At Northbrook Primary Academy we aim for our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education and it is vital that they attend regularly and are at school, on time, every day, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. We have high expectations for punctuality and attendance levels for our pupils. We believe it is vital for parents and school to support each other in maximising their children’s attendance to enable them to achieve their potential. We have policies and procedures in place to support families to achieve this.
Attendance Documents
FAQs
1. Why is good attendance important?
Good attendance is vital for your child to achieve their full educational potential. At Northbrook Primary Academy we expect students to achieve a good attendance of 98%. Pupils with good attendance records benefit in the following ways:
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Continuity of learning which makes progress and retention easier
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Improved performance in classwork
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Enhanced performance in quizzes and tests
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Continuity of relationships and friendships
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Good references for their transition to secondary school
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Good habits are formed for later life
2. What can I do if my child is starting to present attendance difficulties?
These difficulties can show themselves in a number of different ways e.g. feigning illness, reluctance or failure to attend school. If this occurs:
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Contact us as soon as possible to make us aware.
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Talk to your child to try to ascertain if there are any problems or worries at, or on the journey to or from the Academy.
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If a problem seems to be emerging parents should initially contact the Mrs H Cole 01772 421599 or e-mail h.cole@northbrookpa.org
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Consider seeking advice from appropriate websites such as School Attendance and Absence
3. What constitutes good attendance?
Attendance needs to be 96-98% before it can be considered good. Consider the following examples:
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An attendance record of 90% might seem good but is equal to 19 days missed per year or 95 hours of learning lost. If this continues from Years 1 to 6, over six months education will be lost!
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An attendance record of 85% might seem acceptable but is equal to 29 days missed per year. If this continues from Reception to Year 6, more than a whole academic year will be lost!
Each year, a number of students in every year group achieve 100% attendance records, showing that this is an achievable target. In addition, a number of children have achieved this level of attendance in successive years. At Northbrook Primary Academy we work on the following attendance descriptors:
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98%-100% = Excellent attendance
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96%-97.9% = Good attendance
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95% = Satisfactory attendance
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Below 94.9% = Cause for concern
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Below 93% = Unsatisfactory
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Below 90% = Serious cause for concern
4. What does the school do to encourage good attendance?
We consider excellent attendance to be of such importance that we place a great deal of emphasis on it and put considerable resources into promoting it. Below are listed some of the strategies used:
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Individual rewards for Students with good and excellent attendance records
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School, year group and tutor groups targets are set for attendance and individual targets where necessary
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Regular attendance information sent to parents to assist them in monitoring their child’s attendance
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Regular promotion of good attendance in assemblies, student notices and at parents’ evenings
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Detailed analysis of attendance figures and trends for individuals, year groups and the whole school
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Regular reports to governors
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Computerised registration system
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A member of the support staff dedicated to the administration of attendance
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Contact with parents on the first day of absence
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Close working partnership with the Local Authority’s Schools' Attendance Service
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Support for students and parents where attendance difficulties are emerging
5. What can parents do to support their child to achieve good attendance levels?
Parents play a very important role in ensuring the good attendance records of their children. Below is a list of suggested strategies:
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Encourage and stress the importance of full attendance.
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Do not allow your child to have time off for minor complaints or illnesses: if they are well enough to be up and about they are generally well enough to attend school.
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Monitor your child's attendance report carefully.
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Try to book any medical or dental appointments in out of school hours or make them for the very end of the day.
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Ensure your child is punctual for school.
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Inform the school of any absence.
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Take any vacations in school holidays, not during term time.
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If your child seems unwilling to attend, contact the school as soon as possible: do not let your child stay at home as this could set a precedent for the future.
6. What is the school's position on granting leave for family holidays?
Holidays during term time will not be authorised and where these meet the legal threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions (5 school days) over a ten-week period, school will apply to the Local Authority for a fixed penalty notice to be issued.
