St Agnes C of E (V.A.) Primary School

The length of St Agnes School week is 32 hours and 55 minutes

Children are expected to be present on the school premises five minutes before school starts in both morning and afternoon. Parents are asked to ensure, if possible, that their children do not arrive on the premises before 8.30 am.

Our School Day

Entry into School 8.40 am

Morning session

KS1 and Foundation Stage 8.40 am to 12.00 noon

KS2 8.40 am to 12.15 pm

Morning break 10.45 am to 11.00 am

Lunch

Foundation Stage 12.00 to 1.15 pm

KS1 and KS2 12.15 pm to 1.15 pm

Afternoon Session - KS1 and Foundation Stage

1.15 pm to 2.30 pm

Afternoon break 2.30 pm to 2.45 pm

2.45 pm- 3.15 pm

Afternoon Session - KS2

1.15 pm to 3.15 pm

Government Guidelines on School Attendance and Absence

Please click on the picture link to access the website.

Is my child too illl for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school or nursery when they're unwell. There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

School Holiday Calendar

Please click on the link to see the School Holiday Calendar. School Holiday Calendar page

Attendance Policy

Please use this link to view our Attendance Policy.

Illness and Late Arrivals

Parents are asked to telephone school before 9:00am to report their children’s absence from school. Failure to give a reason will result in a recorded unauthorised absence. It is the parents' responsibility to ensure that the child arrives at school on time, properly attired and in a condition to learn. Should the school not receive a phone call by 9.00am on the first day of absence school will ring you.

Please note we have an answer machine which is always monitored. If your child has been sick or had diarrhoea please keep them off school for at least 48 hours to make sure that they are better and to prevent the spread of any virus to other children.

All children are expected on time for the bell at 8.40am. School starts at 8:50am and children arriving after this time will be marked late. If your child is late for school they need to report to the school office before going into class. If a child is late by 5 minutes every day for a week that accounts to 25 minutes lost learning time that week. If this happens every week that’s 16 hours lost learning, of your child’s education per academic year. We have a policy for zero tolerance for lateness.

Attendance Statement

WHAT THE LAW SAYS: By law all children of compulsory school age (between 5 and 16) must receive a full-time education. Section 444 (1a) of the Education Act 1996 says “ if a child of compulsory school age, who is a registered pupil at a school, fails to attend regularly, without reasonable justification, then his (her) parent is guilty of an offence”. Children are required to attend school for 190 days (380 sessions) in any single academic year (September – July). There is an expectation that over the course of an academic year a child’s attendance will be 96% or more. Absence that falls below 80% is categorised by the Government as persistent absence. “…there is a clear link between poor attendance at school and low levels of achievement” (Department for Education)

It is important that parents:- Ensure that their child is able to attend school for the whole academic year by :-

making medical appointments out of school time wherever possible.
Avoid booking any holidays during term time
Avoid encouraging their child to stay at home for unjustifiable reasons

The school will:-

And ensure that their child arrives at school, on time every day.

Keep efficient and accurate attendance registers.
Ensure parents /carers are aware of the school term dates and INSET days on our website
Notify parents of any immediate school closure e.g. due to bad weather
Submit attendance, lates and unauthorized attendance data to the Local Authority and Department for Education on a regular basis.
Review and monitor attendance data regularly for the Governing body and parents.
Deal with persistent absences and lates by contacting parents

We want pupils to:-

Attend school regularly
Arrive on time and prepared for the school day

LEAVE OF ABSENCE: Following the 2013 amendment to The Education Regulations, schools cannot authorize any leave, other than in exceptional circumstances. Leave of absence SHALL NOT be granted, unless these circumstances have been discussed with and permitted by the Headteacher. In all other circumstances this will be recorded as an unauthorized absence.

New Attendance Penalty Notices

First Offence - The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be £80 per parent,per child paid within 21 days. This increases to £160 per parent, per child if paid after day 21 until day 28. Any non -payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

Second Offence - (within 3 years) - The second time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) - The third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case may be presented straight to the Magistrates Court under the S.444 of the Education Act (1996) or other legal interventions considered. The Magistrate Court can order fines up to £2500 per parent, per child.

Please see the letter from Oldham Council below for further clarification.

Attendance Penalty Notice Fact Sheet

[pdf 279KB]