One of our top priorities at May Park Primary school is for all our pupils to enjoy learning, experience success and realise their full potential. Regular attendance has a positive effect on the motivation and attainment of pupils. We believe that children who attend school regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships and gain the most benefit from their learning.
It is vital that children develop regular attendance habits at an early age. Therefore, the school will encourage parents of Nursery children, and Reception children who are not yet compulsory school age, to send their children to every session that is available to them.
All pupils must arrive by 8:55am
If arriving after 8:55am, children must report to the school office with a parent/carer to be signed in.
Illness
If your child is ill, please call the school office on 0117 903 0075 by 9.00 am on the morning of their first absence to let us know, and each subsequent day. If we do not receive notification about your child’s absence we will call you during the first session to enquire as to why your child is not in school. This is in line with recommended safeguarding procedures.
If you think your child has possible Covid-19 symptoms, then call 111 and recall the information to them for clarification.
Sickness & diarrhoea – If your child has vomited, they should not return to school until 48 hours after their last bout of sickness. This is in line with NHS recommendations and helps prevent the spread of infections through the school community.
Other childhood illnesses: There is a useful document on the Public Health England website which outlines the number of days a child should be absent for due to illnesses such as Scarlet Fever, Chicken Pox and Impetigo here
If your child becomes unwell during the school day, we will contact you via the three emergency numbers we hold for your child. Please ensure that we are informed of any changes to these contacts.
Parental Responsibility
It is important that everyone works together to help children obtain the best possible start in life with a good education. As a school we need to work in partnership with parents so that all children have good school attendance and do not miss out on essential learning. It is a parents responsibility to notify the school of the reason for any of their child’s absences and highlighting any areas of concern they may have so they can be addressed promptly.
If you are having difficulties with ensuring that your child attends school regularly and on time, please contact Polly Stokes, Attendance Manager via the school office. Working together usually results in positive outcomes for our children and we have experience of supporting children and families through difficult situations.
As a school we will only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. The request must be made by the parent with whom the child normally lives, and permission must be sought in advance preferably 4 weeks before the absence.
Absence Requests for Holidays
Only in special circumstances will holiday leave be authorised during term time. Unauthorised absences of 10 or more sessions must be reported to the Education Welfare Officer. They may issue a fine (£60 per child, per parent). Absence from school without request is counted as unauthorised absence.
Example of such special circumstances include:
- When a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after crisis.
- Service personnel who are prevented from taking holidays outside term time if the holiday will have minimal disruption to the pupil’s education.
- One off special event e.g. family wedding, graduation. (no more than 3 days)
Bristol City Council’s statement regarding penalty notices for holidays taken in term time states, that if 10 or more school sessions (either continuous or aggregated) are taken for unauthorised holiday within a period of six months then the Education Welfare Service will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. If a holiday is taken without informing the school, it is automatically reported to the EWS as unauthorised, however many days are taken. If exceptional circumstances appear to warrant a holiday in term time then applications should be made to the Principal on the Holiday Request form for consideration.
Leave of Absence Request Form
Why is it important for children to attend school regularly?
Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life. Being on time is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, the teacher, and the other children in the class. It is not only the academic work; missing out on the social side of school life, especially at primary school, can affect children’s ability to make and keep friendships, a vital part of growing up.
What about authorised absences?
Of course there may be times when your child has to miss school because they are ill. This is to be expected and for the odd day off sick you should follow the school’s procedures for notifying illness.
What is unauthorised absence from school?
Only the Principal can authorise a pupil’s absence from school. Unauthorised absence is when a pupil is absent from school when they should have been in school, or school have not been given a reason for the absence. Principals follow the Department for Education guidance when deciding whether absence is authorised or not – www.education.gov.uk.
Education Welfare Service https://www.bristol.gov.uk/business/schools-learning-and-early-years-for-professionals/attendance-and-inclusion/education-welfare-service
What happens if my child does not attend school regularly?
Your child’s school is responsible by law for reporting poor attendance to the Local Authority. If your child is not attending school regularly, an Education Welfare Officer may visit or write to you. Education Welfare Officers work with parents to address their child’s attendance difficulties. In Bristol the Education Welfare Service has the duty to consider legal action regarding unsatisfactory school attendance. It is the duty of a parent of a child of compulsory school age to secure their education by regular attendance at school or otherwise. If a parent fails to fulfil this duty imposed by the Education Act 1996, such a person commits a criminal offence.
The Local Education Authority has a duty to consider legal action against parents where their children have unauthorised absence from school. Prosecution in the Magistrate’s Court may be pursued, or the case could be put before the Family Proceedings Court where Education Supervisor Order maybe imposed or both. The maximum financial penalty for a parent of a child of compulsory school age under the Education Act 1996 is currently £2,500. Imprisonment for up to 3 months can also be considered. Some parents may be trying but finding it hard to get their children to attend school.
The Education Welfare Service can be contacted during office hours for advice on school attendance.
Education.welfare@bristol.gov.uk
0117 352 1438
Fixed Penalty Notice Leaflet
