Good attendance is important because:
• Statistics show a direct link between underachievement and attendance below 96%
• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically, and enjoy learning more.
• Regular attenders find school; routines, work and friendships easier to cope with.
• Regular attenders are more successful in transitioning between primary school, secondary school and higher education, employment or training.
To report an absence
Contact the school on the first day of absence before 9.15 am, when our register closes;
The school has an answer phone available to leave a message (01462 813733) if nobody is available to take your call, or you may call into school personally and speak to the office staff. Please be aware that, if you leave a voicemail to report your child’s absence, you may receive a call from the school so that we may discuss the absence before making a decision as to whether the absence is to be recorded as authorised;
Contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9.15 am;
Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and you provide any medical evidence, if requested, to support the absence. Medical evidence may be requested where your child is having multiple periods of absence which are reported as being due to medical reasons. When determining whether a child is too ill to attend school, both parents and school staff can consider the advice contained in the following NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Planned absence which may be authorised
These require a letter or email to the school office at info@henlowacademy.org.uk
Authorised absences are morning or afternoon sessions away from school for a genuine reason such as illness (although you may be asked to provide medical evidence for your child before this can be authorised), medical or dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause.
Medical appointments that cannot be organised outside school time
Occasional care for a family member if the pupil is a known young carer
Visit to another educational establishment (AEA)
Occasional extra-curricular activity which gives the pupil significant benefit
Attendance at a family wedding or funeral
Unauthorised absences
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no ‘leave’ has been granted. This type of absence can lead to the school referring to the Local Authority for penalty notices and/or legal proceedings.
Unauthorised absence includes, (however this list is not exhaustive):
Parents/carers keeping children off school unnecessarily e.g. because they had a late night or for non-infectious illness or injury that would not affect their ability to learn;
Absences which have never been properly explained;
Children who arrive at school after the close of registration are marked using a ‘U’. This indicates that they are in school for safeguarding purposes, however is counted as an absence for the session;
Shopping trips;
Looking after other children or children accompanying siblings or parents to medical appointments;
Their own or family birthdays;
Holidays taken during term time, not deemed ‘for exceptional purposes’ by the headteacher, including any arranged by other family members or friends;
Day trips;
Other leave of absence in term time which has not been agreed.
School Attendance and the Law
New legislation was passed, The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 which introduced a National Framework in England. By law all children of compulsory school age must receive an appropriate full-time education (Education Act 1996). Parents have a legal duty to ensure their child attends school regularly at the school at which they are registered.
Parents may be recognised differently under education law, than under family law. Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 states that a ‘parent’, in relation to a child or young person, includes any person who is not a parent (from which can be inferred ‘biological parent’) but who has parental responsibility, or who has care of the child.
National Framework for Penalty Notices
There is now a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered by all schools in England, of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period. The 10 sessions of absence do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence (G, O and/or U coded within the school’s registers). The 10 school week period can span different terms, school years or education settings.
Sanctions may include issuing each parent (for each child) with a Penalty Notice for £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days (for the first offence). A second Penalty Notice issued within a three year period will result in a fine of £160 per parent, per child. If a third offence is committed the matter may be referred to the local authority for consideration of prosecution via the Magistrates Court. If prosecution is instigated for irregular school attendance, each parent may receive a fine of up to £2500 and/or up to 3 months in prison. If a parent is found guilty in court, they will receive a criminal conviction.