Attendance
St Thomas Cantilupe Church of England Primary School
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Coningsby Street, Hereford HR1 2DY 01432 268400 www.st-thomascantilupe.org [email protected] Headteacher: Mrs Pippa Lloyd
5th October 2015 Dear Parents, It has come to my attention that some parents are discussing concerns about school on the playground and on Facebook but not coming into school to discuss them with us. We have an open door policy here and welcome our parents in. I am out on the playground virtually every morning and every night, so am nearly always available. The best way to sort issues out is to discuss them with us, so please do. We are all here to do the very best for the children in our care and that is best done when we have an open dialogue with parents. One of the issues I understand is being discussed is that of absence in term time. Therefore I would like to clarify the situation. Government Policy states that all holidays taken in term time are unauthorised except under “exceptional circumstances” for example, where a parent in the forces has restricted leave. We therefore request that parents notify us at least 6 weeks in advance in order to allow us to ascertain if “exceptional circumstances” have been met. The Attendance Panel considers each case and applies a consistent approach to all. Where the absence is for a family holiday, a letter will be issued stating that the absence will be unauthorised. The Attendance Panel will also seek evidence for absences reported as illness, but where there is a suspicion that the child has been withdrawn from school for a family holiday. If evidence is not produced e.g. a GP note, a letter will be issued stating that absence will be unauthorised. Regulations state that the Local Authority must be informed of cases where unauthorised absence of 5 days (10 sessions) or more are taken. The Local Authority will then issue a Fixed Penalty Notice i.e. fine of £60 per parent per child. The school does not benefit financially from this fine Where parents continue to take children out of school annually for holidays, the Local Authority may decide to issue Penalty Warnings as an alternative course of action. This could result in legal action through the courts. Please note that the department that
✝Life Lasting and Life Enhancing Learning St Thomas Cantilupe CE Academy is part of The Bishop Anthony Educational Trust A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales Company Number 08762217 Registered office: Unit 11 The Business Quarter, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1FD
issues the notices is closed during school holiday periods so there is often a delay in issuing fines and penalty warnings. The school’s attendance records are audited by Education Welfare Officers and Ofsted, in line with Government regulations. We are held to account for any authorised absence and records are checked to confirm that regulations for unauthorised absence have been adhered to. I hope that this clarifies the situation but if you have any questions about this or any other matter, please don’t hesitate to come and discuss it further Yours sincerely
Pippa Lloyd
✝Life Lasting and Life Enhancing Learning St Thomas Cantilupe CE Academy is part of The Bishop Anthony Educational Trust A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales Company Number 08762217 Registered office: Unit 11 The Business Quarter, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1FD
cler
Coningsby Street, Hereford HR1 2DY 01432 268400 www.st-thomascantilupe.org [email protected] Headteacher: Mrs Pippa Lloyd
5th October 2015 Dear Parents, It has come to my attention that some parents are discussing concerns about school on the playground and on Facebook but not coming into school to discuss them with us. We have an open door policy here and welcome our parents in. I am out on the playground virtually every morning and every night, so am nearly always available. The best way to sort issues out is to discuss them with us, so please do. We are all here to do the very best for the children in our care and that is best done when we have an open dialogue with parents. One of the issues I understand is being discussed is that of absence in term time. Therefore I would like to clarify the situation. Government Policy states that all holidays taken in term time are unauthorised except under “exceptional circumstances” for example, where a parent in the forces has restricted leave. We therefore request that parents notify us at least 6 weeks in advance in order to allow us to ascertain if “exceptional circumstances” have been met. The Attendance Panel considers each case and applies a consistent approach to all. Where the absence is for a family holiday, a letter will be issued stating that the absence will be unauthorised. The Attendance Panel will also seek evidence for absences reported as illness, but where there is a suspicion that the child has been withdrawn from school for a family holiday. If evidence is not produced e.g. a GP note, a letter will be issued stating that absence will be unauthorised. Regulations state that the Local Authority must be informed of cases where unauthorised absence of 5 days (10 sessions) or more are taken. The Local Authority will then issue a Fixed Penalty Notice i.e. fine of £60 per parent per child. The school does not benefit financially from this fine Where parents continue to take children out of school annually for holidays, the Local Authority may decide to issue Penalty Warnings as an alternative course of action. This could result in legal action through the courts. Please note that the department that
✝Life Lasting and Life Enhancing Learning St Thomas Cantilupe CE Academy is part of The Bishop Anthony Educational Trust A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales Company Number 08762217 Registered office: Unit 11 The Business Quarter, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1FD
issues the notices is closed during school holiday periods so there is often a delay in issuing fines and penalty warnings. The school’s attendance records are audited by Education Welfare Officers and Ofsted, in line with Government regulations. We are held to account for any authorised absence and records are checked to confirm that regulations for unauthorised absence have been adhered to. I hope that this clarifies the situation but if you have any questions about this or any other matter, please don’t hesitate to come and discuss it further Yours sincerely
Pippa Lloyd
✝Life Lasting and Life Enhancing Learning St Thomas Cantilupe CE Academy is part of The Bishop Anthony Educational Trust A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales Company Number 08762217 Registered office: Unit 11 The Business Quarter, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1FD
