Attendance

Why is regular school attendance so important?

We work closely with children and parents in connection with attendance so that each child can achieve their full potential. By law, all children of compulsory school age must receive a suitable full-time education. Once your child is registered at school, you are legally responsible for making sure that they attend regularly and on time.  If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted. You also need to think about the negative impact upon the following:

  • their learning
  • their friendships
  • their self-esteem and confidence

 

 

 

   

We monitor the attendance of every child in the school. We work with and support those children and their families who are not attending school without sufficient reason. 95% attendance sounds good, but means that your child misses:

  • one half day each fortnight
  • two weeks every school year
  • over three-quarters of a school year in a school career

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

As a school we cannot authorise holidays in term time, unless there are exceptional circumstances.  If you are planning a holiday in term time please write to Mr Lording and complete the form below to ask for permission. Please remember unless there are exceptional circumstances it is very unlikely that we can authorise the absence from school during term time.

If the request for absence during term time has been declined and you still decide to take your child out of school then you will receive a fixed penalty notice from Brighton and Hove City Council.

Attendance Policy 

Term Time Absence Request Form

Permission must be requested and secured before taking any planned absence during term time. If permission is not secured and absence is taken without permission, the Local Authority will issue each parent(s)/carer(s) with a penalty notice, for every absent pupil. The first penalty notice issued to parent/carer in respect of a particular pupil, will be charged at £160 if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.


A second penalty notice issued to the same parent/carer in respect of the same pupil, within 3 years of the date of issue of the first penalty notice, is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days.


A third penalty notice cannot be issued to the same parent/carer, in respect of the same pupil, 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 can be taken, including considering prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

Please note that money from fines is not paid to the school.

Timekeeping is also important in the education of your child. If your child is persistently late then they are missing out on important learning opportunities at the start of the lesson.

At Mile Oak Primary School we like to encourage and praise children who attend school regularly. 

Some of what we do at Mile Oak Primary School to help improve attendance:

Weekly Class Competition

Each Monday we celebrate the classes with the highest attendance for the previous week. The winning class in each Key Stage gets the Attendance Cup.

Termly Punctuality Prize

THINK BIG