Reignhead Primary School

September 2025                                

Dear Parents/Carers,

At Reignhead we recognise that good attendance and punctuality are vital if pupils are to achieve their maximum potential. We are committed to working with parents/carers and pupils to ensure that each pupil benefits from the academic, personal and social opportunities available to them during their years with us.

Children who miss out on education are at an immediate disadvantage relative to their peers and at a great cost to themselves. By working together, we can keep absence at school to the lowest possible figure. This will ensure that children get the absolute most from their education at school.

At Reignhead, we monitoring attendance and punctuality on a regular basis and identify any pupils whose attendance is below the school target of 96%.

We would therefore ask that you:

• Ensure your child arrives on time every day. Doors open at 8:40 am and will automatically lock when registers are taken at 8:50. Late marks are given until 9:20, when the register is closed. After that a U code is given. Children arriving after 8:50 am should come to the office to be registered.
• Contact the school every day that your child is absent, providing a reason, and where appropriate evidence of medical appointments or prescribed medication. We will consider NHS guidance Health protection in children and young people settings (www.gov.uk) and Is my child to ill for school? (www.nhs.uk) when making our decision whether to authorise absence. We have a dedicated absence line - telephone number 0114 2475767.
• Inform the school of any forthcoming appointments and, where possible, arrange appointments outside of the school day.
• Take holidays during the school holiday period and not during term time. Holidays taken during school time will not be authorised and may be fineable.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will request of leave in term time be granted and will require a completed planned application request 20 days in advance of the leave of absence. An example of exceptional circumstances may be a religious observation or approved sporting activity. If the visit abroad is for the wedding of a close family member, the day of the wedding will be authorised but surrounding days will not.

If you do not meet your responsibility to make sure that your child goes to school, then legal action may be taken. From August 2024 the national Framework for Attendance Penalty Notices changed for both term time leave taken and irregular attendance.

To summarise:

- Fines will now be issued to each parent, for each child that was absent. For example: 2 siblings absent for term time leave would result in each parent receiving 2 separate fines.

-Fines will also be considered when there have been 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 days) of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period.

-The next time an offence occurs, within 3 years of the date of the first penalty notice, the fine amount will be £160 per parent, per child, paid within 28 days with no penalty reduction. 

-If there is a third offence, within three years, a penalty notice will not be issued, the case will be presented to the Magistrate’s Court instead. Fines can be up to £2,500 per parent, per child.

In return we will:

• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum that is dependent on regular attendance at school.
• Encourage and celebrate good attendance.
• Make accurate recordings of attendance and punctuality and ensure that any barriers to attendance are addressed.
• Make first day contact with parents/ carers when a pupil fails to attend school and hasn’t given a valid reason for absence. As part of our safeguarding duties, if we have unable to contact you, a member of the attendance team may carry out a ‘safe and well’ visit to your home.
• Inform parents/ carers if a pupil’s attendance and/ or punctuality has fallen below the expected school target of 96%. Notification to parents/carers of attendance and punctuality will operate through a system of conversations with teachers, phone calls from the attendance team, letters and home visits.
• If there is no improvement in attendance or punctuality parents/carers will be required to attend attendance meetings where support will be offered to improve attendance. Where appropriate, other services such as the Local Authority will be also invited to the meeting.

Good attendance and punctuality directly boost achievement through consistent learning and improves social and emotional development by fostering friendships and confidence – your child’s chances of success are greatly improved if they attend school regularly and are here, doors open at 8:40 ready for the start of the school day.

Thank you for your continued support,

Liz Dunn

Attendance Champion

Deputy Head Teacher