Holiday Guidelines
Our school attendance policy can be found here
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENT/CARERS
St Willibrord’s School has been working hard to improve the attendance of all pupils. It is widely recognised that the educational outcomes and future life chances of children and young people can be significantly impacted upon by periods of absence. Therefore we want to encourage parents to ensure that their child attends school every day. We do appreciate the fact that a significant number of pupils have excellent attendance and this should be commended.
At St Willibrord’s School we fully appreciate that there may be occasions when a pupil’s attendance may be affected due to exceptional circumstances. In these cases support and advice will always be available from the school. Unfortunately, despite this support, attendance levels for some pupils continue to fall below the school’s expectations of 95%. All pupils’ attendance is closely monitored by the school and only the head teacher has the power to authorise any absence.
In this school year any parents/carers of pupils who accrue unauthorised absence are now duly warned from the date of this letter that they may receive a penalty notice or be prosecuted in the magistrates court.
Where a parent/carer removes their child during term-time without authorisation they may be liable for a penalty notice or prosecution in the magistrates court.
A penalty notice will be issued to each parent for each child. The penalty notice incurs a fine of £120 to be paid within 28 days, which is reduced to £60 if paid within the first 21 days.
Failure to pay the penalty notice may result in legal proceedings being taken against you. Other statutory action may also be considered under the Education Act 1996, which may result in you being prosecuted in the Magistrates’ Court. If you are found guilty, you will receive a criminal record and may receive a fine of up to £2,500 and/or three months’ imprisonment.
If your child is experiencing any problems that may be affecting their attendance or punctuality, then please contact the school on 0161 223 9345 to discuss any support that could be provided to ensure their regular attendance.
We are no longer able to authorise any absence due to illness/medical unless evidence is provided. This may be a hospital appointment letter/card, prescription slip, surgery/medical centre compliment slip with establishment stamp/date. Unless evidence is provided the absences will be recorded unauthorised and the warning in this letter will apply.
I would also like to address parents of nursery and reception to raise awareness of the importance of regular and punctual attendance as the younger pupils do need good routines to ensure they progress through the school giving them the opportunity of achieving their full potential. In the early years, children learn how to learn and develop an understanding of the world around them developing early skills of literacy and numeracy.
Once again thank you for supporting St Willibrord’s School in improving attendance, which will ensure that all pupils in school have the opportunity to reach their full potential and improve outcomes for their future.
Yours sincerely
Mr C McIver
Head Teacher