Department for Education’s new attendance and punctuality regulations

Dear Parent/Carer

We wanted to make you aware of the update to statutory guidance for attendance which came into place from 19th August 2024. As you know, we maintain the highest expectations of attendance because we know that any missed school time results in missed learning and interruptions to children’s social experience of school.

The Government believes, as do we, that parents/carers and school working together is the best way to overcome any barriers to your child attending regularly. However, it is important to note that statutory fines for parents/carers are in place if a school feels a pupil is consistently absent from school without valid reason.

The guidance ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

These changes are national and apply to all schools. It is important that you are fully aware of these new policies, as they directly impact our pupils and families. Some of the key changes are below:

Unauthorised Absences and Penalty Notices

A fixed penalty notice can be issued if a pupil accrues 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a window of 10 school weeks. (A school day contains two sessions, morning and afternoon). This can be any combination of unauthorised absences. The 10-week period can span different terms or even different school years.

Penalty Notice Limits and Legal Intervention

A maximum of two penalty notices can be issued within a three-year period. If a third penalty notice is necessary within the same three-year period, legal intervention will take place.

Penalty Notice Charges

First penalty notices are charged at £160 per parent, per child. This amount is reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.

Where it has been deemed appropriate to issue a second Penalty Notice to the same parent for the same pupil within 3 years of the first notice, the second penalty notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160 per parent, per child, to be paid within 28 days (there is no reduction for this).

The third time that any offence is committed and a sanction is requested for either a leave of absence or irregular attendance, a Penalty Notice will not be issued. The case will be presented straight to the Magistrates Court. A prosecution can result in the parent receiving a criminal record and fines of up to £2,500. Cases found guilty in the Magistrates Court can show on the parent’s future DBS certificate due to ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.

Punctuality and Its Impact

Our school day begins at 8:40am and we open our gates at 8:35am so that the children can settle into their classes ready for the beginning of the school day. If your child arrives late and we do not receive appropriate notification from a parent/carer, the late attendance will be marked as an unauthorised absence. As you have read above, 10 unauthorised absences may result in a fixed penalty fine.

We understand that changes to attendance regulations can cause concern, but it is important to stress that these are national changes mandated by the DFE, not initiatives specific to Kingsham Primary School or The University of Chichester Academy Trust. We are committed to working with you to ensure the best educational outcomes for your children and to support their regular and punctual attendance. Please contact us at the earliest opportunity if you require support or guidance in relation to your child’s attendance or punctuality.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child’s good attendance and punctuality, which are vital to their development and success.

Kind Regards

 

 

Lee Dallinger

(Headteacher)