Attendance
It all begins with belonging
At Bishop Tufnell Primary School, every child belongs and this begins with being present, so in our school we encourage excellent attendance. It is important your child attends school to see them grow, learn and flourish. Absence, even short term or infrequent absence, can have significant impacts on learning and on friendships and personal development.
A parent's responsibility
By law, as a parent or carer, you must make sure that your child receives a suitable full-time education. This means that your child should not have sessions of unauthorised absence. Regular attendance means 100% of the time the school is open unless you have the permission from the Headteacher to be absent.
If your child is unwell
If your child is too ill to come to school, please ensure you let the School Office know preferably before 8.30am. You can leave a message anytime on the answer phone by calling 01243 584412. If we do not receive a reason as to why your child is absent, their absence will be marked as unauthorised. Where possible please provide the school with medical evidence such as a doctor’s appointment card or letter, especially where children are off for more than a few days.
Our approach to supporting excellent attendance is detailed in our Attendance Policy on the policy page.
Holidays or prolonged absence
We encourage parents not to take their children out of school during term time. Holidays will not be authorised unless exceptional circumstances as they can have a significant impact on your child's friendships, learning, and attitude towards school.
If you do need to take your child out of school for exceptional circumstances, please complete a Leave of Absence Request Form. This is also available from the School Office.
Possible consequences of holidays or non-attendance
If your child has the equivalent of five days (ten sessions) of unauthorised absence (including being late after the register close) in any 10 week period, you will be liable to receive a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) from West Sussex County Council for failing to ensure your child’s regular school attendance.
- For the first occasion a child is absent without authority, the FPN is £160.00 and a parent is given the opportunity to pay within 21 days at a rate of £80.
- For the second occasion the same child is absent without authority, the FPN is £160.
- For the third occasion the same child is absent without authority, a FPN may not be issued and instead the case may be referred direct to a Magistrates Court or alternative interventions may be considered.
Please note: If the School refers a period of absence that is 15 consecutive school days or more, Pupil Entitlement Investigation may consider a FPN is not appropriate. In these instances, the matter may instead be brought directly before a Magistrates Court.
For more information, click here to access advice from West Sussex County Council.
Struggling to get your child into school? We're here to help!
Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons.
If your child is struggling to attend school, both the school and the local authority also have responsibilities to help you to support your child’s attendance.
In most cases, if your child’s attendance level is falling, the school will contact you to explore the reasons and discuss what help can be put in place to help you overcome the barriers they are facing.
If your child is struggling to attend school, you can expect the school to meet with you and your child if they are old enough. The school will want to understand the reasons for their absence and what support you or they need to overcome the barriers to attendance they are experiencing.
If the barriers to your child’s attendance are in school, such as they are having friendship problems, the school is responsible for working with you to help overcome the issues.
Mrs Delambily, our school's family worker, is here for you. She can support you with advice and other practical solutions to overcome and attendance difficulties. Mr Benham and Mr Chamberlin are responsible for overseeing our attendance and, together with your child's class teacher, may contact families where there are concerns about attendance levels.
If the barriers to attendance you or your child are facing go beyond the remit of the school – such as a transport or a mental health issue – both the school and local authority have a responsibility to help you. This includes helping you to access the wider support you might need, for example from the school nurse or from local housing or transport teams. Mrs Delambily is this person in our school.
As a school, we want to see every child achieve excellent attendance and will do all we can to support you to realise this for your child.