Attendance
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is committed, in partnership with the parents and carers, students, governors and the Local Authority, to building a school which serves the community and of which the community is proud.
Regular attendance is key to achieving the five outcomes of Every Child Matters: staying healthy, enjoying and achieving, keeping safe, contributing to the community, and social and economic well-being. Research clearly demonstrates the link between regular attendance and educational progress and attainment. We are committed to encouraging and supporting parents in ensuring their children achieve maximum possible attendance and that any problems that prevent this are identified and acted on promptly. Please see St Joseph’s attendance policy and information below.
Term Time Leave
Amendments to the 2006 regulations were made by the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and come into force on 1 September 2013. The amendments make it clear that Headteachers can only grant leave of absence during term time for exceptional circumstances. All reference to a holiday and/or extended leave, including the threshold of ten school days is removed. Any request for leave must be made in writing for the attention of the Headteacher in advance.
Taking a child on holiday in term time interrupts the learning of the whole class. Teachers have to spend time helping children catch up when they return. Parents should arrange holidays for the 13 week school holiday periods. Schools are open 190 days which leaves 175 days of the year for a holiday.
Penalty Notice
From September 2019 the school may request a Penalty Notice to be issued to parents who remove their children from school for unauthorised term time leave. Where a child is taken out of school during term time for 5 consecutive days or more without the authority of the Headteacher, each parent is may be liable to receive a Penalty Notice for each child. The amount payable on issue of a Penalty Notice is £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice, rising to £120 if not paid after 21 days but within 28 days. If the Penalty Notice is not paid within 28 days, the Local Authority must prosecute the parent/carer for failing to ensure regular school attendance under Section 444 Education Act 1996.
Warning Penalty Notice
Penalty Notice may be issued by the Local Authority under the instruction of the school if there have been at least 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence in the last 12 weeks of school. During a Warning Penalty Notice period parents must ensure their child attends school over the 15 day period where there should be no unauthorised absence. This includes arriving late after the close of registration which is 9:15am.
