🛡️ Attendance and Absence
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children, we have clear procedures for attendance and movement in and out of school. These help us fulfil our safeguarding responsibilities and ensure every child is accounted for throughout the day.
🚪 Leaving the school during the day
During school hours, the school has a legal responsibility for your child. For this reason:
- Children are not permitted to leave the school site unless we have written permission from a parent or carer
- If your child needs to leave (for example, for a medical appointment), please inform the school in advance, including:
- The reason for leaving
- The name of the adult collecting your child
All children must:
- ✅ Be collected from the school office
- ✅ Be signed out by an adult
On return, please report to the office so that your child can be signed back in. This ensures that we always have an accurate record of who is on site.
💡 Wherever possible, we ask that appointments are arranged outside of the school day. Please provide confirmation of appointments (letter, card or screenshot) for our records.
📞 Reporting an absence
If your child is unable to attend school:
- 📞 Please contact the school office before 9:30am on the first day of absence
- 📝 Provide a written explanation when your child returns
If we have not received a reason, the school office will contact you as part of our safeguarding procedures.
🚫 Please do not use Class Dojo to report absences.
🍎 Lunchtime and illness
If your child is absent in the morning but plans to return for lunch, please inform the school before 10:00am.
After this time:
- Meal numbers are finalised
- If a meal has been ordered and your child is then sent home unwell after 10:00am, it may still be charged
📊 Attendance expectations
Good attendance is essential for children’s learning, wellbeing and sense of belonging.
At Etwall Primary:
- Our expectation is 97% attendance or above for every child
To help illustrate the impact of absence:
- 95% attendance = around half a day missed every 2 weeks
- 90% attendance = half a day missed every week
- 85% attendance = around one month of school missed across the year
We monitor attendance carefully and will contact families if concerns arise so that we can offer support where needed.
⚖️ Authorised and unauthorised absence
In line with national regulations and our Attendance Policy, absences are classified as either authorised or unauthorised.
✔ Authorised absences may include:
- Illness
- Family emergencies
- Exceptional circumstances (agreed in advance)
❌ Unauthorised absences include:
- Holidays during term time without permission
- Shopping trips or leisure activities
- Arriving more than 30 minutes late
🌴 Leave of absence during term time
The Government’s Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (amended in September 2013) state that:
- Headteachers cannot authorise leave of absence for holidays during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances
- Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis, and it is the Headteacher who decides whether leave can be granted and for how long
❗ Examples of what would NOT be considered exceptional:
- Availability of cheaper holidays or flights
- A holiday to coincide with a special birthday - including that of close relatives
- Holidays extending a weekend or school holiday
This list is not exhaustive, but these reasons will not be approved.
📝 Requesting leave
If you believe your circumstances are exceptional:
- Please complete a Leave of Absence request form
- Submit it at least two weeks in advance, where possible
- Provide full details explaining the request
⚠️ Requests must be made before any arrangements are confirmed
⚠️ Leave cannot be approved retrospectively
If you are unsure, we strongly encourage you to discuss the situation with Mrs Bentley (Headteacher) before making any bookings.
⚠️ Unauthorised absence and penalties
As this is Government policy:
- Any unauthorised absence (including holidays without permission) will be recorded on your child’s attendance record
- These are monitored by the Local Authority and Education Welfare Service
Derbyshire County Council may take further action, including:
- Issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice
- £60 per parent, per child, per period of absence (if paid within the specified timeframe)
Please note:
- Payments are made directly to the Local Authority
- There is no right of appeal against a penalty notice
🤝 Working together
We understand that every family’s circumstances are different. Our approach is always to:
- Support families in maintaining good attendance
- Communicate clearly and professionally
- Work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for children
Regular attendance is one of the most important ways to support your child’s success.
💬 Need support?
If you have any concerns about attendance or would like to discuss a particular situation, please contact the school office. We are always happy to offer guidance and support.