Attendance Expectation

The Brooke Weston Trust expects children’s attendance at school to be a minimum of 97.0% as there is a strong correlation between excellent attendance and attainment. Brooke Weston Trust schools reinforce this expectation by:   

• Promoting excellent attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence.
• Ensuring every pupil has access to a full-time education to which they are entitled.
• Acting early to address patterns of absence.
• Working collaboratively with parents and carers to support in ensuring that their child attends school as often as is physically possible. 

Did you know?

• 1 day off per month = 2 weeks off per year
• 17 days off a year = 1 grade lower at GCSE

Thomas Clarkson Academy is a great place to be and all students should attend every day. 

 

Thomas Clarkson Academy also offers a range rewards for Students with excellent attendance. For each week of 100% attendance students are entered into prize draws. One prize at the end of each half term such as £20 voucher and one prize at the end of term such as £50 voucher. 

We recognise that in our busy lives, it is easy to lose track of how many days your child has had off, especially over a whole school year.  Studies have shown again and again that good attendance is essential for child to make the most of their ability and perform well. Attendance also has an impact on their achievement and attainment levels and affects their social skills and friendship groups. 

Attendance during one school year	Number of days absent
95%	9 days
90%	19 days
85%	29 days
80%	38 days

 

Attendance Support

We recognise that for some children, there may be challenges in attending school. Should a parent or carer feel that their child is experiencing difficulties in attending school, we warmly invite families to speak with their respective school where a meeting can be organised to talk through these challenges and agree further actions/support.

Attendance Correspondence

Brooke Weston Trust Schools have worked together to devise a set of attendance procedures which are adhered to if a child presents with attendance and/or punctuality concerns. Please see the Attendance Strategy and BWT policy for support. 

Guidance from the Local Authority Cambridgeshire County Council regarding attendance

 

The Department for Education has issued new statutory guidance for attendance called Working Together to Improve School Attendance. This comes into effect on the 19^th August 2024. It details what schools, parents and Local Authorities should do to improve pupils’ attendance at school.

There are some important changes to attendance management from the 19^th August 2024 which will affect the support parents and pupils receive from schools, and the legal sanctions that are used in certain circumstances.

Schools are legally obliged to provide support and intervention for pupils who are at risk of persistent absence (90% attendance or below). This will take the form of meetings with parents, school-based interventions, and the offer of support from outside agencies and professionals.

Schools are very keen to identify the barriers to attendance that families face and will welcome opportunities to overcome these barriers together. However, when a child's attendance falls outside of the parental legal obligations to send their child to school, there are legal pathways that must be followed.

Make sure your child arrives at school on time by 8.20am as lessons start promptly at 8.30am.

Parents/carers have a legal duty to ensure that their child receives an education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude and any special needs. The only reasons for absence should be through illness or an exceptional circumstance. Every absence must be explained by the parent/carer before 8.30am on the day of absence. Where there is recurring absences due to illness medical evidence maybe requested. 

• Unavoidable medical or dental appointments - students should return to school after the appointment (evidence may be required). Where possible, appointments should be arranged after school
• Days of religious observance
• Exceptional family circumstances, such as bereavement
• Interview with a prospective employer or college/Academy (evidence may be required)

If your child is having difficulties attending school, you should contact the school sooner rather than later, as most issues can be dealt with very quickly. Please contact you child's Student Services Officer or email office@thomaclarksonacademy.org.

Please find below a link to Cambridgeshire County Council website on Attendance -https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-learning/education-your-rights-and-responsibilities/school-attendance 

Parents/carers should contact the Academy on the first day of their child’s absence before 8.30am and every day of absence following this. 

You can also report an absence using the email address attendance@thomasclarksonacademy.org or by completing the form on the Edulink app

Alternatively telephone 01945 585237 and choose option 1 to leave a voicemail message or complete the form Absence Reporting Form.

If we do not receive an explanation for an absence a text message will be sent from the Academy or a telephone call will be made. A home visit may occur as a follow up action. The absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

Absence follow-up – First Day Response

Should a child be absent from school without a valid reason, a text message will be sent and a telephone call may be made by a member of the school’s attendance and welfare team. If a valid reason is not obtained on the first day of absence or any subsequent days of absence, a home visit may be completed.

Safeguarding and Absence

Contact will be made firstly to the children who are deemed at high risk of a Safeguarding Issue. The

Attendance/Welfare Officer will be made aware of these children through liaison with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). The DSL will provide regular updates of whom these children are.

Home visits

Parents and carers should be aware that home visits are completed by all Brooke Weston Trust schools as a standard procedure when children are absent from school. Should schools have any safeguarding concerns for a particular child, home visits will be completed to these families in the first instance. Home visits allow school staff to see the child and discuss the absence with parents and carers, as well as being able to offer support if required. 

