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Attendance: A Guide for Parents

At Springfield Academy, we want every child to achieve their very best.  Good school attendance is one of the most important ways you can support your child’s learning, friendships, wellbeing, and future success. 

This guide explains why attendance matters, what the school does to help, and how we can work together.

Why attendance matters

Children who attend school regularly:

  • Make better progress in reading, writing, and maths
  • Build strong friendships
  • Feel confident and settled in school routines
  • Have more opportunities, both now and in the future

Even missing a small amount of school adds up:

  • 6 days absence = 30 hours of learning lost
  • 10 days absence = 50 hours lost
  • 19 days absence = 95 hours lost

Being late also affects learning.
Just 10 minutes late every day = 6 days of lost learning a year.

Our expectations

We expect all pupils to:

  • Attend school every day
  • Arrive on time (School gates open at 8:50am)
  • Be ready to learn

Parents and carers are legally responsible for making sure their child attends school unless they are genuinely unable to.

Reporting absence

If your child is unwell:

  • Call school before 8:55am on each day of absence  -  0115 9155769
  • Tell us the reason and when you expect them to return
  • Provide medical evidence if the absence is longer than 5 days or on request

We will contact you if we haven’t heard from you — this is part of our safeguarding duty.

Medical and other appointments

Where possible, please book medical or dental appointments:

  • Outside of school hours, or
  • Before the start or end of the day

Evidence may be requested (appointment card/text/email).

Your child should attend school before or after the appointment if the children are well enough.

Term Time Holidays

  • In August 2024 the School Attendance Regulations 2024 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  • A holiday is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance. You cannot usually take your child away during term time. "Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance".

  • Any requests should be on an official school absence request form and handed into the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made - at least 10 school days before the holiday is planned.

  • A Penalty Notice will be issued should leave be taken which is not authorised.  This will be issued from the Local Education Authority Education Welfare Service.

First time Penalty Notices are currently £80.00 per child per parent if paid within 21 days or £160.00 per child per parent if paid after 30 days.

Lateness

  • Arriving after 9:05am = late
  • Arriving after 9:25am = marked as an unauthorised absence

Being on time helps your child start the day calmly and confidently.

How we support attendance

We are here to help.  Support may include:

  • First day phone calls / Home Visits
  • Conversations to explore any difficulties
  • Pastoral support
  • Support with routines and anxieties
  • Help from external agencies if needed
  • LA involvement for persistent absence

We aim to remove barriers and work with families.

Monitoring attendance

We monitor attendance regularly and will contact you if:

  • Your child’s attendance drops below 95%
  • Your child is persistently absent (below 90%)
  • Patterns of absence or lateness appear

Meetings will be arranged to look at how we can work together to improve attendance.

Persistent or severe absence

If things do not improve after support:

  • A Notice to Improve may be issued
  • The Local Authority may issue a Penalty Notice
  • Further legal action is possible in serious cases

This is always a last resort — our priority is to help your child attend regularly.

Working together

You can help by:

  • Making sure your child gets enough sleep
  • Having a regular morning routine
  • Keeping in touch with us about any worries or barriers
  • Speaking to us early if your child is struggling

If you need help, please reach out.  Our attendance team is here to support you.

Who to contact

Role Name Phone
Headteacher Jacqueline Hill 0115 9155769
Attendance Officer Hayley Bodenham 0115 9155769

We want every child to feel safe, happy, and able to succeed — and good attendance helps make that happen.

 

Should I keep My Child off School?

 

 

 

 

  1. Attendance Hero Booklet pdf