Attendance at Ridgeway Farm CE Academy
Attendance at Ridgeway Farm CE Academy
At Ridgeway Farm CE Academy, we want every child to attend school regularly so that they can Believe • Learn • Grow.
Regular attendance helps children to:
- make good progress in their learning;
- develop positive relationships and friendships;
- feel part of the school community;
- establish healthy routines; and
- benefit from the full range of opportunities available at school.
We recognise that there may be times when children cannot attend. We will work supportively with families to understand and address any difficulties affecting attendance.
The school day
Classroom doors open at 8:40am and registration begins at 8:45am.
Children should be in their classroom and ready to learn by 8:45am.
- Children arriving between 8:45am and 8:55am will be recorded as late.
- The morning register closes at 8:55am.
- Children arriving after 8:55am will normally be recorded as an unauthorised late arrival unless another appropriate absence code applies.
- Afternoon registration takes place at 1:00pm.
- The school day ends at 3:15pm.
Arriving late can be unsettling for children and means that they miss important learning and instructions at the beginning of the day.
Even a few minutes each day can add up:
- 5 minutes late each day is approximately 3 school days lost over a year;
- 10 minutes late each day is approximately 6 school days lost;
- 15 minutes late each day is approximately 10 school days lost; and
- 20 minutes late each day is approximately 13 school days lost.
Reporting an absence
If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the school office before 8:55am on every day of the absence, unless an agreed longer period has already been recorded.
Telephone: 01793 677471
Email:admin@ridgewayfarm.bluekitetrust.org
Please provide:
- your child’s name and class;
- the reason for the absence;
- how long you expect the absence to last; and
- a telephone number on which you can be contacted.
If we have not received an explanation, we will contact you. Where we cannot make contact, or we have concerns about a child’s welfare, we may undertake a home visit or contact other appropriate services. This forms part of our safeguarding responsibility.
Illness and medical appointments
Children should remain at home when they are genuinely too unwell to attend school.
We will not routinely ask for medical evidence for every illness. However, we may request appropriate evidence where there is reasonable doubt about the reason for an absence or where frequent or prolonged absence is affecting a child’s education.
Whenever possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be made outside school hours. Where this is not possible, children should attend school before and after the appointment where they are well enough to do so.
The school may ask to see an appointment letter, card, text message or similar confirmation.
Please speak to us if your child has a medical condition, disability, special educational need or emotional or mental-health difficulty that is affecting their attendance. We will work with you and relevant professionals to consider suitable support and reasonable adjustments.
Monitoring and supporting attendance
We monitor attendance regularly and will contact families where:
- a child’s attendance is falling;
- there is a pattern of absence or lateness;
- the reasons for absence are unclear; or
- we are concerned about the effect on the child’s education or wellbeing.
We may invite parents and carers to an attendance meeting so that we can understand any barriers and agree appropriate support.
We currently contact families when attendance falls below 95%. This is an early-support threshold used by the school; it does not mean that every child below 95% will be treated in the same way. We will consider the child’s circumstances and reasons for absence.
A pupil is nationally classified as persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions.
Leave of absence during term time
Parents and carers do not have an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.
The Headteacher may authorise leave only where they are satisfied that exceptional circumstances apply. Each request will be considered individually, taking account of the particular facts and circumstances.
A family holiday, leisure trip, availability of cheaper travel or a wish to extend a school holiday would not normally be considered exceptional.
Where leave is authorised, the Headteacher will determine the number of school days that may be recorded as authorised. Previous decisions do not create a precedent for future requests.
Requests should be made in writing and as far in advance as possible using the school’s Leave of Absence During Term Time Request Form. Supporting information may be requested.
Submitting a request does not mean that the absence has been authorised. Parents and carers should wait for the school’s written decision before making arrangements.
If a child is absent without permission, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. Unauthorised absence may result in a penalty notice or other legal action.
National penalty-notice threshold
Schools are required to consider whether a penalty notice is appropriate when the national threshold has been met.
The threshold is:
10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks.
One school day consists of two sessions, so 10 sessions will usually equal five school days.
The sessions:
- do not have to be consecutive;
- may include different types of unauthorised absence;
- may include unauthorised late arrival after the register has closed;
- may span different terms; and
- may span two academic years.
A school week is any week in which there is at least one school session.
Reaching the threshold does not mean that a penalty notice is issued automatically. The school and Wiltshire Council will consider the circumstances, any support already offered and whether a penalty notice is appropriate.
For an unauthorised term-time holiday that meets the national threshold, the school may request that Wiltshire Council issues a penalty notice without first providing a Notice to Improve.
A penalty notice may also be considered in other circumstances, including repeated unauthorised leave, in accordance with Wiltshire Council’s code of conduct.
Who may receive a penalty notice?
Penalty notices apply to parents and carers of children of compulsory school age.
A notice may be issued to each parent who is considered responsible for the child’s attendance. In education law, this can include:
- a parent who does not live with the child;
- a step-parent; or
- another adult who lives with and has day-to-day care of the child.
Penalty notices are issued to each parent for each child. For example, two parents with two children may receive four separate penalty notices.
How much is a penalty notice?
First penalty notice
The first penalty notice issued to a parent for a particular child within a rolling three-year period is:
- £80 if paid within 21 days; or
- £160 if paid within 28 days.
Second penalty notice
A second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within the rolling three-year period is:
- £160, payable within 28 days.
There is no reduced-payment option for a second notice.
Further unauthorised absence
A maximum of two penalty notices may be issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period.
If the national threshold is met for a third or subsequent time within that period, a further penalty notice will not normally be issued. Other action, including prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court, may be considered.
Penalty notices are issued by Wiltshire Council, not by the school.
Working together
We want to resolve attendance difficulties through early communication and support wherever possible.
If your child is experiencing difficulties attending school, please contact us promptly. The earlier we understand what is happening, the sooner we can work together to help.
Policies, forms and further information
- Attendance Policy
- Leave of Absence During Term Time Request Form
- Department for Education: Working Together to Improve School Attendance
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance