Attendance

Attendance

Regular school attendance is essential if students are to achieve their full potential. At Altwood Church of England School, we believe that regular school attendance is the key to enabling students to maximise the educational opportunities available to them and become resilient, confident and competent adults, who are able to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their community. We value all students, and we will work with families to identify the reasons for unsatisfactory attendance and try to resolve any difficulties.

Reporting Absences :

• If your child is going to be absent, please ring school as early in the day as possible on 01628 622236 option 2, giving the reason why your child cannot attend.

• Please write a note for your child to give to their Form Tutor on the first day of their return back to school.

• Where possible make medical appointments after school or during school holidays.

• For unavoidable hospital or dental appointments, please produce a note or card to show to the Form Tutor.

Education Penalty Notice Warning for Non-School attendance: 

Under the Education Act 1996, parents and carers have a duty to make sure their children regularly attend school. If parents or carers fail to do this, they can be prosecuted. Working within a Code of Conduct the Local Authority can issue a penalty notice to parents or carers if a child has missed a number of sessions without permission from the school. If your child falls within one or more of these categories within a 12-week period:

• 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence with under 90% attendance

• 20 sessions (10 days) of unauthorised absence

• persistently arrives late for school after the close of registration. You could receive a Penalty Notice of £60 which will increase to £120 if not paid within 21 days. The Penalty Notice will need to be paid in full within 28 days of the notice being served. Failure to pay a penalty notice may result in prosecution (a separate penalty notice may be issued to each parent for each child).

In law, an offence is committed if a parent fails to secure a child’s regular attendance at school. RBWM Attendance Service, in conjunction with schools, will use these powers as an early deterrent to prevent patterns of unauthorised absence developing. You may also receive a Penalty Notice for the offence of failing to secure regular school attendance under the following circumstances:

• Your child is stopped on a truancy sweep

• You fail to ensure that your child is not in a public place during the first 5 days of a fixed term or permanent exclusion.

The Local Authority and schools are committed to providing the best possible future for your child. If you have concerns about your child’s attendance at school or if you are experiencing any difficulties please contact your school and ask for support. Further information regarding Education Penalty notice can be found on the school website