At Elworth Hall we strive for the highest possible standard of education for all pupils and recognise that this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent attendance and punctuality. This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and punctually will pupils be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. Parents and carers play a key role in ensuring primary-aged pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Many pupils achieve 100% attendance but there are some whose patterns of attendance cause concern.

The Department for Education made significant changes to the law for families wishing to take term time leave of absence in August 2024. 

National threshold for issuing penalty notices.
The new national threshold for issuing penalty notices has been set at 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks.

However, if in an individual case the local authority believes a penalty notice would be appropriate, they retain the discretion to issue one before the threshold is met.
For example - where parents are deliberately avoiding the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below threshold, or for repeated absence for birthdays or other family events.
When a school becomes aware that the threshold has been met, they are expected in every case to consider whether to request the Local Authority to issue a penalty notice.

For a First offence the Penalty Notice fine would be: -
 £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, rising to
 £160 per parent, per child if paid between 21-28 days.
For a Second offence within 3-years of the first penalty notice being issued, the penalty notice fine would be:
 £160 per parent, per child if paid between 28 days.
Following the second offence every new offence within the 3-year period, will be prosecuted under S444.1 of the Education Act 1996. I must advise you that if the prosecution takes place, the maximum fine is £1,000 per parent, per child. This reflects the seriousness of unauthorised absence from school.

Our key priority is to ensure that your child is as successful as possible and can achieve their full potential. To support this, any leave should be planned for the 13 weeks school holidays except in exceptional circumstances.

Teachers and parents share a common goal when it comes to children. We all want the very best educational opportunities for them, and we want every single one to get the most they can out of the 190 days a year our schools are open for learning. At Elworth Hall, each pupil’s attendance and punctuality is tracked daily. Where attendance or punctuality data causes a concern, parents are informed of this by letter. 

There are times when children are unable to attend school. We all become poorly from time to time, and there are also hospital appointments and funerals that happen during the school day which cannot be missed.

The school’s Attendance Officer, Mrs Thomson, meets regularly with senior leaders to look at attendance rates and cross reference these with pupils’ current progress and attainment scores. Parents will be informed if their child is falling behind academically as a result of poor attendance or punctuality. We are committed to working with our families to ensure that their children can catch up on the learning they miss on the days they are understandably absent from school.

Punctuality

It is equally as important to ensure that your child is punctual to school. This means being on time and ready for the day ahead. Being punctual allows for a great start to the day, putting your child in a positive frame of mind to make the most of the day’s learning and activities. It also shows children the importance of time management, which can be carried through their life.

Punctuality is linked to good attendance and as we know, good attenders have more opportunities and therefore achieve more! Minutes late can quickly equate to days missed. In example, if your child was late by 5 minutes each morning, by the end of the academic year they would have lost 3.4 days of learning.

Also, it allows your child to see their friends (in the playground) which leads to improved self confidence and therefore SUCCESS!

Holidays in Term Time

Elworth Hall Primary School DO NOT authorise holidays in term time.

Term time holidays have become one of the major reasons for absence from school. Contrary to popular belief, there is no entitlement to ten days off school for family holidays. What the law actually provides for is exceptional circumstances. Unless exceptional circumstances can be proved, any absence for a family holiday in future will be treated as an unauthorised absence.

It is much harder to help children recoup the learning and school experiences lost when they are taken out of school to go on term time holidays. We understand the economic pressures every family now faces, and share the frustration felt by many at having to pay more for breaks within school holiday times.

We recognise that more needs to be done by the government and the travel industry to regulate and reduce these prices but we cannot allow children's education to be put at risk because of high holiday costs.

We urge all parents and carers to work with us and book family time and breaks away during the 175 days of the year when our schools are not open for learning. This will give every child the same chance to take advantage of the rich educational and social experiences our school provides.

What should I do if my child is ill?

If your child is ill and needs to stay off school, you must call Main Reception on 01270 910456 - Option 1 by 9:00am, each day that they will be absent.

If your child has any sickness and/or diarrhoea, you must keep them off school for a minimum of 48-hours from the last occurrence.

If your child tests positive for covid-19, you must keep them off school for a minimum of 5 days from the test date. They must receive a negative Lateral Flow Test on day 5 and day 6 of isolation, before they are able to return to school.

What should I do if my child has a Medical Appointment, during school hours?

If your child has a Medical Appointment during the school day, you will need to provide a copy of their appointment letter to Miss Hassall and also advise what time they will be collected, with as much notice as possible. 

On the day of the appointment, if your child will be attending school in the morning, please drop them off as normal at the beginning of the day. Where possible, please also advise your child's class teacher of what time you will be collecting them, so they can be ready to go when you arrive at school. Please come to Main Reception to collect them, at the necessary time. If your child's appointment is in the morning and they will be attending school after the regular drop-off time, please bring them to Main Reception, to be signed in to school. You should always escort your child down to the office and wait until a member of staff has signed them in, please do not leave your child to walk into the school grounds alone.

If Mrs Clark is not able to authorise the application and you still take your child out of school, we will record the absence as unauthorised and you may get a school absence penalty notice (fine).