Illness 

If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, please call the school office on 01937 584359 and press option 1 to leave a message on the absence line. Please include your child’s name, class and reason for absence in your message. Messages need to be made before 8:45am on the day of your child’s absence.  

If your child has experienced symptoms of sickness and/or diarrhoea, they will be required to stay off school for 48 hours from when they last had symptoms.

Drop off and collection 

If your child will be late or being collected early in school for any reason e.g. for a medical appointment please inform the office prior to the absence, we will also require your child’s meal choice if they are on school dinners to inform the kitchen early enough.

Leave in term time

All children aged between 5 and 16 are required by law to receive an education, and under the provisions of the Education Act 1996,  a parent has to ensure the regular school attendance of their children and that failure to do so could result in legal proceedings being taken by the Local Education Authority.

Requests for leave can only be granted by schools if there are exceptional circumstances, and holidays are not considered exceptional. They must also be made to the school in advance, as the Department for Education has told schools that they cannot authorise any absences after they have been taken.

Fines

• First offence - The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be: £80 per parent, per child paid within 21 days. This increases to £160 per parent, per child if paid after day 21, until day 28. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

• Second Offence (within 3 years) - the second time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

• Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) - the third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case may be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court under s.444 of the Education Act (1996) or other legal interventions considered. A guilty verdict at the Magistrates’ Court can lead to a fine of up to £1000, and a criminal record which can affect employment opportunities.

Attendance

Under the regulations given to us by the DfE, Deighton Gates Primary School has to follow very strict guidelines if children fail to attend school on a regular basis. As a school we have to look at absence rates regularly and act upon any families whose absence is falling under 90%. The parents of children who regularly miss school – who are seen as persistent absentees - can then be subject to a fixed penalty fine of £160 per child from the local authority.

Attendance is monitored on a regular basis in school.  We send out attendance monitoring letters for children that are under 90% attendance (therefore deemed as persistently absent) and also those that are under 93% to keep parents/carers informed of their child's attendance half termly.  All children receive an attendance letter at the end of the school year. 

If you would like to discuss your child’s attendance or require support to improve your child’s attendance, please contact Mrs Evans (learning mentor) or Mrs Hawes (Headteacher) through the school office.