At Samuel Barlow Primary Academy, we expect the highest levels of attendance possible to ensure pupils continue to progress and enjoy their education. Our aim is to have all students achieve a minimum of 97% attendance – it is no coincidence that children who attend regularly make better progress with their learning!

The information below should help parents/carers to support their children to ensure we achieve the highest possible attendance levels.

Parental requirements

All parents/carers of our pupils should:

  • provide the academy with up to date contact details
  • ensure their child attends the academy regularly and punctually, as is their legal duty as parents – it is always better for a child to attend late than not at all too!
  • contact the academy on the first and each subsequent day of any absence (by 9.30am on the first date), unless a definite date of return is known
  • ensure their child arrives on time and well prepared for the academy day
  • contact the academy whenever any problems occur that may affect their child’s attendance or performance

Working with families and children to improve

Where there is a pattern of regular absence, lateness or poor attendance, we will work with families to best support them to improve this situation. This will include being invited to meet with the principal to work out a way to improve the situation – if attendance/punctuality still doesn’t improve this could lead to your child’s records being passed to the Local Authority or Social Care, who will take appropriate action.

Some simple tips that can help with punctuality include:

  • Establishing a good bedtime routine
  • Make sure children go to bed to sleep and not be distracted by TVs or computer games.
  • Set an alarm clock
  • Allow plenty of time to get to the academy each morning
  • Make arrangements with family or friends to help or share the responsibility  – especially if you have more than one school to go to
  • Talk to the your child’s teacher or Mrs Kahler if you have problems getting your child to the academy on time

Holidays

Parents/carers are not entitled to remove children from the academy for holidays or for any other reason as a right – we will not automatically authorise holidays simply on the grounds of a parent/carer being unable to take time off from their employment during the academy’s holidays.

Only in exceptional circumstances will we consider authorising holidays during term-time. These circumstances are:

  • where families are service personnel
  • where a family needs to spend time together to support each other during/after a crisis
  • other compassionate circumstances confidentially shared with the academy
  • where a student has been offered an exceptional opportunity outside of the academy

Parents/carers may apply for exceptional leave of absence by writing to the principal at least four weeks before the planned absence (including before the planned holiday is booked).

Holidays will not be granted retrospectively, based on an existing booking. The application letter must outline precisely what the exceptional circumstances are.

Local Authority Code of Conduct for issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices will be followed in cases of holidays taken without prior authorisation

The academy’s policy on attendance is regulated by Diverse Academies policies, and is aligned with Nottinghamshire County Council’s guidelines.

Attendance statement:

The updated Department for Education guidance on school attendance came into force on 19 August 2024.

Working together to improve school attendance

It is essential that your child attends school regularly. The government places expectations on all parents / carers* to ensure that our children achieve good punctuality and attendance.

A significant amount of absence equates to lost learning, and the subsequent potential risk of lower grades a child is capable of. For example, a child with 80% attendance each year, loses a full year of learning in secondary by the time they finish their GCSEs in year 11, or a year and a term in primary by the time they complete year 6.

Please be aware of the following:

  • The thresholds for enforcement for unauthorised absence have changed to 10 or more (morning and / or afternoon) sessions (equivalent of 5 full days) in a 10-week rolling period.
  • Legislation states that our academy principals cannot authorise any leave of absence in school time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
  • Holidays are not seen as exceptional circumstances for absence.
  • Unauthorised absence may incur a penalty notice.
  • Any penalty notice is overseen by and paid directly to the Local Authority; we do not benefit financially from fining.

Please be aware that:

  • A parent is defined as anyone with parental responsibility (PR) including step-parents and those in households where the parents have separated / divorced but still retain PR*.
  • From the start of academic year 2024-25 the penalty notice (fine) for unauthorised absence across the country is £80 per parent per child (if paid within 21 days) or £160 per parent per child if paid between Day 22 and 28.
  • In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child(ren) within any three-year period this will be charged at the higher rate (£160) if paid within 28 days
  • Fines per parent will be capped at two fines per parent in any three-year period. Once this threshold has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered by the Local Authority.
  • If you are prosecuted it is means that you will have to go to court. You could get a fine, a community order or in exceptional cases, be given a prison sentence of up to 3 months. The court could also issue you with a parenting order

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Where we believe that a child has been on holiday rather than absent through illness, and we therefore record the absence as unauthorised, we may request that a fixed penalty notice is issued by the Local Authority. The burden of proof to demonstrate otherwise rests with the parent.

As part of our wider duty of care, in accordance with the safeguarding guidance in ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education,’ we will follow up any unexplained or unauthorised absence lasting for a number of consecutive days, with ‘safe and well’ contact checks.

We do understand that from time to time, it is not always possible to come to school due to illness. We would refer you to the NHS guidance (Health protection in education and childcare settings: exclusion table (khub.net) on illness absence before deciding to keep your child off school.

 

It would be extremely helpful to us (and your child) if medical and dental appointments can be made outside of academy hours. We can authorise absence if those unavoidable appointments in academy time are supported by evidence (which may be a text message from your GP or dental surgery).

As always, we appreciate your full support in ensuring that your child comes to our academy on time each day.

 

Note: * Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 defines a “parent” as:

all natural (biological) parents, whether they are married or not

any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person

any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person