Absence During Term Time

Ideally every child would have 100% attendance, meaning your child attends school for the entire 190 days of the school year (380 sessions). We do, of course, recognise that illness is unavoidable and likely to impact this. Therefore, it is realistic for all children to have an attendance rate of 97% or above.  This is the equivalent of having no more than 5½ days of absence across the whole academic year.  

If a child’s attendance falls below 95% this may cause some concern. There may be legitimate reasons for this and school will work closely with parents and carers to help understand the context and reasons for a lower rate of attendance. It is important to note that early in the academic year, absence rates can appear inflated. One or two days of illness at the start of the school year will provide low attendance rates. We understand this and take that into account during the autumn term. 

When the attendance level falls below 90%, a child is deemed to be a persistent absentee. This level of attendance is very concerning and is something that is tracked across the school year, both internally and via the Local Authority and DfE. We recognise that there can be legitimate reasons for this level of absence (and that the time of year can impact this, as above) and will work closely with parents / carers to do all that we can together to help improve attendance.  

Yes and Yes. School is fully aware that families are unable to control timings of some medical appointments. Please notify the school office as soon as possible so that teachers can be made aware of any absence. Ideally, appointments to see your local doctor or dentist should be made outside of school times where possible.  If your child’s attendance is causing concern at the time, you will be asked to provide proof of the appointment.  Please don’t be offended at this request – as previously mentioned, attendance is tracked externally as well as internally and the school is held accountable for its systems. 

This can be a particularly traumatic event in a young person’s life. Funerals and associated events will be dealt with sympathetically by all school staff.  

It is highly unlikely that a leave of absence will be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. Only the most exceptional circumstances warrant authorised absence. Each application will be considered individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request. If a leave of absence is authorised, it is the head teacher’s job to determine the length of time the pupil can be away from school.  

It is important that parents and carers are aware that they are not legally entitled to take their children out of school for the purposes of a family holiday during term time. This has been the case since September 2023, when amendments were made to the School Attendance Regulations (2006). These removed references to family holidays and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days.

The amendments made clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The latest document from the Department for Education (May 2022) states that:

• Only exceptional circumstances warrant a leave of absence.
• Schools should consider each application individually, taking into account specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.
• If a leave of absence is granted, it is for the Headteacher to determine the length of time the pupil can be away from school.
• As Headteachers should only grant leaves of absence in exceptional circumstances, it is unlikely a leave of absence will be granted for the purposes of a family holiday.

The application form for leave can be found in the attachements at the bottom of this page. In short, please provide school with as much notice and information as possible, ideally at least 6 weeks prior to the requested date of leave. Confirmation will be provided by the school confirming whether the request is authorised or not. We advise that parents and carers do not book any travel until they receive confirmation from school. School does recognise that not all requests can be made 6 weeks in advance.  

Yes. This is very important. Any additional evidence can support an application for leave and will help decision making. An example of good supporting evidence would be a letter from an employer stating that shift patterns or holiday entitlement would make holidays outside of term time impossible.  

North Yorkshire Local Authority’s Code of Conduct for the use of Penalty Notices states that unauthorised absences can result in a Penalty Notice being issued if the threshold of 10 sessions (5 days) or more is met. Therefore, the Local Authority may issue a fine.  

If a child has been marked as absent and school have not been notified, calls will be made to the child’s primary contact(s) to establish why the child is not in school and how long they may be absent for. If there is no response from these, backup contacts will be called. This call will be carried out by a member of the school’s admin team before 9:30am. These calls are necessary for accurate recordings in the school register. In the unlikely event of no answer from any contact, a welfare check at the pupil’s home will be carried out by senior staff.  If there is still no contact with the family, the police may be consulted.

There are fully understandable reasons for lateness such as car trouble and traffic. School understands this. If a child is persistently late to school, Mrs Palmer will invite parents to a meeting where strategies will be discussed to aid improvement. The school day begins at 8:45. All pupils are expected to be in school by this time to begin the day’s learning.