is less than 90% are more likely to fail to meet their potential. Governors monitor attendance data and evaluate anonymised data to offer strategic support and challenge around the school’s attendance data.