From 19^th August 2024 the government are providing statutory guidance with regards to school attendance. Statutory guidance sets out what schools and local authorities must do to comply with the law.

 

The guidance is given in a hefty document called Working together to improve school attendance, a copy of which can be found below or at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.

 

The key points to the document, which are most likely to affect pupils and parents are as follows:

 

Lateness to school should be discouraged and expectations should be set out in the attendance policy (see below).

 

Schools are only permitted to authorise absence from school in ‘exceptional circumstances’. The document goes on to state that “the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.”

 

When a pupil has 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence within 10 weeks, a fixed penalty notice is issued by the local authority.  The following sanctions apply over a rolling 3-year period:

 

• 1^st offence - £160 fine per parent, per child (reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days).
• 2^nd offence - £160 fine per parent, per child
• 3^rd offence – Court hearing, up to £2,500 fine or 3 months in prison and a criminal record.

 

Lateness to school (school expectations).

 

Pupils are expected to be in their form rooms:

 

• by 8:35am at the latest
• in full and correct uniform for that particular day
• with a pencil case, planner and reading book.

Pupils arriving after 8:35am, but before registers close, will be recorded as late (L) in the register.

Two incidents of lateness to morning register in a week will result in a 15-minute detention at lunchtime.  Three incidents in a week will result in a 30-minute detention at lunchtime and four incidents of lateness in a week will result in a 45-minute lunchtime detention.

 

Those pupils arriving after registration has closed (8:50am) will be entered on the register as ‘U’ (arrived late after registration has closed). A ‘U’ code on the register is an unauthorised absence and counts towards a possible fixed penalty notice.

	Arnold Academy Attendance Policy 2024-25	[pdf 257KB]
	Working together to improve school attendance applies from 19 August 2024	[pdf 606KB]