Attendance

Sandfield Primary School Attendance Policy

The school will keep regular and accurate records of AM and PM attendance and punctuality as well as monitor individual pupil’s attendance and punctuality.  Registration takes place promptly between 8.45 and 8.50am.  Any pupils who arrive up to 9.05am will be recorded as late and receive a ‘late’ mark in the register.  Registers close at 9.05am and after this time lateness is recorded as an unauthorised absence and subsequently a missed session.  Persistent lateness by a pupil will be referred to the Home School Link Worker and / or the Inclusion Team/Inclusion Officer and can be subject to penalty notices.

It is expected, as per the school’s attendance policy, that children arrive to school every day and on time. Exceptions to this being for illness or absence agreed with the Headteacher in advance.  Please remember to either telephone or email the school office before 9.15am if your child is unwell and is going to be absent from school. Wherever possible medical appointments should be made after school or in the school holidays.

If a pupil has to leave school for either illness or a medical appointment they must be collected by their parent from the school office where they need to be signed out and signed in again upon their return.

Pupils are expected to be in school before and / or after any appointment that can not be made in term time and evidence of the appointment should be sent to: parents@sandfield.surrey.sch.uk.  Please note that absence is not authorised for a whole day for an appointment.

​In the event that you need to take your child out of school for an appointment/music exam for part of the school day please notify the school via Studybugs.

If you would like the Headteacher to consider an absence for any other reason than those stated above, the Application for Leave of Absence should be completed and submitted to the school office before any leave is taken.

The school’s attendance target for 2023-2024 has been set by the Inclusion Team/Inclusion Officer at 97.0%

Attendance Protocol

Attendance at school is key to children having the best opportunities to have a full education and learn to their highest potential .  As a school we have a procedure to follow to keep parents informed of their child’s attendance and when it begins to fall, this is a statutory requirement.  The flow chart shows the steps the school can take, whilst considering each child individually. It is important as a school that we understand and support families to ensure that attendance is as high as it can be for every pupil at Sandfield.  To this end, all parents and carers will receive their child’s attendance automatically via the Studybugs App at the end of each term and the school will do the following:

Regulations and Penalty Fines

Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, which became law on 1st September 2013 state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted. In accordance with the above Regulations, requests for leave of absence are treated sympathetically, but only in exceptional circumstances can they be approved. The policy of Surrey County Council to which this school has agreed, states that parents who take their child out of school for five days or more during term time, without the authority of the Headteacher, may be liable to receive a penalty notice. Penalty Notices will be issued by the Local Authority. The penalty is £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice, rising to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days of receipt of the notice. If the penalty is not paid in full by the end of the 28-day period the Local Authority must prosecute the recipient for failing to ensure regular school attendance under section 444 Education Act 1996.

Each parent is liable to receive a Penalty Notice for each child who incurs unauthorised absences, for example, if there are two parents and one child, each parent will receive one Penalty Notice. If there are two parents and two children incurring unauthorised absences, each parent will receive two Penalty Notices, which in this case would amount to £120 each if paid within 21days.

​Penalty notices may also be used by the Local Authority in the following circumstances:-
Where there is a history of unauthorised absence, a warning letter will be sent to the parents informing them that their child’s attendance will be monitored for the following 15 school days. If there are further unauthorised absences, which may include a pupil arriving late after close of registration, a Penalty Notice will be issued.

Where a parent is failing to ensure their child’s regular school attendance, and is failing to engage with any supportive measures proposed by the school or Inclusion Team/Inclusion Officer. Before a Penalty Notice is issued, the parent will be sent a formal warning of their liability to receive such a notice.