Our Aim

At Stockingford, we expect children to attend school every day.  

Good attendance equals:

• Better results in school
• Better health and well-being
• More opportunities
• More meaningful connections with work, play and people

Recognition

We recognise and reward children as individuals and as classes for attending school, improving their attendance and arriving to school on time. We do this through:

• Surprise recognition days/ gifts
• Merit certificates
• Texts and phone calls home
• Meetings
• Raffles
• Extra play times
• Non-uniform days

Absence

However, we do understand that, at times, children are not well enough to attend school. If this is the case, please ensure you contact either the school office, Debbie Lloyd (our attendance officer) or your child’s teacher through Class Dojo.

Absences will be authorised when:

• medical evidence is provided (doctor’s note or prescription)
• there are exceptional circumstances (agreed by Mrs Bowser)

Missing just 19 days across the whole school year means your child is persistently absent.

Our Approach

We are here to help. If you are experiencing any difficulties getting your child to school, please get in contact or talk to a member of the Stockingford Academy team.

We can help through:

• Meetings
• Finding the right support, such as the school nurse
• ‘Working together’ action plans
• Early Help
• Parenting courses
• Providing pastoral support for you or your child

The Government

The Government expects our Academy to:

•  Promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence;
• Ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled; and act early to address patterns of absence;
• Ensure parents perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly;
• Ensure all pupils are punctual to their lessons.

Department for Education – excerpt taken from the ‘School Attendance’ document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268648/advice_on_school_attendance_nov_2013.pdf

Holidays during term time – Leave of Absence

If you want to take a holiday during term time, an application for Leave of Absence is available at the school office and online. This Leave of Absence request form must be completed and returned to the office.

PLEASE NOTE: IN LINE WITH COUNCIL POLICY, SCHOOL WILL NOT AUTHORISE HOLIDAYS unless in exceptional circumstances.
Penalty Notices will be raised against unauthorised holidays & absence.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE DURING TERM TIME UPDATED INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

The Supreme Court recently reached a decision in the case of Platt v Isle of Wight Council which has clarified the law on unauthorised leave, including holidays, during term time. The parents of children of compulsory school age are required to ensure that they attend school on a regular basis. The Supreme Court has made clear that attending school ‘regularly’ means that the children must attend school on every day that they are required to do so. As such, the parents of any child who is absent from school without authorisation for any length of time are likely to be considered as committing an offence under s444 of the Education Act 1996.

Head Teachers retain the ability to authorise leave in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006. When considering such requests for a leave of absence, the school are obliged to act within the law. Head Teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application. If the leave is granted, head teachers are able to determine the number of school days a child can be absent for.

It is for the Head Teacher to decide what is ‘exceptional’ and it is at their discretion if the circumstances warrant the leave to be granted. The school can only consider Leave of Absence requests which are made by the ‘resident’ parent.

Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis and on its own merits.

Where applications for leave of absence are made in advance and refused, the child will be required to be in school on the dates set out in the application. If the child is absent during that period, it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence, which may result in legal action being taken against the parent(s), by way of a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Failure to make an application for leave in advance can also result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued to the parent(s).

All matters of unauthorised absence relating to a Leave of Absence will be referred to the Warwickshire Attendance Service, part of Warwickshire County Council.

It is important to note, Fixed Penalty Notices are issued to each parent of each absent child, (for example 2 children and 2 parents, means each parent will receive 2 invoices in the amount of £120 each, totalling £240 for both children, this is reduced to £60 per child if paid within 21 days).

Where a Fixed Penalty Notice is not paid within the required timeframe as set out on the notice, the matter will be referred to Warwickshire County Council’s Legal Services to consider instigating criminal proceedings under S444 Education Act 1996.

Fixed Penalty Notices are issued in accordance with Warwickshire County Council’s Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices.

Your child’s progress academically as well as socially is our shared priority