Attendance Policy

St Edward’s Catholic Primary School seeks to ensure that all its pupils receive a full-time education which maximises opportunities for each pupil to realise their true potential.  The school will strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, whereby each member of the school community feels safe, happy, wanted and secure. All school staff will work with pupils and their families to ensure each pupil attends school regularly and punctually.

The school offers incentives and rewards that acknowledges the efforts of pupils to improve their attendance and timekeeping and will challenge the behaviour of those pupils and parents who give low priority to attendance and punctuality.

Punctuality

Pupils can come into school from 8.45am and the school day starts promptly at 8.55 a.m. If a child arrives at school after 8.55 a.m. without prior arrangements having been agreed, they will be deemed late.  Registers close at 9.00 a.m. and arrival at school after this time, without prior approval or extenuating circumstances, will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Pupils arriving at school after 8.55 a.m. must enter through the main gates and report to the school office to be signed in by an adult. Pupils leaving school for any reason must report to the office before they go so that we can ensure that they are appropriately chaperoned and signed out.  Registers are also taken when the children return to classes after lunch. Unexplained absences will be investigated by the PFSW (Pupil Family Support Worker – Mrs C).

Illness

If your child cannot attend school due to illness, please leave a message on our school absence line on the morning of the first day and each subsequent day of absence.

Should we do not hear from you by 9.30am the school is legally obliged to contact you to ascertain that the child is at home for safeguarding reasons. When your child returns to school please ensure that you give a letter to their class teacher with the reason for absence as well as your medical appointment card/prescription where applicable.

Medical Appointments 

The school asks that, when possible, medical appointments are made outside of school time, however if you have to take your child out of school to attend an appointment please inform the school office as well as the class teacher and provide an appointment card/letter for school records.

Holidays 

The Department for Education has announced important changes to legislation concerning absence in term time.  From the 1st September 2013 the law gives no entitlement for parents to take their children on holiday during term time.  Any application for leave can only be granted at the discretion of the Head Teacher who must be satisfied that the circumstances are exceptional and warrant the granting of leave.

If the application for leave is not considered an exceptional circumstance and therefore is not granted, and parents remove their children from school during term time, a fixed penalty notice may be issued by the Northamptonshire Education and Inclusion Partnership Service.  The fixed penalty tariff has been fixed by Northamptonshire County Council at £60 per parent/per child (two parents/two children = £240).  This figure will be doubled if not paid in 21 Days.  If the Notice remains unpaid then Northamptonshire County Council will commence proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court which if proven can attract a range of fines up to £2,500.

Northamptonshire County Council will be issuing fixed penalty notices in the following circumstances

  • Where a child misses five consecutive school days that the school has not authorised.
  • Where a child misses the equivalent of five school days in a six week period that are not authorised.

This brings Northamptonshire in line with the majority of other local authorities.

If you wish to apply for leave for exceptional circumstances during term time please contact the Head Teacher.