Learning Hours
The school offers 6½ hours learning per day which equates to 32½ hours per week.
The attendance target for the school for this year (2023-2024) is 96%.
Regular attendance makes a difference
We work with the Education Welfare Service who set our targets. An Education Welfare Officer meets with the School Attendance Officer (Mrs Whittaker) and the Headteacher regularly to monitor the attendance and punctuality of all children. Any child with attendance below 90% is classed by Essex County Council as persistently absent.
Holidays during term time
Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s educational progress.
From 1st September 2013, under the Education Regulations, the Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. (Term time holidays are NOT regarded as an exceptional circumstance.)
If an unauthorised holiday is taken any way, the case has to be referred to the Education Welfare Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school. In the event of repeated term time holidays, a referral for prosecution may be made to Essex County Council.
If your child is unwell
If your child is ill and unable to attend school please inform the school office by phone on the first day of absence. If your child is absent for any length of time then we request that you update the school every day. Please note: children who have diarrhoea or sickness should be kept at home for 48 hours after the symptoms have ceased before returning to school.
If your child is absent for 5 days or more due to being unwell, please provide evidence eg. Doctor's note or sight of medicine/prescription. Otherwise, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.
School Attendance and the Law
There is no longer any entitlement in law for pupils to take time off during the term to go on holiday. In addition, the Supreme Court has ruled that the definition of regular school attendance is “in accordance with the rules prescribed by the school”.
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 were amended in September 2013. All references to family holidays and extended leave have been removed. The amendments specify that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are "exceptional circumstances" and they no longer have the discretion to authorise up to ten days of absence each academic year.
It is a rule of this school that a leave of absence shall not be granted in term time unless there are reasons considered to be exceptional by the Headteacher, irrespective of the child’s overall attendance. Only the Headteacher or her designate (not the local authority) may authorise such a request and all applications for a leave of absence must be made in writing on the prescribed form provided by the school. Where a parent/carer removes a child when the application for leave was refused or where no application was made to the school, the issue of a penalty notice may be requested by this school.
It is important that schools discourage parents from removing their children from education for any reason as absences may have a negative impact on the pupil’s educational attainment and progress. A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance in the year. 10 days absence also means the pupil will miss 65 hours of education.
Please see our Attendance Policy for further information. Click on the link below: