Attendance / Absence
Attendance
Polite reminder of the government document-Working Together to Improve School Attendance: Working together to improve school attendance (applies from 19 August 2024) (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Fines for holidays term time:
Highlighting only 2 penalty notices can be issued to the same parent in respect of the same child within a 3 year rolling period and any second notice within that period is charged at a higher rate:
• The first penalty notice issued to a parent in respect of a particular pupil will be charged at £160 if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
• A second penalty notice issued to the same parent in respect of the same pupil is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days.
• A third penalty notice cannot be issued to the same parent in respect of the same child within 3 years of the date of issue of the first. In a case where the national threshold is met for a third time (or subsequent times) within those 3 years, alternative action should be taken instead. This will often include considering prosecution.
As a school, we understand the pressures families are under financially coupled with the desire to spend time together as a family. However, holidays in term time are not authorised and will therefore be subject to the legislation as explained above.
We work hard and communicate term dates well in advance and there are regular reminders in our newsletters, on our website. Please take note of them when booking any future holidays.
As a reminder, please see below holidays for the Academic Year 2026/2027 & 2027/2028. Holidays should only be booked within these dates. No holidays will be authorised outside of these dates unless they meet the special circumstance criteria.
As reference for when you are booking your holidays, these dates can be found on the following:
- School website
- Save the Date! On the front page of the newsletter weekly
PLEASE NOTE THE 2027/2028 CALENDAR HAS CHANGED (Originally published with the incorrect May Bank holiday)
Reporting Absence
If your child is going to be absence for any reason you must follow the below procedure.
- Sickness: telephone the school office on the first day of absence and each day after that, email AdminOfficer@mooreprimary.co.uk or report via the Arbor App.
- Medical appointments: All routine appointments should be booked out of school hours. If not possible- Email or deliver a copy of the appointment letter before the appointment to the office.
- Emergency appointments – school office, phone call, Arbor App or email as above
Please do not inform teachers by email if you request a leave of absence. This must be sent to the office 6 weeks in advance and must be authorised.
Like all parents, you will want your child to do the best they can at school, and we are grateful for the crucial role you play in supporting them to do this. Supporting the to attend on time each day, as well as supporting them to complete hoemwork is part of the reason achieve as well as they do.
Families that take holidays in term time, for whatever reason, have a significant impact on their child’s attendance and therefore on achievement. We need your support to reverse this.
We all have a legal duty to ensure our children will reach their potential by attending school if they are able. All the evidence clearly shows that pupils with excellent attendance achieve better at school.
If you are having problems with getting your child to attend for reasons other than a holiday, please speak to me as soon as possible so that we can work together to resolve this.
