Attendance

At Green Ridge Primary Academy we know that good attendance is the key to successful schooling and we believe our pupils can be amongst the best. Although we aim for 100% attendance, each year we set a target for attendance & this is used to compare us to other schools nationally. Our current target is 97% attendance. Attending school every day will help give your child the best possible start in life. Further information can be found in our Attendance Policy.

We kindly therefore ask that you adhere to the following procedures.

Lateness (Drop-Off)

We kindly ask that you try to let us know in advance if your child will be late to school. A brief voicemail or email will suffice, but it is beneficial if we know that your child is going to be late before the start of the school day. Please note that if your child arrives after 8.45/8.50am, then they will be classed as late. If they arrive after 9.00am then they will be classed as missing the whole morning session and this will be marked as an unauthorised absence in which will impact the child’s attendance. If this persistently occurs, parents/carers can be fined by the local authority. Lessons start immediately after the register is taken at 8.45/8.50am, so children who are late miss valuable lesson time. Upon arrival, parents/carers are required to sign their child in via the InVentry system located in the main school entrance foyer area.

Lateness (Pick-Up)

If you find that you are going to be late collecting your child, please inform us as soon as possible. You will be required to collect your child from the school office if collecting late. Please ensure you sign them out via the InVentry system located in the main school entrance foyer area. Further information relating to the procedures that we have in place should you be late can be found within our Uncollected Child Policy.

Reporting Absence (due to illness)

So that we can be more efficient in dealing with pupil absences, we ask that if your child is going to be absent, that you call the school on 01296 326320, and press option 1 to report an absence before 8.35am every day that your child is absent. This will give you the opportunity to leave a voicemail. If you are unable to call the school, please email [email protected].

Requesting Leave of Absence (for holidays and exceptional circumstances)

At Green Ridge, we strongly discourage parents/carers from taking their children out of school during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. You must inform the school if you are planning to take your child out of school during term time, and it is appreciated if you can inform us as soon as possible. We kindly ask that you complete an electronic absence request form by following this link. Once submitted, your request will then be considered, and a letter will follow detailing the Headteacher’s decision.

As per the latest DfE guidance regarding attendance, further information detailing the outcomes of leave of absence requests can be found below. We would also encourage you to refer to the official document for more in depth information. The new guidance emphasises the importance of punctuality and attendance in supporting students’ educational outcomes and overall wellbeing.

National Threshold

The threshold is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A school week means any week in which there is at least one school session. This can be met with any combination of unauthorised absence (e.g. 4 sessions of holiday taken in term time plus 6 sessions of arriving late after the register closes all within 10 school weeks). These sessions can be consecutive (e.g. 10 sessions of holiday in one week) or not (e.g. 6 sessions of unauthorised absence taken in 1 week and 1 per week for the next 4 weeks). The period of 10 school weeks can also span different terms or school years (e.g. 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the Summer Term and a further 8 within the Autumn Term).  It is also important to note that only 2 penalty notices can be issued to the same parent/carer in respect of the same child within a 3 year rolling period.

First Penalty Notice

As per the national threshold, the first fixed penalty notice will be charged at £80 per parent/carer per child, if paid within 21 days. This will increase to £160 per parent/carer per child, if paid between 21 and 28 days and could lead to further court proceedings if unpaid. Please note that a parent/carer is considered someone who lives with the child and has day-to-day care of them, whether they are a biological parent/carer or not. For example, this includes those with parental responsibility, e.g. step-parents/carers.

Second Penalty Notice

As per the national threshold, if the same parent/carer in respect of the same pupil is referred for a second time, the second fixed penalty notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days.

Third Penalty Notice

A third penalty notice cannot be issued to the same parent/carer in respect of the same child within 3 years of the date of issue of the first penalty notice. In a case where the national threshold is met for a third time (or subsequent times) within those 3 years, alternative action should be taken instead. This will often include considering prosecution but may include other tools such as one of the other attendance legal interventions.