7. What is an unauthorised absence?
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given. This type of absence can lead to the Local Authority using sanctions and/or implementing legal proceedings.
The type of absences which may not be authorised include:
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Parents allowing their child to be absent from school unnecessarily e.g. minor illness, tiredness.
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Truancy before or during the school day.
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Unexplained absences – no reason provided.
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Shopping, looking after other siblings or birthdays.
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Leave of absence during term time for day trips or holidays.
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Students who arrive at school after the register has closed.
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Absences which coincide with important curriculum events (e.g. Sports Days) for which a satisfactory explanation has not been provided.
Parents should be aware that the decision whether to authorise an absence or not rests with the school. Hence, if there is any ambiguity relating to an absence, school may request further evidence from parents before an absence may be authorised. This may be in the form of a prescription, an appointment card or similar.
8. Does it matter if my child has recorded unauthorised absences?
As a parent, you’re legally responsible for making sure your child attends school regularly unless you are home-educating your child. Recorded unauthorised absences show that parents are in breach of this law. Recent changes to the law have given Local Authorities the power to serve parents with a Fixed Penalty Notice if a child has ten or more unauthorised absent sessions (i.e. 5 days) in one term.
9. What is a Fixed Penalty Notice?
We believe that any absence from school, for whatever reason, is detrimental to a child’s long-term life opportunities and should be avoided. Reducing absence from school is a key priority, both nationally and locally. Missing school limits a child’s access to learning and, long term, will adversely affect their attainment levels.
Under existing legislation, parents/carers commit an offence if a child fails to attend school regularly and the absences are classed as unauthorised (those for which the school cannot or has not given permission). Depending on circumstances, such cases may result in prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.
A Penalty Notice is an alternative to prosecution, which does not require an appearance in Court, whilst still seeking to secure an improvement in a pupil’s attendance.
What are the costs?
Payment within 21 days of receipt of a Penalty Notice is £80 and £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.
If a parent receives a second penalty notice for the same child within any three-year period, the charge will be a flat rate of £160; there will be no reduction if paid within 21 days. Penalty notices for absence before the 2024-25 school year do not count. A parent cannot receive more than two penalty notices for the same child within any three-year period. This is because it is clear that previous penalty notices have not worked. Once this limit has been reached, another action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered. Penalty notices for absence before the 2024-25 school year do not count in this limit.
How are they issued?
Issued by the Local Authority, by post to home the parental addresses.
When are they used?
From the 2024-25 school year, there will be new national rules on how penalty notices for school absence are used. The new rules mean that all schools must consider giving a penalty notice to a parent when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons within a 10 school week period, and support to help your child be in school is not appropriate. If support would help improve attendance, that should be provided by the school or local council rather than a penalty notice. You cannot be given a penalty notice for absence that is authorised by the school (such as illness). A penalty notice will usually only be issued in cases of holidays taken in school time, or for other reasons where the school or council is trying to help attendance to improve and you are not engaging in that support or it is not working and they believe that a penalty notice would improve attendance. Your school or council can still decide to issue a penalty notice or proceed to prosecution for less amounts of absence than 10 sessions (5 days) if support is not appropriate and they think it would improve attendance. For example, if parents are often taking shorter holidays in school time to deliberately avoid a fine
Is there an appeal process?
There is no statutory right of appeal once a Penalty Notice has been issued.
How do I pay?
Details of payment arrangements will be included on the Penalty Notice. You need to be aware that payment in part or by instalment is not an option with Penalty Notices.
10. Can I get help if my child is not attending regularly?
Yes, the school and external support services can give you advice and support if you need help to improve your child's school attendance, although you should be aware that this is ultimately the legal responsibility of the parent/carer.
It is very important that you speak to us at the earliest opportunity if you have any worries at all about ensuring the regular and punctual attendance of your child at school.
Further advice and guidance can be found here - Resources for families | Children's Commissioner for England (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)
