Absence Procedure
As parents, you have a legal responsibility to ensure your child’s attendance at school. During the academic year, pupils are at school for 190 days and at home for 175 days. Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, which became law on 1st September 2013 states that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.
Please complete and submit the “Absence Request” form which can be found below on this webpage and also within our school office if you want the Headteacher to consider your request for your child’s leave of absence for exceptional circumstances. We may ask for proof to back up your request and suggest you include this on your initial application to save time.
Penalty Notices
Unauthorised absence of 5 days or more may result in the issue of a Penalty Notice; Penalty Notices are issued by the Local Authority in accordance with Surrey County Council’s Code of Conduct.
The Penalty Notice is £60, per child per parent/carer, if paid within 21 days or £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in you being served a summons to appear at the Magistrates Court.
The Headteacher will consider the reasons for the request carefully and will notify you of the decision.
Attendance Awards
At the end of each week, absence and late records are calculated for each class and points are awarded for Attendance and Punctuality.
Certificates, stickers and a trophy are presented to the class with the highest weekly attendance score. 0.5 points are deducted for each late entry, 1 point is deducted for each authorised absence and 2 points deducted for unauthorised absences. At the end of each term, prizes are awarded to the class with the highest score. At the end of the academic year, a grand prize is given to the class with the highest attendance for the year to date.
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.
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If you would like paper copies for any of the information on our website, please contact the school office