Absence Procedures

 

Attendance and Punctuality

At Sythwood Primary and Nursery School, we are committed to supporting every child to attend school regularly and punctually. Good attendance is essential for children to achieve their full potential, both academically and socially.

Reporting Absence

If your child is unavoidably absent, please contact the school by 9:00am on the first day of absence and on each subsequent day. You must:

• Call the school office and provide the reason for absence.
• Share the expected date of return.

If we do not receive contact, our absence protocols will be activated:

• A call will be made after the register closes at 9:00am.
• If no response is received, we may contact emergency contacts or carry out a home visit.
• In certain cases, we may refer to external agencies or the Local Authority to ensure your child’s safety and wellbeing.

Punctuality

Children should arrive at school by 8:45am ready to start the day. The register is taken at 8:55am.

• Pupils arriving after 8:55am must report to the main office with a parent/carer and will be marked as late (Code ‘L’).
• The register closes at 9:15am. Arrivals after this time will be marked as unauthorised absence (Code ‘U’).

Frequent lateness may result in a meeting with school staff and could lead to a Penalty Notice.

Supporting Attendance

We work in partnership with families to remove barriers to attendance. If there are concerns around your chid's attendace, we will:

• Offer support and guidance tailored to your child’s needs.
• Meet with you to discuss concerns and agree on next steps.
• Refer to external services if additional help is needed.

We ask parents and carers to:

• Take a positive interest in their child’s learning.
• Maintain routines that support good attendance.
• Schedule appointments outside of school hours where possible.
• Inform us of any changes in circumstances that may affect attendance.
• Attend meetings to discuss attendance when requested

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Persistent Absence and Legal Intervention

Children with less than 90% attendance are considered persistently absent. We will:

• Send an attendance concern letter.
• If no improvement, parents / carers will be invited in for a meeting.
• If attendance remains low, refer to the Local Area Inclusion Officer. This may result in a Penalty Notice or prosecution.

Under the national threshold, legal action may be considered if a child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-school-week period.

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Term-Time Leave and Holidays

Leave of absence during term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher will determine:

• Whether the reason meets the criteria.
• The number of days that can be authorised.

Unauthorised holidays may result in a Penalty Notice issued by Surrey County Council:

• £160 per parent/carer per child if paid within 28 days.
• Reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days (for first offences only).
• Repeat offences within a rolling 3-year period will incur a flat rate of £160 with no reduction.
• After two penalty notices, further unauthorised absence may lead to prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.