Attendance
Doubletrees School is committed to a positive policy of encouraging learners to attend school regularly and maintain a pattern of good attendance throughout their school life. The school works in partnership with parents/carers, the Local Authority and other relevant services to secure this aim.
The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational needs they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school.
Where parents decide to have their child registered at school, they have an additional legal duty to ensure their child attends that school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a few allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from the school.
Holidays during school time
The law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. Any absence from school will disrupt your child’s learning. You may consider that a holiday will be educational, but your child will miss out on the teaching that their classmates will receive during your holiday. Attendance is vital to academic success and lost education poses a potential risk of underachievement. This is something we all have a responsibility to avoid.
The Department for Education no longer allows Headteachers to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If you consider that your request for absence is exceptional you will need to complete the form attached to this notification. A response will be sent to you as soon as possible. If leave is not authorised and you nevertheless withdraw your child from school, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised absence.
For more information, please have a look at the government Website on School Attendance and Absence.
Part-time Timetables
Reasons for a school and parent/carer agreeing to a reduced timetable could include:
- Medical reasons - where a pupil has a serious medical condition, where recovery is the priority outcome.
- As part of a short-term support package where a pupil is struggling in the school setting, perhaps with behaviour.
- As part of a planned reintegration into school following an extended absence.
If a child/young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan, any consideration of a reduced timetable must include the Local Authority. In the case of a reduced timetable, the school remains responsible for the educational provision.
Please have a look at the guidance from Cornwall Council, 'Part-time timetables', for further information about part-time attendance for learners of statutory school age.
Leave of absence
Leave of absence in exceptional circumstances can be requested from the Headteacher. Please carefully read this page prior to completing the form.
When completing a Leave of Absence Form, please give some thought to the 'exceptional circumstances' that you feel make it necessary for you to take your child out of school during term time.
If your child is absent from school without authorisation, you will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.
If your child is further absent from school without authorisation within any 3-year period, you will be committing a further offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices for a second offence are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £160, payable within 28 days. Importantly, fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
Failure to pay the Penalty Notice may also result in legal action. If you are prosecuted and attend court because your child has not been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500. Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.
Absence not authorised by the school may also result in a prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444(1) or Section 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996, leading to a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a custodial sentence. Again, Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.
Money raised from fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.
