Attendance
At Christleton Primary School we believe we offer a supportive approach to attendance and encourage our families to contact us should there be any barriers to your child arriving at school on time every day.
Good attendance is essential if pupils are to take full advantage of school and gain the appropriate skills, which will equip them for life. It is important to ensure that our most vulnerable pupils are given the same opportunities, which may mean extra support in certain cases.
Christleton Primary school aims to achieve good attendance by operating an attendance policy within which staff, pupils, parent(s)/carer(s), local community, the Education Improvement Partnership and the Education Welfare Service can work in partnership. The school will monitor attendance and ensure quick and early intervention if a problem is identified.
All staff will encourage good attendance and will liaise with home and partner agencies if this is appropriate. Good attendance will be seen as an achievement in its own right and recognised as such by the school.
The table below demonstrates the impact of absence and is a useful reference point.
In September 2024 there are new rules relating to attendance which are summarised below.
Attendance Rules From September 2024
£80 fines and Improvement Notices
Absence fines charged to parents will rise from £60 to £80, or £160 if not paid within 21 days. From Autumn term 2024, only two fines can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year rolling period. Any notice thereafter will automatically be charged at £160. Parents will also receive "improvement notices", where they are are informed that this is their last opportunity to engage with education and improve their child's attendance before a fine is issued.
National fine thresholds
If a pupil misses 10 sessions (half days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks schools will have to consider a fine. The threshold can be met with “any combination of unauthorised absence”. For example, four sessions in term time plus six instances of arriving late.
Long-Term Sickness to be Flagged with Local Authorities
We will have to give the council the name and address of sick pupils who they believe will miss 15 consecutive or cumulative days. Schools will also be “expected to inform a pupil’s social worker if there are unexplained absences from school”.
Mental Health Awareness
As a school, we will be mindful of pupils absence from school due to mental or physical ill health or their special educational needs and/or disabilities. In these cases, we will consider any additional support we may be able to offer.
