Attendance

At Preshute Primary School we believe that pupils can only take full advantage of their education and thereby maximise opportunities in school and later life if they attend school regularly and punctually - see our Attendance Policy.

Exceptional circumstances

In accordance with Department for Education regulations, schools can only authorise pupil absence from school in "exceptional circumstances".

Exceptional circumstances include the wedding or funeral of a close family member, and family emergencies.

Holidays during term time do not constitute exceptional circumstances, except for the children of armed forces personnel who are on leave from active service.

Applying for absence

Parents/carers must complete an absence request form for each of their children attending Preshute who will be absent. Theses are available outside the office (look for the blue forms).

The form must be completed and returned to the school office at least 5 days before the first day of absence.

Penalty Notices

The school is required to report unauthorised absences to the local authority (Wiltshire County Council). If your child has had at least 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) lost to unauthorised absence in the the previous 6 months in the same academic year, the local authority will issue a formal warning to each parent/carer and - if there is no improvement in attendance within a stated time - can issue a penalty notice to each parent/carer.

At the moment a parent can be fined £120 per child per penalty notice, which is to be paid within 28 days (note: the fine is reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days). If the fine is not paid within 28 days, parents may face prosecution.

Reducing Absences

Regular and punctual attendance is so very important for allowing pupils to establish and maintain a good routine, continuity of learning and to establish friendships. Although 90% attendance for the academic year might seem reasonable at first glance, it actually equates to 1 session (a half day) having been missed each week - ie 4 weeks of absence during the school year.

See the poster below "Every Day Counts".

Sometimes your child may not be feeling well. The NHS advice "Is my child too ill for school?" provides guidance on whether your child is fit enough for school.

Non-urgent optician, dental and doctor appointments should - if possible - be made outside of the school day. If your child has an appointment during school hours, they should (if they are well enough for school) only be absent from school for the time required to attend the appointment - in other words they should attend school before and/or after the appointment (depending on the time of the appointment).

Useful Links

Wiltshire Council webpage - Attendance and Behaviour

Wiltshire Council Guidance on Penalty Notices