At Holy Family we firmly believe that regular school attendance is essential for the educational progress and overall wellbeing of our pupils. The school's attendance policy can be found below:
School timings
The register opens at 8:30am. All children must be in their classroom by 8:40am. Any child arriving between 8:40 and 9am will be marked as late - L. Any child arriving after the register closes at 9am will be marked as unauthorised - U
Why regular attendance matters
Consistent school attendance allows your child to:
- Fully engage in learning and make academic progress
- Develop critical social skills by interacting with their friends and teachers
- Grow in confidence in a supportive and nurturing school environment
- Build a sense of routine and responsibility, essential for future success
Parents Legal Duty
Parents have the legal duty to ensure their child attends school on each day they are fit to do so. We know that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other students. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness. Is my child too ill for school? - NHS
Approval for term-time absence
The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'. A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the pupil is authorised to be absent for.
We define ‘exceptional circumstances’ as as one-off events which are unavoidable, examples may include the death of a close relative, attendance at a funeral, respite care of a looked after child.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request.
Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 2 weeks before the absence, and in accordance with any leave of absence request form, accessible via the school office. The headteacher will require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.
Sanctions for unauthorised absence
The headteacher may issue a fine (known as a fixed-penalty notice) for unauthorised absence. If issued with one, you’ll need to pay this directly to the local authority – £80 within 21 days, or £160 within 28 days.
The decision whether to issue a fine will take into account whether the national threshold has been met – namely 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks – as well as other factors.
Before a fine is issued, you may receive a notice to improve to give you a chance to engage with support.
Rewards for good attendance
We value and recognise good attendance at Holy Family. Pupils who maintain excellent attendance records throughout the academic year are eligible for special rewards and recognition. Termly and end of year 100% attendance certificates are rewarded to individuals. The class with the best attendance receives an extra play that week.
Let's work together to celebrate and encourage regular attendance.