If there are unexplained/prolonged periods of absence or an identified safeguarding concern, this may require school to contact external agencies

Failure to ensure a child’s regular attendance at school is a criminal offence. If with support from the school's attendance officer and/or the Local Authority, your child’s attendance does not improve, the Local Authority will consider one of two actions under section 444 of the Education Act 1996:

• Penalty Notice. We can give each parent a fine of £60, which rises to £120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If payment is not received within 28 days from the issue of the penalty notice, we may prosecute you for the offence of 'irregular attendance'. You could then be subject to a fine of up to £1,000 on conviction.
• Prosecution in the Magistrates' court. Both parents could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to three months each. The court may also give you a Parenting Order.

Please see below the communication from Cambridgeshire County Council regarding the new Penalty Notice guidelines starting from 19^th August 24- 

Changes to Penalty Notices from 19th August 2024:

Requests for Absence

Requests for absence should be made by parents in line with the school’s Attendance Policy. This will be in written form with the date of the proposed absence and as much detail as possible about the reason for the absence. As is currently the case, Headteachers may still only authorise absence that they consider to be an unavoidable and exceptional circumstance. The school will reply to parents to advise them whether the absence will be authorised or not.

Term Time Leave

If a pupil takes unauthorised term time leave for 10 consecutive sessions or more (generally 5 days) they will be subject to a penalty notice. The fine for a penalty notice is increasing - to £80 per parent, per child. This increases to £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days for pupils who are of statutory school age. If a penalty notice remains unpaid, parents may be the subject of court proceedings for failing to ensure the regular school attendance of their child and this could result in a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a term of imprisonment of up to 3 months per parent.

For second offences of unauthorised term time leave (10 consecutive sessions or more) within a three-year rolling period, the fine is a flat £160 per parent, per child.

For the third offence in a three-year rolling period, the referral will be automatically considered for prosecution in relation to Section 444 Education Act 1996.

These fines will apply to term time leave taken after 19^th August 2024. Previous penalty notices from the last 3 years will be taken into account when a period of term time leave is taken after the 19^th August 2024. Therefore, if parents have already received one penalty notice in the last three years, they will get a fine of £160 per parent per child for their next one. If they have received two or more in the last three years, they should expect to be referred for prosecution.

The offence will apply to each child individually. Both parents are liable for the offence. The Education Act considers each 'responsible adult' as a 'parent'. 

Read more here.

The Vice Principal for Safeguarding, Inclusion and Attendance and Thomas Clarkson Attendance Champion is Mrs A Salmon who works alongside Student Services and the attendance team. 

The academy works with Local Authority Attendance Officers from Cambridgeshire County Council. The Local Authority attendance team is made up of different professionals who work together to support families, children and young people. Use the following email to contact the Local Authority Attendance Officers: fis@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Further information about attendance and the law can be found on Cambridgeshire County Council website here.

Irregular School Attendance Over Time

If a parent is willing to support their child and the school in improving school attendance, and engage with school to achieve this, an Attendance Contract will be offered. This is a way of school and parents working together to improve attendance in a supportive and nurturing way. Having an Attendance Contract in place will mean regular informal meetings to identify any barriers to a pupil’s attendance and discuss what support can put in place to overcome those barriers.

If a parent is not engaging with any offers of support from school, and attendance continues to decline, the school may use a different method of support, called a Notice to Improve. This is a last effort to engage parents before legal sanctions are considered. A Notice to Improve will be a formal collaboration between the school, the Local Authority and parents.

If these attempts at formal support fail, and a pupil’s attendance continues to be a concern, the school will make a referral to the Local Authority for legal sanctions to be considered. If a pupil has unauthorised absences for ten sessions or more in a 10-week period, the school may refer a parent for a penalty notice. This will be charged at £80 per parent, per child. This increases to £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days for pupils who are of statutory school age. If a penalty notice remains unpaid, parents may be the subject of court proceedings for failing to ensure the regular school attendance of their child and this could result in a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a term of imprisonment of up to three months per parent.

Further advice and guidance on this matter can be located through the Department of Education  website.

Read the Brooke Weston Trust attendance policy here.

Read the Thomas Clarkson Attendance Strategy here

If a student feels unwell they must report to Student Services who will consider the situation and contact will be made with the parent/carer. The student will only be allowed to go home if they are collected by an adult, who is named on the student's contact list.

Please note: if a student has already phoned home, without following the In School Protocol, the absence will not be authorised.

Further information on medical illnesses from the Public Health Agency can be found here

Make sure your child arrives at school on time by 8.20am at the latest as lessons start promptly at 8.30am. Any student who arrives after 8.30am is late.

If your child arrives late to school they may receive a sanction. If your child arrives after the register has closed, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence for that session unless evidence is supplied that the lateness was due to a medical appointment.

Persistent lateness is monitored and affects the overall attendance figure for each student.

BEFORE BOOKING A HOLIDAY, remember you could be at risk of a fine if you take your child out of school during term time.

PENALTY NOTICE

Please see below the communication from Cambridgeshire County Council regarding the new Penalty Notice guidelines starting from 19^th August 24 - 

Click here for a term time absence request form.

Referral for Term Time Leave

Any parent who takes a child out of school for term time leave for 6 consecutive sessions (3 days) or more, not authorised by the school (under exceptional circumstances rule), may receive a Penalty Notice. 

Schools may also request prosecution, in exceptional circumstances where a parent takes a child out of school during term time for an extended period (20 days or more).