Absence Reporting (Illnesses)

You must phone the school everyday before 8.30 am to report your child's absence on Tel: 01952 387250.  Please state your child’s name, class, reasons for absence and your name and relationship to the child. If we do not hear from you, we will make contact with you to confirm the absence as part of our safeguarding procedures.

If your child is suffering from an upset tummy, is feeling sick, or has actually been sick, please do not send them to school. We realise that children sometimes use these things as excuses to stay at home, but we have had instances of children being sent to school when they have been ill that morning. Such action only spreads the infection to others. If a child has been sick more than once or has diarrhoea, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the symptoms have subsided. If your child has been sick once with no other symptoms, they can return after 24 hrs. Any infectious diseases should be notified to the school promptly because we in turn have to inform the local authority.

Below is a link for government guidance - 'Is my child too ill for School':

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Medicine

When medicines are to be administered in school/nursery it is essential that safe procedures are established which are acceptable to appropriate staff involved. It is essential that clear written instructions are supplied by parents when requesting that medication be administered to their child.

Parents should always complete an ‘Administration of Medication’ form available below giving the child’s name and class, clear instructions on the dose to be administered to the child, the time to be given and for what period. Medication must be in its original packaging, clearly labelled and include the prescriber’s instructions and given to the class teacher at the start of the day. Only the prescribed/recommended dose will be administered, this cannot be changed unless written instructions are given from a medical professional.

Prescribed medicines must be worked around the school day so parents/carers are asked to ensure that any medicine needed falls during break and/or lunchtime.

Absence Requests (during Term Time)

The DfE guidance about holiday in term time makes the following points:

• Each request can only be judged on a case-by-case basis
• Even in exceptional circumstances, it is expected that Headteachers will use their discretion sparingly.
• Headteachers should not apply policies (for example, blanket bans) which might suggest that each application has not been considered on its individual merits

As a general guide any activity, holiday or event that can be arranged during the annual 13 weeks holiday time should not be authorised during the school term.  School will confirm in writing our decision whether to authorise any leave in term time or not following any requests for leave in term time.  This provides parents/carers with written information about the possible consequences of taking leave that has not been authorised.

Parents should always apply to the Headteacher for any request for leave in term time by completing a request form available from the school office. These are also available on the school website.  DfE guidance states schools should not authorise leave retrospectively so any leave in term time taken without a request being submitted will be unauthorised absence.

In developing and publishing the new national framework, the Government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time.  The Governors and Headteacher of Old Park Primary School and Nursery support this and students will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances. The DfE Guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance (Feb 2024) states that: Generally, the DfE does not consider the need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance. (Paragraph 38.)

Each application for leave in term time will be considered individually and if it is agreed and authorised the Headteacher will determine the duration of any leave. However, if the application is not agreed and the absence occurs the dates will be unauthorised. Parents will be notified of any decision in writing. This notification may be hand delivered directly to the parent or posted to the parents’ home address.

Why is school attendance important?

Being in school is important to your child’s academic achievement, wellbeing, and wider development.  There is evidence to suggest that regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children and young people's educational, economic and social outcomes. Schools can facilitate positive peer relationships, which contributes to better mental health and wellbeing. Attendance at school is crucial to prepare young people for successful transition to adulthood, and to support their longer term economic and social participation in society. There is also evidence that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A level results (DFE 2022).

National drive on attendance 

Every state school in England, August 2024, will share their daily attendance registers across the education sector - including with the department for education, councils, and trusts in the next stage of the government’s drive to reduce pupil absence in school. The sharing of daily school registers will form a new world-leading attendance data set that will help schools spot and support children displaying worrying trends of persistent absence or those in danger of becoming missing in education. Schools, trusts and councils will be able to access this data via an interactive secure data dashboard maintained by the department for education. This will allow them easy use of the data to not only spot pupils in need of support but also to understand how their attendance position compares locally and nationally so they can look at where they might need to drive improvements.

We will do this through the DfE platform WONDE.  We will use available local and national figures to benchmark our attendance performance as well as to target attendance improvement efforts to the pupils or pupil cohorts who need it most.

Penalty notices

From August 19^th 2024 the Government have introduced a new ‘national framework for Penalty Notices’. (in Telford & Wrekin the changes apply from 1^st September 2024).

There are significant changes that parents need to be aware of:

• If your child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10 school week rolling period, you may be issued with a Penalty Notice. These 10 sessions may include any unauthorised absence, including leave in term time and do not have to be consecutive.
• Penalty Notices are increasing to £160 from September 2024. This can be reduced to £80 but only for the first Penalty Notice issued, if paid within 21 days – this reduction does not apply to any subsequent Penalty Notice.
• Any 2^nd Penalty Notice, to the same parent for the same child, issued within three years of the date of the first Penalty Notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160
• A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three year rolling period, to the same parent for the unauthorised absence of the same child, - alternative  action or legal measures will be utilised for subsequent offences.
• If in an individual case the local authority believes a Penalty Notice would be appropriate, they retain the discretion to issue one before the threshold is met. For example, when a parent purposefully tries to avoid a Penalty Notice by taking their child out of school when there is only four pupil days in school and the fifth day is for example a PD day or bank holiday attached to that week.
• In some circumstances a ‘Notice to Improve’ may be issued – However, a Notice to Improve will only be used in cases where support is appropriate. They will not be issued in cases of unauthorised leave in term time for holidays, where information for parents is included on school’s website or a simple warning by the school that a Penalty Notice could be issued if unauthorised leave in term time is taken will suffice.

‘Parents should always apply to the Headteacher for any request for leave in term time by completing a request form available from school.  (DfE guidance states schools should not authorise leave retrospectively so any leave in term time taken without a request being submitted will be unauthorised absence)’.

In developing and publishing the new national framework, the Government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time.  The Governors and Headteacher of this school support this and students will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances. The DfE Guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance (Aug 2024) states that: Generally, the DfE does not consider the need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance. (Paragraph 38.)

Each application for leave in term time will be considered and if it is agreed and authorised the Headteacher will determine the duration of any leave. However, if the application is not agreed and the absence occurs the dates will be unauthorised. Parents will be notified of any decision in writing. This notification may be hand delivered directly to the parent or posted to the parents’ home address.

As a school we are asked to inform you that in line with Telford and Wrekin Council Policy, if your child is absent for 10 school sessions within a 10 week rolling period and that absence is unauthorised, you may be subject to a Penalty Notice fine, criteria is as detailed above.

Maximising Attendance

It is very important that children attend school regularly. Any absences affect their learning and, whilst teachers endeavour to help children catch up with work they have missed, lessons are planned progressively so missing an important stage can be very unsettling both for individual children and the rest of the class. Attendance is monitored regularly both by the school and the Education Welfare Officer.

If parents/carers fail, without a reasonable excuse, to ensure that their children attend regularly they can be prosecuted or a Penalty Notice may be issued. The maximum penalty is a £2500 fine and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months.

Educational Welfare Officer

Should you have any concerns about your child’s attendance or need support please contact our Education Welfare Officer, Helen Carolina Tel: 01952 381881

Documents for reference