At Kimpton Primary School we strive to provide the highest possible educational standards for all children entrusted to us by their parents or carers,  There is a proven link between attendance and attainment, and it is therefore essential that children attend school regularly. 

The Department for Education states that parents are expected t0:

• Ensure their child attends every day the school is open except when a statutory reason applies.
• Notify the school as soon as possible when their child has to be unexpectedly absent (e.g. sickness).
• Only request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and do so in advance.
• Book any medical appointments around the school day where possible

Absence and lateness inevitably causes distress to the child and inconvenience to the staff.  Our rationale for not wanting children to be taken out of school during term time is that:

• Holidays in term time break the continuity of learning and gaps in learning often take a long time to be resolved.
• Teachers may not have the time to ‘re-teach’ what has been missed during a holiday.
• Children find it hard to break back into friendship groups causing considerable stress and unhappiness, further impacting on learning.
• Children taking holidays during September miss out on learning classroom routines, causing distress and anxiety upon return.
• Children suffer a loss of confidence as a result of feeling ‘left behind’’ and worry about ‘catching up.’
• Children are disappointed when they work towards activities but then miss out as a result of being away.

Absence from school

Parents do not have the right to take children of compulsory school age out of school during term time. By law you must request permission from the Headteacher for your child to miss school for any reason.

A Request for Absence form (please complete and submit the online form on this page) must be completed for any term time absence (with the exception of medical and dental appointments) at least two weeks before the proposed absence.

Unauthorised Absence

The following requests for absence will not be authorised:

• Holiday requests during term time, unless there is an ‘exceptional circumstance’
• Absence requests for a child’s birthday, ‘family reasons’ or parental ‘work commitments’
• Absence at the start of the school term, particularly September, where the start of the year is so formative
• Any requests during formal assessment periods or in the run up to statutory assessments.

The above statements are not exhaustive and it is recognised that there will be times when compelling and exceptional reasons will mean absence from school.

A need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute as an exceptional circumstance. If the school refuses a request and the child is still taken out of school, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Absences of 10 sessions (the equivalent of 5 school days) in the current or previous term within a rolling 10 school week period, could result in a parent/guardian being liable to a Penalty Notice for each child, or the subject of court proceedings which could result in a fine of up to £2,500. The 10 week period can span different terms of school years.

The school strongly advises parents/guardians to avoid booking holidays during term time. By taking family holidays during the designated holiday periods, you will be supporting your child’s full school attendance, learning and development. There are 13 weeks of the year to take holidays out of term time.

Penalty Notice Process

Separate notices are issued to each parent in respect of each child. Penalty notices are sent by first class post and are deemed to have been received on the second day after posting.

The amount payable is £160 (per parent, per child) if paid within 28 days, but will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. A second penalty notice issued to the same parent in respect of the same child will be charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days. A third penalty notice cannot be issued within 3 years of the date of the issue of the first penalty notice. If this limit is reached, a parenting order or prosecution will be considered. If a prosecution goes ahead at court the fine could be up to £2,500.

Persistent absenteeism

As attendance is so important, if your child’s attendance falls below 95%, we will not authorise any absence. As a school, we have a duty to inform the Hertfordshire Local Authority if any pupil has 10 days' or more unauthorised absence from school.  Attendance below 90% is classed ‘persistent absenteeism’, and this will trigger an investigation from the Education Welfare Service. If attendance does not improve, legal proceedings may be considered by the Local Authority.

Policy

You can find our Attendance Policy, which covers all of the above in more detail, on our Policies page.