Attendance Matters!
Amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 make clear that from September 2013, no holidays will be authorised by the School in term-time.
Holidays in term-time will be recorded as unauthorised and will incur a fine, unless the below exceptional circumstances apply:
Service personnel returning from/scheduled to embark upon a tour of duty abroad.
Other exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Headteacher/Head of School.
Any period of leave taken without the agreement of the School, or in excess of that agreed, will be classed as unauthorised and will attract a Fixed Penalty Notice.
A separate penalty notice will be issued to each parent for each child who has an unauthorised absence. Where parentally condoned unjustified absence appears to be a problem the School will discuss this with the Early Help Link worker.
Fixed Penalty Notices Under the Rotherham School Attendance Matters Pathway (SAMP), penalty notices could be issued if any of the following three conditions applies:
A pupil has accumulated five or more consecutive days of unauthorised leave of absence (holiday in term time)
For persistent unauthorised absences the school can follow the SAMP. If the attendance does not improve throughout this process, school can request the LA issue a fixed penalty notice.
An excluded pupil present in a public place without justification, during the hours of the school day where the pupil is on roll, during the first five days of each fixed period or permanent exclusion.
The amount payable on issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice is £60, if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice, rising to £120 if paid within 28 days. If the Penalty Notice is not paid within 28 days, the Local Authority may prosecute the parent/carer for failing to ensure regular school attendance under Section 444 Education Act 1996.
The Local Authority Code of Conduct (point 3.3) for the issue of Fixed Penalty Notices in respect of Poor School Attendance and Unauthorised Holidays / Leave of Absence taken in Term-Time states that a parent will not be issued with more than 1 Fixed Penalty Notice in respect of an individual child in any 2-year period. This means that if any parent/carer who has already received a Fixed Penalty Notice then takes their child out of school in term time for a holiday, which falls within 2 years of the date of the last day of absence of the previous holiday, a request will be made to the Local Authority and the matter may be referred to the Magistrate’s Court. This could result in a prosecution of up to £1000.
All children have the right to a good quality education: TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE IT!
UNICEF: Children's Rights - Article 28
At Whiston, we strive for all children to achieve at least 97% attendance per year.
Attendance below 96%, is classed as poor attendance, as this will mean that children will have missed 7+ days of teaching and learning throughout the year. We are required to report and publish our attendance figures and it is the responsibility of the parents and carers to inform us of any pupil absence. If your child is unwell and is unable to attend school, you must inform us by telephone: 01709 828189 or by email: enquiries@wji.wwpat.org by 8:30am of their first day of absence and on any subsequent days.
We will record absence as either authorised or unauthorised.
Authorised absences include illnesses (we may request medical evidence to authorise this), special circumstances and medical appointments - again we may ask for evidence of these.
Unauthorised absences include unexplained absences, holidays and lateness. If a child's absence falls below the Local Authority threshold, we will follow the Rotherham Pathway to try and support families to improve their child's attendance. This may include a referal for a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Watch the children's video, which informs you of the reasons you why they think that they should be in school: Whiston Junior and Infant School - Parent & Pupil Info (whistonjunior-infant.co.uk)
Follow the link to our Attendance Policy: Whiston Junior and Infant School - School Policies (whistonjunior-infant.co.uk)
Please contact Helen Lilleyman (Attendance Lead) or Tina Angell (Head Teacher) to discuss any issues that you may have with getting your child to attend school. Or to find alternative support, click on the links below:
- RPCF Rotherham Parent Carers Forum
- Early Help – Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
- School attendance and absence - childlawadvice.org.uk
My child is ill, when should they return to school?
Picking up bugs is part of growing up and builds children's immune system. We know that there are times when your child needs to stay at home because they are not well enough to stay in school. You know your child best, but the information below from NHS helps if you are unsure as to whether you should keep your child at home and for how long.
