Attendance

​Please see the Attendance Guide below for further information.

Attendance Update 2024-2025

The DfE and Local Authority have a new framework for term time absence and penalties:

Fines and prosecution

You can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the Head Teacher's permission.

The threshold for Penalty Notice fines is 5+ days / 10+ sessions of unauthorised absence over a 10-school week period. When a school becomes aware that a child absence has met the threshold, they must consider whether a penalty notice should be issued.  

Parents/Carers can only receive a maximum of two fines for any individual child over a three-year rolling period for an unauthorised absence from school.

A third request for a fine within a three-year rolling period would result in the matter being referred directly to the Magistrates court.

Please refer directly to Nottinghamshire County Council's Education Penalty page : https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/school-holidays-and-closures/holidays-during-term-time.

NCC's frequently asked questions : 

Main points of note:

School times:

• Arrive for whistle 8:45am - In class start of the day 8:50am
• Gates are locked 8:55am
• Lunchtime 12:00pm
• Afternoon starts/ second register taken 1:00pm
• School ends 3:15pm

A call must be made to the School, 0115 913 2331, as early as possible on the first day of an unplanned absence.

A child is legally required to be at school, schools have a Safeguarding responsibility to know the whereabouts of children and know they are safe.

Minor reasons and regular absence are monitored by the Head Teacher and Trust staff. 

A reason for absence must be given. Correct information must be recorded on the DfE digital register that is regularly audited and received by the Local Authority.

Planned absence

Medical appointments must be communicated to the office as soon as you have these booked. We encourage parents and carers to try to organise dental and doctor appointments out of school time. Medical appointments, do contribute to attendance %.

Evidence will be asked for, whether you have a text, appointment card or letter. Only then can we mark any absence that trips the register as medical appointments. If evidence can’t be provided, the register attendance mark will be ‘unauthorised’.

Other leave. Holidays, events etc. must be communicated to the office as soon as possible and a ‘Term Time Absence’ form completed for the Head Teacher.

Fixed Penalty Notice - term time absence

From September 2023, term time absences can result in a fixed penalty from the Local Authority. See the guide on this page and the Attendance Guide for Parents/Carers for new referral criteria. Horsendale is now obliged to refer any absence that does not meet DfE criteria to the Local Authority.

Evidence such as event details or employer letter will be asked for. The Head Teacher will follow DfE Guidance on authorising any leave in school time and the subsequent mark entered on the attendance register.

Attendance reviews

Regular attendance reviews are carried out by the Head Teacher, looking at a child's time away from school and the reasons given. 

Children with an attendance percentage of 90% or less from the beginning of the academic year will be reviewed. The Head Teacher will look at the figure and the reasons for absence and make a decision whether they are to be monitored, send an 'information' letter home or meet with the parent/carer.

Absence including medical appointments, will contribute to a child’s attendance figure on their school record which is monitored regularly and follows them through their education. Regardless of the reason for absence, if a child is not physically in school, school must register as the child being absent. 

Please avoid leaving verbal messages with Teachers or Teaching Assistants; they are busy with children in class and can often find it difficult to pass messages to the office in a timely manner.

The office should always be contacted in the first instance, by phone, answer phone message or email, as registers are administered from there.

Phone: (0115) 913 2331

Email: office@horsendale.notts.sch.uk

TERM TIME ABSENCE FORM

ONLINE GOOGLE FORM TO HEAD TEACHER

https://forms.gle/mxvvF7vqerTv4sFg8