The School Day
Our school day runs from 8.50am until 3.30pm.
Registers close at 9.00am and after this point your child will be marked as late.
Early bird activities run from 8.50-9.00am so we urge your child to arrive then so they get the most out of the school day.
Why attendance is so Important
Being around teachers and friends in a school environment is the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential. Time in school also keeps children safe and provides access to extra-curricular opportunities and pastoral care. We often find that children with poor attendance need significant pastoral support to settle in school.
How does attendance affect outcomes for pupils?
Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development
Research found that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well.
The data also shows that in 2019, primary school children in Key Stage 2 who didn’t achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths missed on average four more days per school year than those whose performance exceeded the expected standard.
What are the risks of missing a day of school?
Every moment in school counts, and days missed add up quickly.
Data from 2019 shows that 84% of Key Stage 2 pupils who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, compared to 40% of pupils who were persistently absent across the key stage.
What if my child needs to miss school?
Your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:
- Your child is too ill to attend that day.
- You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances.
- Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance.
- Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet.
- You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school.
Please follow the link to gain further advice
Is my child too ill for school? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
For more information on attendance, please visit Fines for parents for taking children out of school: What you need to know – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)
The Headteacher may only grant leave of absence for exceptional circumstances.
Examples of any exceptional circumstances where leave may be granted during term time are as follows:
- If a parent is service personnel and is returning from a tour of duty abroad where it is evidenced the individual will not be in receipt of any leave in the near future that coincides with school holidays.
- Where an absence from school is recommended by a health professional as part of a parent or child’s rehabilitation from a medical or emotional issue.
- The death or terminal illness of a close relative.
- Out of school programmes such as music, arts or sport operating at a high standard of achievement. Documentary evidence of this event will be required.
- Religious observance – The Education Act 1996 S444(3) (c), states ‘’on any day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which his/her parent belongs’’.
- To attend a wedding or funeral of a close relative.
- In difficult family situations the Headteacher may use his/her discretion in granting leave and each case should be addressed on its individual merits, taking into account the overall welfare of the child.
Should any of the above apply, please complete the exceptional leave form from the School Office.
Holidays In Term Time:
Taking holidays in term time will affect a child’s schooling as much as any other absence.
There is NO automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday.
Amendments to the 2006 regulations make clear that the Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence for this during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
How much could I be fined if my child misses school?
In the majority of cases, schools and local authorities will try and provide support to help you improve your child’s attendance first, but if this isn’t effective or the absence is for unauthorised term time holiday, parents may face paying a fine.
It’s the responsibility of the local authority to decide when to issue fines to parents, meaning the process varies from council to council.
However, under the national rules, all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.
From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.
In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.
Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.
Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.
Arriving on school in time– Top Tips!
To help make mornings run smoothly and ensure punctuality:
- Be positive about going to school.
- It is a good idea to prep and lay out uniform, shoes, lunches and water bottles the night before.
- Have a list your children can see, of tasks they need to complete in a morning such as get dressed, shoes on, water bottle filled, teeth brushed etc so they know what they need to do to be ready to leave on time.
- Set an alarm in your phone or on Alexa when there are 10 minutes left to leave the house so your children have a reminder that it is almost time to go.
- Turn off TV and screens during breakfast and get ready time.
- Whether you drive your children to school or walk with them make sure that you leave the house in good time to arrive for 8.50am
- If your child walks to school alone, ensure they are out of the house in good time to get themselves to school.
