At Minerva Primary School we want and expect our pupils to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to, or there is another very good reason for their absence which is agreed by the school.
We believe children who attend regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education.
Attending on time every day also helps pupils form good habits which can stay with them throughout their education and on into the workplace.
Support for your child in school
Please remember we are here to help in any way we can. If you have any concerns about your child that you wish to discuss with us, please do get in touch.
You can contact us by speaking to your child’s teacher, emailing [email protected], or calling the school office on 01823 337051.
Arriving at school on time
Arriving at school on time is not only essential for the pupils’ own learning, it also encourages habits of good timekeeping and lessens any classroom disruption. Late arrival means pupils risk missing important information which can seriously disadvantage them.
Pupils who have a place booked in Breakfast Club can arrive from 8:15am. Breakfast Club places must be booked in advance on Parentmail. There is a limited number of places and they are given on a first-come, first-served basis so early booking is strongly recommended.
Pupils who are not booked in for Breakfast Club can arrive from 8:40am.
- All pupils are expected to arrive at school in good time for the start of the school day at 8:55am.
- If a pupil arrives after 8:55am they will be marked in the register as late.
Staff may ask to meet with parents/carers of pupils who regularly arrive late, to discuss reasons for lateness and explore solutions.
Illness
Pupils should attend school on every day the school is open, unless they are really not well enough.
Minor illness should not be a reason for staying at home. If your child attends school when feeling slightly under the weather, do let a member of staff know and we will monitor them and contact you if we think they need to go home. You can also sign a consent form at the school office for the school to give your child Calpol during the school day. If you aren’t sure whether to send your child to school, the NHS has a helpful webpage: Is my child too ill for school? – NHS (www.nhs.uk) You can also phone the school office on 01823 337051 and we can talk this through with you.
If your child is too ill to attend, you must contact the school before 9:00am on the first day of absence to let us know. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to contact the school on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed.
To report an absence, contact 01823 337051 and dial 2 to leave a voicemail message on the student absence line. Alternatively, you can send an email to [email protected]. Please do not use the Class Dojo system for sending messages about absence, as they may not get picked up before the registers are taken.
When leaving any kind of message about absence, please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect your child to be well enough to return to school.
If your child requires medication during the school day, please bring the medicine to the school office where you will be asked to sign a consent form for the school to give the medicine. All medication should be in its original box, clearly labelled with your child’s name and containing the information leaflet. No pupil should bring medication into school to self-administer without the knowledge of the child’s teacher.
By law, schools must record all pupil absences and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.
Medical and dental appointments
Please try to avoid medical and dental appointments in school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the school know about the appointment in advance, with evidence of the appointment. Your child should still attend school for as much of the school day as possible.
Absence follow up
The school will follow up any pupil absences where the parent/carer has not contacted us to explain why, or where we are unclear about the reason for absence.
If you fail to notify us of the reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded as unauthorised.
Where the school has cause for concern about the actual reason for a pupil’s absence, staff may seek more information or evidence from parents/carers, and/or make a home visit to check the reason. (See the downloadable flowchart at the bottom of this page for our home visit process.)
Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.
Important reminder about term time leave
Attending school every day helps children and young people maximise their learning and enjoy the benefits of their education. It really does make a difference.
For that reason, the school will not authorise any leave of absence in term time, unless satisfied the reason is exceptional.
We ask parents and carers to request permission in advance, and only if absolutely necessary. Any requests should be put in writing via the appropriate form (available from the school office during opening hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm) and wherever possible with at least four school weeks’ notice. The parent or carer who the child normally lives with should make the application.
We also ask parents and carers not to make plans without discussing with the school first, so that we can make good decisions together.
Family emergencies also need careful consideration. It may not always be appropriate, or in the best interests of the child, to miss school for emergencies which are being dealt with by adult family members. Wherever possible, please try to make alternative arrangements for your child so they can still attend school.
