Attendance & Progress

The children who are most happy and successful in school are those with the best attendance.

Academy Attendance Lead: Melanie Capes
Absence line phone no: 01476 585278

We would like to thank our parents for their commitment to their child’s attendance.

The vast majority of parents ensure that their child attends regularly and on time and we have very few parents who do not support their child in this.

We love to see the happy faces of the children as they get to school on time to play with their friends before sitting down together, ready to learn. Children who do not get to school on time or miss some days of school altogether find it more difficult to make friends and to catch up on their learning. Please remember that our school day starts promptly at 8.50 am and children who are late miss the beginning of their reading session, an important skill for them to learn.

A list of current term and holiday dates is available in school. We ask you to check these dates carefully before booking your holidays. Any request for holiday absence will be declined in line with current guidelines. Our commitment is to provide a quality education, but we do need parental support (and our children in school) to be able to do this.

If your child is ill

We know that sometimes your child may be unable to attend because they feel unwell.

In this case please contact the school office on 01476 585278 and leave a message telling us, preferably before the start of the school day. Some parents think that their child may be better off at home if they are ill, but generally we are happy to have them in school and will keep a close eye on them to make sure that they are okay, if you ask us to. We have also produced a helpful leaflet to help you to decide whether your child is well enough to come to school which can be downloaded below. We use NHS guidance to advise and you can access this yourself here.

If we do not hear from you first thing in the morning and your child is not in school, then we will try and make contact with you as quickly as possible to ensure that your child is safe. This could be by text, telephone or home visit. Please rest assured that we always pursue this until we are satisfied so you know that your child’s welfare is important to us.

Other Reasons for Absence

The vast majority of our parents recognise that their children are happiest and successful in school when they attend regularly.

For that reason, they do not ask for holidays during term time, because they know how damaging this can be for their child’s education. Whilst it may be tempting to take advantage of lower holiday prices in term time, this can seriously unsettle your child when they return from holiday as they will have missed learning and the social aspects of school.

Of course, we realise that you may wish to ask for a leave of absence for a reason other than a holiday, such as to attend a sporting event, take part in a performance or for other family reasons. In that case please download a copy of the form at the bottom of this page, complete it and return to the academy as soon as possible and prior to the date requested.

If there is any other reason why you or your child is finding it difficult to attend school regularly and on time, then please do contact Mrs Capes or Mrs Glendinning who can help. Our team have already helped many other parents and children in this way. Seeking early help, no matter the issue, can help you to avoid any fines for non-attendance which can be very costly and stressful.

If we do not hear from you first thing in the morning and your child is not in school, then we will try and make contact with you as quickly as possible to ensure that your child is safe. This could be by telephone or home visit. Please rest assured that we always pursue this until we are satisfied so you know that your child’s welfare is important to us.

parent leave request form new.pdf

Rewarding Great Attendance

We love recognising good attendance and punctuality and so do our children!

The children enjoy seeing where we are in the DRET primary league table.

Absence and Fixed Penalty Notices

Amendment to Lincolnshire’s Fixed Penalty Notice procedures

FIXED PENALTY NOTICE (FPN) FOR NON-SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RE: HOLIDAYS & PERSISTENT ABSENCE

lcc code of conduct.pdf

IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR 2024/2025

Information to add to schools website & correspondence regarding leave in term time

From August 19^th 2024 the Government have introduced a new ‘national framework for Penalty Notices’. (in Lincolnshire the changes apply from 1^st September 2024).

There are significant changes that parents need to be aware of:

If your child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10 school week rolling period, you may be issued with a Penalty Notice. These 10 sessions may include any unauthorised absence, including leave in term time and do not have to be consecutive.
Penalty Notices are increasing to £160 from September 2024. This can be reduced to £80 but only for the first Penalty Notice issued, if paid within 21 days – this reduction does not apply to any subsequent Penalty Notice.
Any 2^nd Penalty Notice, to the same parent for the same child, issued within three years of the date of the first Penalty Notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160
A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three year rolling period, to the same parent for the unauthorised absence of the same child, – alternative action or legal measures will be utilised for subsequent offences.
In some circumstances a ‘Notice to Improve’ may be issued – However, a Notice to Improve will only be used in cases where support is appropriate. They will not be issued in cases of unauthorised leave in term time for holidays, where information for parents is included on schools website or a simple warning by the school that a Penalty Notice could be issued if unauthorised leave in term time is taken will suffice.