Attendance

Rivington Foundation Primary School seeks to ensure that all its pupils receive a full-time education which maximises opportunities for each pupil to realise his/her true potential.  The school will strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, whereby each member of the school community feels wanted and secure. All school staff will work with pupils and their families to ensure each pupil attends school regularly and punctually.

The school will establish an effective system of incentives and rewards that acknowledges the efforts of pupils to improve their attendance and timekeeping and will challenge the behaviour of those pupils and parents who give low priority to attendance and punctuality.

To meet these objectives Rivington Foundation Primary School will establish an effective and efficient system of communication with pupils, parents and appropriate agencies to provide mutual information, advice and support.

Legal Responsibilities & Procedures

Children who do not attend school regularly are less likely to achieve their full potential. As a school, it is our responsibility to ensure that every child has the opportunities to reach their full potential.

As you are aware a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life. Poor school attendance damages educational achievement and the future progress of young people.

What can parents do to help?

• Make sure that your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time. It’s a good idea to start these positive habits at an early age,

• If your child is ill, contact the school on the first day of your child’s illness

• If your child is ever off school, you must tell the school why.

• If you want permission for your child to miss school, you should ask for permission well in advance and give full details

CHANGES TO THE LAW REGARDING PENALTY NOTICES FOR UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

A new National Framework for Penalty Notices for school absence, including unauthorised holiday absence, is being introduced following changes to the law. These new Government regulations will come into effect from 19th August 2024, and we wanted to bring this to your attention, as it will affect when penalty notices are issued in Lancashire.

What are the changes?

• There will be a new national threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions for any reason (equivalent to 5 school days) within a rolling 10 school week period for when a penalty notice must be considered.

• The new rules mean you will no longer be able to take your child out of school for one week’s holiday without a penalty notice being issued.

• There will be an increase in the penalty fine from £60 to £80 if paid in 21 days. If the fine is not paid by the first 21 days, it will rise to £160 if paid within 28 days of being issued.

• If a second penalty fine is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80.

• If a parent then commits a third offence in a 3-year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider other enforcement options available to them.

Headteachers may not authorise leave during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional.

All requests for leave of absence in term time must be made 20 days in advance in writing on the leave of absence request form – available from the school office.

Please note: The approval of leave of absence does not set a precedent for similar future requests and the frequency / duration of such leave periods will be considered as factors in any decision.

Attendance Policy 2024-2025:

Attendance Strategy 2024-2025:

Attendance Strategy Poster:

Attendance Matters:

Working Together to Improve School Attendance:

Parental Guidance on School Attendance

Attendance & Punctuality

Our school’s attendance target is 96% for all children.

At Rivington Foundation Primary School, we are committed to excellent attendance at school. We strive to ensure that every child achieves the local authority target of 96% attendance.

Please see below for the policies and procedures that we have in place to ensure that every child fully accesses their education, giving them the greatest chance to achieve their full potential.

Absence

Absences must be reported to the school office before 9.00.a.m. on the first day that your child is absent from school. We have the facilities for you to leave a message before 8am but we may make a follow-up call if the reason for your child’s absence is unclear.

First Response

If school does not receive notification of a child’s absence, then a first response action is taken. This is firstly a phone call but will then be followed by a house visit if the phone call is unsuccessful. This is a safeguarding response to ensure that every child at our school is accounted for every day.

Punctuality

Pupils can come into school from 8.35am and the school day starts promptly at 8.45 a.m. If a child arrives at school after 8.50 a.m. without prior arrangements having been agreed, he/she will be deemed late.  Registers close at 9:15 a.m. and arrival at school after this time, without prior approval or extenuating circumstances, will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Pupils arriving at school after 8.50 a.m. must enter through the main gates and report to the school office to be signed in by an adult. Pupils leaving school for any reason must report to the office before they go so that we can ensure that they are appropriately chaperoned and signed out.  Registers are also taken when the children return to classes after lunch. Unexplained absences will be investigated by the attendance officer

As part of Lancashire Local Authority, we work closely with the School Attendance Support Service to ensure that all children are attending school regularly. Information about this service is available by clicking the link.

Leave of Absence Procedures

As detailed in our Attendance Policy, and in line with DfE guidance, we do not authorise leave of absence during term other than when exceptional circumstances permit. If you wish to take your child out of school, during term time, it is important to discuss this with us as much in advance as possible so we can guide you through the process.

However, where absence is unauthorised, it could lead to further action being taken including a penalty notice being issued. Department for Education information regarding this is available by CLICKING HERE.

TERM TIME LEAVE OF ABSENCE REMINDER LETTER Nov 2023