It is really important that we know where children are, as we have a duty to ensure they are safe. If we don’t know why a child is absent, we will follow our safeguarding procedures.
Parents/carers are reminded that unauthorised term time leave may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.
To assist parents/carers in booking holidays and arranging other events, our term dates and inset days can be found here: Term Dates – Minerva Primary School (clf.uk).
Legal action for unauthorised absence – including penalty notices
The government has made some changes to the penalty notices for unauthorised absence rules, which came into effect from 19 August 2024, in time for the new school year.
From 19 August, if a child has at least 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in 10 school weeks, their parent/s may receive a penalty notice. (A morning or afternoon is one session; a whole school day is two sessions.) However, the government’s rules also allow for penalty notices to be issued for less unauthorised absence, in some circumstances, for example where parents appear to be avoiding the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below threshold, or for repeated absence for birthdays or other family events which the school has not authorised absence for.
Penalty notices are issued to each parent/carer with responsibility for the child and are issued for each child with unauthorised absence. For example, if two siblings have unauthorised absence, and there are two parents/carers with responsibility for the children, four penalty notices would be issued.
Please note: Penalty notices are issued to parents and carers as an alternative to prosecution and are intended to prevent the need for court action. A penalty notice may not be issued if prosecution is considered a more appropriate sanction for a pupil’s unauthorised absence.
The table below provides more information about penalty notices and other legal action for unauthorised absence.
Further information:
Our full school attendance policy can be found here: Policies – Minerva Primary School (clf.uk).
| Penalty notices for unauthorised absence |
| Penalty notices are issued to parents as an alternative to prosecution and are intended to prevent the need for court action.
If a pupil has frequent unauthorised absence, and/or an extended period of unauthorised absence, a prosecution may be considered, instead of a penalty notice.
Penalty notices cannot be paid in instalments. |
| Sanction |
Outcome |
| First penalty notice (in a 3-year rolling period) |
The penalty is £80 (per parent/carer, per child) payable within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid between 22 and 28 days. (If the fine is not paid, the parent/carer may be prosecuted for the child’s unauthorised absence.) |
| Second penalty notice (in a 3-year rolling period) |
The second time a penalty notice is issued to the same parent for the same child the amount will be £160 per parent, per child (if paid within 28 days). There is no reduction in the amount if the penalty is paid early. (Again, if the fine is not paid, the parent/carer may be prosecuted.) |
| Prosecutions for unauthorised absence |
| Local authorities (LAs) are unable to issue more than two penalty notices to the same parent for the same child, in a rolling 3-year period. Should a third offence of unauthorised absence for the same child be committed during the 3 years (including where a child has moved school and fines have been issued by other LAs), the LA may prosecute the parent/carer(s).
As penalty notices are an alternative to prosecution, the LA may decide to proceed straight to prosecution instead of issuing any penalty notice.
If prosecuting, it is for the LA to decide whether a section 444(1) or section 444(1A) prosecution is most appropriate. |
| Sanction |
Outcome |
| Prosecution under section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 |
If found guilty, parents/carers may be fined up to £1000 and ordered to pay court costs. The court may also impose a Parenting Order. |
| Prosecution under section 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996 |
If found guilty, parents/carers may be fined up to £2500 and ordered to pay court costs.
Other court outcomes include community sentences, such as Curfew Orders, Unpaid Work (Community Payback) or a prison sentence of up to three months. The court may also impose a Parenting Order. |
| Education Supervision Orders (ESO) |
| The local authority must consider applying for an ESO (under section 36 of the Children Act 1989)
before prosecuting under s444 Education Act 1996. An LA may apply for an ESO instead
of, or as well as, proceeding with a prosecution. The order is placed on the child, and a supervisor
from the LA is appointed by the court, to give directions to the child and their parents
with a view to securing that the child is properly educated. Parents can be prosecuted if they
persistently fail to comply with a direction; if found guilty they may be fined up to £1000. |
