New Attendance Guidelines came into effect from 19th August 2024.

The law entitles every child of compulsory school age the right to access an education appropriate to their needs. It is a legal responsibility of every parent/carer to ensure that their child receives that education. Attendance at school is essential for pupils to get the most out of their school experience, including their attainment, wellbeing and wider life chances. 

The importance of regular attendance at school cannot be stressed enough. All schools are expected to promote school attendance and provide support if a child is not attending school regularly. This may mean that we raise the issue of attendance even if your child has only had a couple of days off ill. Together, we may identify other underlying issues that are making your child reluctant to attend school and be able to help you and your child. For this to be successful, we need to work together.

Requests for Leave of Absence

Parents must request permission in advance from school for leave of absence for any reason, including holidays. Head Teachers cannot grant leave during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances and cannot grant permission retrospectively. Generally, a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not be an exceptional circumstance. If a request for leave is denied and the pupil is absent for 5 days or more then the school is expected to refer the case to the LA. The LA will issue a penalty notice with no requirement for a formal warning to be issued. Penalty notices can also be issued where a pupil is absent for repeated incidents of unauthorised leave in term time that fall below the 5-day threshold.

National Thresholds

From September 2024, schools will need to consider a Penalty Notice if a pupil misses 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. Half of a day (am or pm) is considered as a ‘session’.

The threshold of 10 sessions can be met with any combination of unauthorised absence, for example, eight sessions of unauthorised holidays in term time and two sessions for other unauthorised reasons. The ten school week period may span different terms or school years, for example: 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the Summer Term and a further 8 in the Autumn term.

Penalty Notices

Under the new national framework, Fixed Penalty Notices will be considered when a child has missed ten or more sessions (five days) due to unauthorised absence in a period of ten school weeks. In September 2024, Penalty Notices (fines) charged to parents will rise to £80 (if paid within 21 days) or £160 (if paid within between 22 and 28 days). Where a penalty notice is unpaid, legal action would be pursued. Under the new framework, only two penalty notices can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year rolling period. Where a second Penalty Notice is issued to the same parent for the same child, the charge will be £160. If a third offence is committed within a three-year rolling period, legal action/prosecution would be considered. 

School attendance is a high priority for everyone. The Local Authority and schools are committed to improving attendance and achievement and would like parents/carers to work with us to ensure the best possible outcomes for their children.

At Our Lady of the Rosary, we are passionate about our children’s attendance and know that attending school is the most effective way to improve their life chances and future opportunities. We expect all children to attend school regularly and those families who struggle to send their child to school are fully supported. Term time holiday requests will not be authorised unless very exceptional circumstances are met and reviewed by the Headteacher.

Full details of all of the changes can be found by visiting the Government webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance