Attendance

Absences, Appointments and Late Arrivals

If your child is absent from school please notify us before 9.00am via telephone or email (absences@bredburygreenprimary.com), informing school of the reason, if school is not informed that your child will not be in school a First Day Absence Call will be made to investigate why, similarly a third day call should be made to school for continued absence.

We expect all children to arrive on time for school.

If your child is late for school they must come into the building via the main school reception entrance where they can sign in. Late arrivals are monitored and if a child is late more than twice in a half term a letter is sent home. If additional late arrivals continue parents/carers are asked to meet with school to plan for improvement.

We hope for each child to have at least 96% attendance over the school year. If we become concerned about your child's attendance we will consult with the Education Welfare Officer (EWO), who will follow this up. This might involve a home visit from the officer, parental contracts or legal action.

Where possible parents/carers are expected to book appointments outside of the school day.

It is also very important that the school has your current address and contact numbers in case of emergencies. Please keep us updated of any changes.

Leave of Absence During Term Time

Parents are expected to plan family holidays or breaks during school holidays and not during term time.

The Education Regulations 2006 and accompanying guidance published by the Government makes it clear that parents do not have a right to have time off school for holidays. In 2013 the Government took further steps to discourage holidays in term time. It passed legislation abolishing the right of schools to authorise up to 10 days a year specifically for holidays if special circumstances exist. Therefore, permission for holiday or other leave is rarely given.

Any request for any leave of absence should be made in writing to the Headteacher at least 4 weeks before the proposed date/s. Leave of absence request forms can be obtained from the school office.

Attendance update 2024:

When children miss school for term time holidays not only do they miss out on important learning but they often take time to settle back into their learning routines.

The government are strengthening the rules around Education Penalty Notices. These are fixed penalty fines which can be issued by the Local Authority where 10 or more sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence take place.

They are most commonly issued to parents when a child misses school for a term time holiday taken without the permission of the school.

The new stronger rules will apply to all offences taking place after August 2024.
• For the first fine issued after the start of the 24-25 school year, the fine will increase to £80 per parent per child if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.
• If a second fine is then issued to the same parent for the same child within three years of the first fine it will be for £160.
• Subsequent offences - no further fines can then be issued if two have already been issued to the same parent for the same child within the previous three years (starting with the date of the first fine); instead the parent will be prosecuted by the Local Authority in the Magistrates’ Court.

It’s therefore more important than ever that parents arrange to take family holidays in the school holidays and not in term time.