Attendance
School Attendance
By law, all children of compulsory school age (5-16 years) must receive a full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude.
Parents are required by law to make sure their children attend school regularly.
Absence
If your child is going to be absent from school, you should contact school on the first morning of any absence by phone or in person. You should explain the reason for your child’s absence and indicate when you think they are likely to return. You should also do this if your child is going to be late.
If you do not notify the school, the school will probably try and contact you. The school may also decide to record your child’s absence as unauthorised.
You can only allow your child to miss school if:
- They’re too ill to go in
- You’ve got advance permission from the school
- Unavoidable reasons, that you should discuss with the school
There is extra support available if your child can’t go to school for long periods because of a health problem.
Further information is available at: School attendance - Norfolk County Council
Leave of Absence Request
Leave of absence
Only exceptional circumstances warrant a leave of absence.
If the school does not receive a request for leave, the head teacher will be unable to consider individual circumstances and the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. There will be no obligation on the head teacher to reconsider authorising the leave if an application has not been made in advance.
The Local Authority operates a system where any pupil will meet the criteria for legal intvention if they have at least 10 sessions (5 school days) lost to unauthorised absence by the pupil during 6 school weeks.
The intervention could be in the form of a fixed penalty notice. Any pupil at Blofield Primary School who meets the criteria, will be referred to the Local Authority for action to be considered.
Fixed Penalty Notice for absence
Regular and punctual attendance at school is a legal requirement under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996. Parents can be issued with a fixed penalty notice in relation to their child’s unauthorised absence from school.
Further information is available at: Fixed penalty notice for absence - Norfolk County Council
FIXED PENALTY NOTICES ARE CHANGING!
