National Framework For Penalty Notices for School Absence

From September 2024 there are important changes the Department for Education is introducing regarding school attendance and the issuing of penalty notices when children are absent from school.

A new National Framework for Penalty Notices has been being introduced.  The aim is to improve consistency in the use of penalty notices across England.

The national framework includes:

• A single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered of ten sessions (usually equivalent to five school days) for any unauthorised absence within a rolling ten school week period. The 10-week period may span different terms or school years. For example, two sessions of unauthorised absence in the summer term and a further eight during the autumn term.
• An increase to the rate of a penalty notice from £120 to £160 if paid within 28 days and £60 to £80 if paid within 21 days. If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period, the notice will be charged at the higher rate of £160 with no option for this second offence to be discharged at £80.
• A national limit of two penalty notices that can be issued to a parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period, so at the 3rd (or subsequent) offence(s) another tool must be considered (such as prosecution or another attendance legal interventions).
• This means that if you have applied for a leave of absence to take place from September 2024 and the school has not agreed to authorise it, you may receive a penalty notice at the level prescribed by the new framework.

Please be aware that new legislation does not allow schools to authorise any holidays in term time or authorise leave retrospectively.

We believe that good attendance is essential to support your child in getting the most out of their education and we thank you for your continued support.

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, please don’t hesitate to contact the school who will be able to offer support for your child and family.

Reporting Absence for Illness

Parents should inform the school by telephone of the reasons for their child’s absence by 8:30am on the first day of the child’s absence and on each subsequent day of absence unless the office deems it is not necessary, ie chicken pox, covid etc.

If a child is absent with no explanation, school office staff will text or telephone the parents to ascertain the reason. Please make sure that we have up to date details.

Lateness

Classrooms open at 8:25am and lessons begin at 8:30am. children who arrive from 8:40 will have a late mark. Gates close at 8:45am

Grace Mary Attendance

The Grace Mary Primary School expectation is that pupils attend school every day for every session. The total hours provided in a typical school week is 32.5 hours. We believe that regular, uninterrupted attendance secures the best possible learning achievement for all our children and we are committed to working in partnership with families to achieve this.

Grace Mary Primary School believes in the fundamental right of all children to have access to a good education. Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that they attend regularly and on time

Medical & Hospital Appointments

We understand from time-to-time that medical and hospital appointments may arise during the school day, but we do ask that these appointments, where possible, are arranged for outside of school hours.

Where this is not possible, evidence of appointments will be required.

A child should only be taken out of school for their own appointment, not because another family member has an appointment. This includes collecting a child early so a parent or carer can attend an appointment for someone else.