St John's Catholic Primary School

Attendance at St John's

St John's Catholic Primary School believes that in order to facilitate teaching and learning, good attendance is essential. Pupils cannot achieve their full potential if they do not regularly attend school.

We are committed to:

• Ensuring parents follow the framework set in section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which states that:

“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him/her to receive efficient full-time education suitable –

(a) to age, ability and aptitude, and

(b) to any special educational needs he/she may have

Either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

• Promoting and modelling good attendance behaviour.
• Ensuring equality and fairness of treatment for all.
• Implementing our policies in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
• Early intervention and working with other agencies to ensure the health and safety of our pupils.
• Rewarding regular attendance.

Regular attendance is important as any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence also disrupts teaching routines so may affect the learning of others in the same class.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.

Appointments 

As far as possible, parents should attempt to book medical and dental appointments outside of school hours. Where this is not possible, appointments should be made towards the end of a school day to limit the class time children miss.

If the appointment requires the pupil to leave during the school day, they will need to be signed out at the school office by a parent. Appointment cards should always be shared with the school office so that absences can be authorised.

Pupils should attend school before and after the appointment wherever possible.

Term-time Leave

At St John's Catholic Primary School, our aim is to prepare pupils for their future lives and careers. With this in mind, we require parents to observe the school holidays as prescribed.

The headteacher is unable to authorise holidays during term-time, in line with Lancashire County Council policy.

The headteacher is only allowed to grant a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. Applications for such leave should be made in advance and the headteacher will need to be satisfied by the evidence which is presented, before authorising term-time leave.

Requests for leave during term-time will be considered on an individual basis and the pupil’s previous attendance record will be taken into account.

Requests for leave will not be granted in the following circumstances:

• Immediately before and during assessment periods
• When a pupil’s attendance record shows any unauthorised absence
• Where a pupil’s attendance rate is already a cause for concern, or could become concerning, as a result of taking leave.

 If parents take their child out of school during term-time without authorisation from the headteacher, they may be subject to sanctions such as penalty fines in-line with Lancashire County Council advice.