Regular and punctual attendance of pupils at schools is, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, a legal requirement, parents being responsible for ensuring that any child of compulsory school age receives efficient full-time education that is suitable to the child's age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs the child may have. 

Schools are bound by government legislation and we ask that parents make every effort to comply with the attendance regulations. 

Please make routine doctor/dental appointment outside of school hours where possible. 

Authorised Absences 

The Department for Education (DFE) has issued guidelines to all schools detailing valid reasons for authorised or justified absences: 

✔ Sickness/illness* 

✔ Emergency medical appointments 

✔ Scheduled hospital appointments or treatment 

✔ Days for specific religious observance, notified in advance 

Absence allowed in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Head Teacher, notified in advance

The DFE guidelines look at the area of "Special Occasions" and make clear that only truly exceptional occasions should be classified as authorised. These include: 

✔ Absence due to exceptional family circumstances (e.g. bereavement, serious illness) 

✔ Family wedding or civil partnership taking place on a school day (just the day of the event) 

✔ Examinations off-site 

✔ Educational opportunity 

✔ Attendance at an event at the request of a public organisation 

✔ Visit to a new school 

✔ Family re-location visit 

Unauthorised Absences 

Unauthorised absences are those where: 

▪ no letter or acceptable explanation is provided by parent(s)/carers; 

▪ the reason for the absence does not fall into one of the categories of authorised absence above. The following absences cannot be authorised, under any circumstances: 

▪ family holiday, no matter what length 

▪ leaving school early to travel to an event 

▪ routine medical or dental appointments, which could be arranged outside school hours 

▪ minding the house 

▪ caring for relatives 

▪ awaiting repair people 

▪ shopping/birthday 

The Headteacher reviews each request and decides if it meets the criteria for authorisation. Parents should keep their copy of the authorisation in case they are required to prove their child has authorised absence during term-time. 

*Please note that we may ask for evidence of illness, e.g. doctor's note, if a child's attendance has fallen well below the 96% threshold. 

The Local Authority has jurisdiction to impose fines for unauthorised absence.