It is important that parents/carers inform the school of absence as soon as possible by leaving a voice message on the absence line or by completing the ‘Absence Reporting Form’ before 8.45am on the morning of each day the child is absent.

When a child is absent unexpectedly, the class teacher will record their absence on the register.  This is then followed up by an administrator within the office and, if no reason has been given, a phone call to the parents/carers will be made.  If no contact is made, we will contact the other names on our system to try to identify why the child is absent from school.  This is part of our safeguarding procedures.

We do ask that any appointments be made outside of school hours when possible.  If it is necessary to take your child out of school for an appointment, your child must be collected by an adult and signed out at the school office.  A copy of their appointment card/letter should be brought to school and the class teacher notified of the appointment in advance. 

As a school, we fully appreciate the financial difficulties that some parents face when booking holidays, particularly during school holidays.  However, there is an expectation that all schools introduce firm policies and stringent checks to ensure that there is a significant reduction in the number of absences during term time. 

The Government says: ‘The earlier schools address poor attendance patterns, the less likely it is that they will become a long-term issue.  The best schools realise this and take a rigorous approach to poor attendance from the very start of school life.’

From the 1st September 2013, the new law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time.  Any applications for leave of absence must be in exceptional circumstances and the Headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave.  According to the DfE the only circumstance that qualifies as an exception to this rule relates to breaks of leave in the Armed Forces.

Procedure for term time holiday requests

For Acre View Primary School pupils, requests should be made to the school in writing, either by letter or email or using the ‘Exceptional Absence Request Form’ below, at least 2 weeks in advance of absence.  Parents/Carers will be advised whether leave has been authorised or not and whether the Local Authority will be notified and a fine incurred.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the school to thank you for your full support in this matter by not taking your child out of school during term time.  This new legislation will increase attendance and improve standards in our school.

Mrs E Wynne

Head Teacher