HERO Attendance at Holmer Lake.
For a chance to be a Holmer Lake HERO, children will need to be in school everyday and on time!
It is vital that children are in school everyday and on time. Reading is our first lesson of the day, so in order to ensure that all children can read, at age-related expectations, they need to be in school everyday and on time! Through the HERO attendance initiative that the superheroes have set Holmer Lake, we will be encouraging children to be a HERO! Children who are in school everyday and on time will be rewarded weekly. Half termly HEROes could win a £20 voucher!
Authorised Absence and Unauthorised Absences.
Many children are absent from school for legitimate reasons. If your child is absent from school please notify us. You can simply tell the class teacher, write a note or telephone the school. If children are feeling particularly unwell or, for example, have a rash, parents should seek medical advice before returning them to school. Not giving a reason for your child’s absence may result in your child’s absence being unauthorised. Holidays during term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Attendance is monitored by the Education Welfare Officer, Mrs Helen Carolina, every three weeks. All pupils are expected to have attendance of 95% or above. If attendance drops below 95%, you will receive a School Attendance Letter informing you of this. If attendance does not improve, you will be issued with a second School Attendance Letter and asked to provide medical evidence each time your child is absent from school.
Illnesses: not sure if your child can attend school?
Please click here to find further information on whether your child needs to remain off school or whether they can attend dependent on their illness.
Unauthorised Absence and Leave in Term Time.
From August 19th 2024 the Government have introduced a new ‘National Framework for Penalty Notices’. (In Telford & Wrekin the changes apply from 1st 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 second 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.
- If in an individual case the local authority believes a Penalty Notice would be appropriate, they retain the discretion to issue one before the threshold is met. For example, when a parent purposefully tries to avoid a Penalty Notice by taking their child out of school when there is only four pupil days in school and the fifth day is for example a PD day or bank holiday attached to that week.
- 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.
‘Parents should always apply to the Headteacher for any request for leave in term time by completing a request form available from school. (DfE guidance states schools should not authorise leave retrospectively so any leave in term time taken without a request being submitted will be unauthorised absence.)
In developing and publishing the new national framework, the Government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time. The Governors and Headteacher of this school support this and pupils will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances. The DfE Guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance (Feb 2024) states that: Generally, the DfE does not consider the need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance. (Paragraph 38.)
Each application for leave in term time will be considered and if it is agreed and authorised the Headteacher will determine the duration of any leave. However, if the application is not agreed and the absence occurs the dates will be unauthorised. Parents will be notified of any decision in writing. This notification may be hand delivered directly to the parent or posted to the parents’ home address.
As a school we are asked to inform you that in line with Telford and Wrekin Council Policy, if your child is absent for 10 school sessions within a 10 week rolling period and that absence is unauthorised, you may be subject to a Penalty Notice fine, criteria is as detailed above.
Please click here for more information.
