Attendance
My son or daughter is unwell and will not be attending today. How do I report this to the academy?
To make it as easy as possible to report student absence, we have set up a dedicated phone message system. Please call Mrs Roberts on 01553 779635 to report your son or daughter's absence.
What happens if my child's attendance is poor?
Dear Parent/Carer,
Attendance at school and legal intervention
Research commissioned by the Department for Education shows missing school for even a day can mean a child is less likely to achieve good grades, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances. At King’s Lynn Academy our aim is to work with parents to ensure that all our pupils receive the most from their education and reach their full potential.
This letter is to remind all parents/carers regarding the law that requires them to ensure that their child attends school regularly. The Government remains very clear that no child should miss school apart from in exceptional circumstances and schools must continue to take steps to reduce absence to support children’s attainment.
In the DfE policy document entitled, ‘School Attendance: Guidance for maintained schools, academies, independent schools and local authorities’ it states, ‘Head teachers should not grant leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. The application must be made in advance and the head teacher must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances based on the individual facts and circumstances of the case which warrant the leave. Where a leave of absence is granted, the head teacher will determine the number of days a pupil can be away from school. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the head teacher’s discretion’.
If the school does not receive a request for leave, the head teacher will be unable to consider your individual circumstances and the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. There will be no obligation on the head teacher to reconsider authorising the leave if an application has not been made in advance.
The Local Authority operates a system where any pupil will meet the criteria for legal intervention where they have:
1. 10 consecutive sessions of unauthorised absence where some or all of the absence may be attributed to an unauthorised holiday in term-time (for absences from 1 September 2017); or
2. 15% unauthorised absence over a period of 6 school weeks for reasons other than unauthorised term time holiday.
The intervention could be in the form of a Fixed Penalty Notice. Any pupil at King’s Lynn Academy who meets either of the criteria, will be referred to the Local Authority for action to be considered.
If a Fixed Penalty Notice is issued it is a fine of £60 per parent per child which must be paid in one payment in 21 days. If unpaid, a further invoice for £60 per parent per child is issued; both individual invoices would then have to be paid making a total payment of £120 in 28 days. You should be aware that failure to pay the total amount within the timescale will result in legal action being taken.
I hope we can count on your support in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely
Alan Fletcher
My son or daughter is going to be late. How do I report this to the academy?
If your child will be slightly late, please write a note explaining the reasons. If there will be significant lateness, please report it as an absence contact Mrs Roberts on 01553 779635.
We will contact you if your son or daughter is persistently late and detentions will be arranged.
What is the procedure for asking the academy to grant my son or daughter exceptional leave of absence?
As you may be aware, Government guidelines have made it clear that head teachers may not grant leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Please be aware that these guidelines are set by the Government, not schools and if you decide to take your child out of the academy during term time unauthorised, you may receive a penalty notice from the Local Authority.
If you wish your child to be considered for Leave of Absence, then please write a letter outlining your reasons for the absence to be considered as exceptional circumstances, along with the dates requested and send to the Principal, Alan Fletcher.
What if my child has a doctor or dentist appointment during the day?
You should try to schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours whenever possible. When this is not possible please send your child in with a note to take to his/her Head of Year or ring/email the Head of Year directly. The Head of Year will give your child a permit to leave.