Attendance
We believe that high levels of pupil attendance are essential to child development and progress. Our target attendance rate is 95%. If your child is late or absent, please phone your school before 9am to advise us, so that the absence is appropriately recorded. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s attendance or illness, please telephone the school.
Children will be recorded as late after registers have closed at 9.00am. If they arrive after 9.30am, this will be marked as an unauthorised absence if we have not been contacted.
We discourage holidays in term-time, they will not be authorised following DFE amended regulations and it is Forest CE Federation policy (see attached below).
By law, schools must record absences and the reasons given.
Authorised Absence
Some absences are allowed by law and are known as “authorised absences”. For example: if a child is ill, family bereavement, religious observance. We realise that there are rare occasions when there might be a particular problem that causes your child to be absent. Please let us know and we shall try to deal with it sympathetically.
Unauthorised Absence
There are times when children are absent for reasons which are not permitted by law. These are known as “unauthorised absences”. Examples of unauthorised absence are:
- Waiting for a delivery
- Going away on holiday
- Going for a family day out
- Sleeping in after a late night
- Going shopping or for a haircut
- Because it is your child’s birthday
If you wish to apply for a term-time absence, please email the school office with dates and a full description of absence. Please be aware that leave is only authorised for exceptional circumstances.
A new National Framework for Penalty Notices has been introduced. The regulations came into effect from the 19th of August 2024. The aim is to improve consistency in the use of penalty notices across England.
Further information on penalty notices can be found on the attendance letter attached below and the following links.
Attendance support | West Northamptonshire Council (westnorthants.gov.uk)
Illness
We often get asked by parents how long their child should be kept off school when they have contracted a certain illness. Please see the link below for guidance.
Guidance_on_infection_control_in schools_poster.pdf (hscni.net)