St Barnabas CE
Primary School
Our School
School Attendance
Attendance
All children of compulsory school age are entitled to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational need they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school. Where parents decide to register their child in school, they have an additional legal duty to ensure their child attends that school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from the school. Good attendance is essential for children to get the most out of their education, including their attainment, wellbeing and wider development.
At St Barnabas Primary School we have a duty to ensure that every child receives the full-time education they are entitled to.
In the event that a child’s attendance becomes a concern we will work together to support parents and carers to address any in-school barriers. If families (who are on the Support First to prosecution process) do not improve attendance, this could lead to a case in court.
'Support First' is the framework schools should use to tackle ongoing absence, this framework has been developed and put in place 18th August 2024.
The court would then use information to decide how to proceed with prosecution. This decision would not lie with the school. We will always attempt to contact parents to communicate our concerns and the actions we will take. We always seek to support our families where possible to ensure that all pupils have access to a high standard of education on a regular basis. Where parental engagement is sought and a partnership is established, we can often put in measures to improve attendance, avoiding having to take the case further. Where we are unable to engage with the parents, however, the process towards prosecution would be accelerated.
Punctuality & Opening Times
Main gate opens - 8.35am
Start time - 8.50am - This is the time of the register and therefore children need to be sat at their desk for this time. Any arrival after this time will result in a ‘L’ code on the register.
Main gate opens - 3.00pm
Playground opens - 3.15pm
Finish time - 3.20pm
For school arrival parents are to drop their children at the main front gate no later than 8.45am – this allows children enough time to walk before registration. Staff are always situated down the path.
Having good attendance also means being on time and not being late to school. Children who arrive late can feel embarrassed, left out, raise anxiety levels and miss out on important introductions to lessons. Punctuality is an essential life skill that needs to be taught from the very beginning.
Absence reporting
It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. If they have a temperature, they can attend if it is managed by medication.
If your child is too ill to attend, you must inform the school by telephone on 0121 464 5813 (opt 1) by 8.15am. Absences, once reported, are either authorised or unauthorised by the school. Please do not report any absences to staff members at the school gate.
If there has been no contact for a child’s absence, the school is required to make a safe and well check on the first day.
The following leaflet details when children should be kept off school.
Appointments
All Medical Appointments should be made outside of school hours. Where this is unavoidable, your child should be in school for the remainder of the school day, whether before and/or after the appointment.
Dentist Appointments should be booked out of school hours; however, we understand that this may be difficult due to limited appointments. For dentist appointments, please provide the office with some form of proof of the appointment.
Optician Appointments should be booked out of school hours.
Leave In Term Time
There is no legal entitlement to holidays or leave of absence during school time.
A leave of absence can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances and this decision lies with the Head Teacher. If a parent wishes to request a Leave of Absence then a formal request must be made in writing stating the dates of absence and giving details of the exceptional circumstances which they feel warrant the request. A form for this purpose is available from the school office and any requests must be made in advance of the absence.
From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.
In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.
Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.
Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.