Attendance guidance for parents/carers

Raise your child's attendance - Raise their chances!

At St Bede's excellent attendance and punctuality is our aim for every student. Full attendance maximises learning opportunities and parents/carers have a vital role in promoting good attitudes in attendance. Evidence shows that students who attend school regularly make better progress both academically and socially. We ask for support from parents/carers to:

• Ensure that their children are present every day (100%)
• Arrive on time
• Avoid allowing children to stay at home unnecessarily
• Avoid taking them out of school without authorisation. 

We monitor attendance closely and will follow up unexplained absence with parents/carers, by telephone or by letter. The Department for Education's threshold at which a student is defined as 'persistently absent' is 10%. Where a student's attendance record reaches a concerning level, we will contact you to discuss ways in which the school can support you and your child.

The school attendance target of 96% is the minimum that we expect for all students. Every lesson counts and it is this commitment to learning that will have a positive impact on attainment and progress.

Punctuality

All students are expected to arrive to school on time and be ready and punctual to lessons. This is a minimum expectation. Students are expected to be in registration by 8.30am ready to start learning. After 8.40am, students will be marked as late. If a pupil arrives after 9.15am they will be marked as unauthorised absent.

Afternoon registration starts at 2pm and close at 2.10pm.

Any student arriving late must sign in at student services and persistent lateness will result in a sanction in line with the behaviour policy. We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that your child arrives on time.

What to do if your child has an appointment

We ask that, where possible, you make routine medical and other appointments out of school time. If this is not possible, we require notification in advance. Please telephone, email or provide a note from home or appointment letter/card to confirm the appointment. In most cases, your child should attend school before the appointment and return to the school afterwards wherever possible. Students should bring a note from home (if not previously reported by email or Insight) to student services when it is time for them to sign out and sign back in on their return.

The Government strongly urges parents/carers to avoid taking their children out of school for family unauthorised leave of absences as this will disrupt their education. Whilst we understand the difficulties parents/carers may have in organising unauthorised leave of absences during the school unauthorised leave of absences and the benefits to be had from cheaper term-time unauthorised leave of absences, this type of absence is detrimental to a child's education.

There is a common misconception that any child is allowed to take 10 days unauthorised leave of absence per year. This is not true.

Any request should be made two weeks in advance and by completing the 'Application for leave of absence form' at the bottom of this page and returning it to Mr Blount, Deputy Headteacher. We will consider all requests individually, although family unauthorised leave of absences will only be authorised in the most exceptional circumstances. Where a parental request has been refused and parents/carers continue to take their child out of school, this absence will be recorded as unauthorised. The school responds to all unauthorised leave of absence requests with a letter to inform parents/carers of the school's decision. Please contact the Headteacher in the first instance with any queries.

Anyone choosing to remove their child from St Bede's School must inform the Headteacher in writing as soon as possible giving the following details:

• the dates the student will be leaving St Bede’s and starting at the new school
• the name and address of the new school, if known
• the home address.

Penalty Notices

In line with current COVID-19 legislation there are some circumstances where pupils cannot attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and these are detailed in this document.

The Attendance Advice Officer (Education Welfare Service), acting on behalf of Surrey County Council may issue a Penalty Notice as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child's unauthorised absence from school and requires the recipient to pay a fixed amount.

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate £160, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days.

3.  If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued,then you will not receive a third penalty notice - Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Circumstances when Penalty Notices may be issued

A Penalty Notice may be issued to parents/carers who are failing to secure their child's regular school attendance and are failing to engage with supportive measures to improve attendance proposed by the school or Inclusion Officer (formerly Education Welfare Officer).

1. Where a child is taken out of school for an unauthorised leave of absence during term time for 10 sessions or more without the authority of the Head teacher/Deputy Head, each parent is liable to receive a penalty notice for each child. In these circumstances, a warning will not be given where it can be shown that parents had previously been warned that such absences would not be authorised and that they will be liable to receive a Penalty Notice if they persist in taking the unauthorised leave of absence.

2. This also includes pupils identified by police and Inclusion Officer engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.

3. Schools may also request the issue of a Penalty Notice where attendance has fallen below 90% and there are no less than 10 unauthorised sessions during the preceding 10 school weeks. The parents' failure to engage with supportive measures proposed by the school or Inclusion Officer will be a factor when considering the issue of a Penalty Notice. Unauthorised absence will include late arrival after the close of registration without good reason.

With the exception of unauthorised holidays taken in term time, parents will be sent a formal warning of their liability to receive such a notice before it is issued.

In all cases, Penalty Notices are issued per parent/carer, per child, per absence so a family of two parents and two children will receive four penalty notices.

Further information and guidance documentation is available at the school.

Punctuality

All students are expected to arrive to school on time and be ready and punctual to lessons. This is a minimum expectation. Students are expected to be in registration by 8.30am ready to start learning. After 8.40am, students will be marked as late. If a pupil arrives after 9.15am they will be marked as unauthorised absent.

Afternoon registration starts at 2pm and close at 2.10pm.

Any student arriving late must sign in at student services and persistent lateness will result in a sanction in line with the behaviour policy. We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that your child arrives on time.