Attendance and Punctuality
School Attendance and Penalty Notices
As per current regulations and DfE advice on school attendance (2013) we would like to advise you that the Principal may not grant any Leave of Absence in term time unless exceptional circumstances exist. By exceptional we mean rare, significant, unavoidable and short. By unavoidable, we mean an event that could not reasonably be arranged at another time.
The Academy will assess each request on an individual basis, considering the impact that missing school will have on the child’s education, their previous record of attendance and any special circumstances of which we are made aware, e.g. the bereavement of a close family member or the needs of the families of service personnel. The Academy will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the request is granted.
The application must be made in advance using the form found at the end of this letter. Retrospective requests will not be considered. Please return this form to Reception at the Academy no less than 10 days before the absence is due to start.
Any absence will result in lost learning and the risk of underachievement. I am sure you will support us in maximising attendance and giving your child the best opportunity for future success.
Penalty Notices
If an absence request is granted, it will be recorded as ‘authorised absence’. If a parent/carer takes their child out of school without permission this will count as an ‘unauthorised absence’ (truancy). Penalty notices can be issued to each parents of children with unauthorised absence.
- The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the fine will be £160 per parent, per child (if paid within 28 days) reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
- If a second Penalty Notice is issued within 3 years the fine will be £160 per parent, per child (if paid within 28 days) with no reduction for early payment.
- If there is a third offence within three years (even under another school or Local Authority) the case will be referred to the Education Welfare Service for Prosecution.
That can result in fines of up to £2,500 per parent, per child and/or a custodial sentence of up to 3 months and may appear on a parent’s DBS certificate.
Schools must now consider issuing Penalty Notices if a child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in any rolling period of 10 school weeks. There is no longer an early payment reduction for a second offence. Only two Penalty Notices can now be issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period. Any further offences may result in criminal prosecution.
The Penalty Notice Threshold
10 sessions of unauthorised absence within 10 school weeks (A school week is any week when there is at least one school session and there are two sessions in a school day - morning and afternoon.)
This can be any combination of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period, consecutive or not, for example:
- a 5-day unauthorised holiday = 10 sessions
- a 3-day holiday + 4 mornings arriving after the register closes = 10 sessions
- 3 days of unauthorised absence in one week and half a day a week over the next 4 weeks = 10 sessions
The 10 school weeks can span different terms or school years, for example:
- 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the Summer Term + 8
- more in the Autumn Term = 10 sessions.
as well as spanning schools and local authorities if you move schools.
