Hambleton Primary Academy Whole School Attendance Policy Procedural Framework 

This document details the operation of our Whole School Attendance Policy, is effective for the 2025-2026 academic year, and aligns with the DfE's statutory guidance: 'Working Together to Improve School Attendance' and the 'School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024'.

1. Core Principles and School Data

We are committed to securing high attendance as it directly impacts pupils' educational outcomes.

  • Current Attendance Rate: 95.89%
  • Average Attendance (Last 6 Periods): 96%
  • Target for 2025-2026: 96.7%

2. Attendance Roles and Responsibilities

Staff Roles

  • Headteacher, Mrs Wood: Holds overall responsibility, is responsible for legal referrals, and must authorise leave for exceptional circumstances only.
  • School Attendance Leader, Mrs Shaw: Responsible for daily register management, using new statutory DfE codes, and conducting first-day contact with parents.
  • Register Retention: All admission and attendance register entries are legally required to be preserved online/electronically for six years.
  • Governors: Responsible for the adoption and annual review of this policy and agreeing statutory targets.

Parent Expectations

Parents must ensure their child attends school regularly and on time. They must contact the school on the first day of any absence.

3. Registration, Lateness, and Absence Coding

It is essential for the school to accurately record attendance using statutory DfE codes. The codes below relate directly to attendance recording and legal action:

Code

Meaning

Impact on Pupil Record

L

Late (Before Register Closes)

Pupil is marked as present for the session.

U

Late (After Register Closes)

Pupil is marked as Unauthorised Absence for the session. Contributes to the Penalty Notice threshold.

I

Illness

Authorised Absence for genuine sickness.

G

Holiday/Leave Not Authorised

Unauthorised Absence. This code is used when a holiday is taken without permission. Contributes to the Penalty Notice threshold.

N

Other Unauthorised

Unauthorised Absence (e.g., unexplained absence, or reason is deemed unacceptable).

O

Other Authorised

Authorised Absence (Used only for genuine exceptional circumstances).

V

Educational Visit or Trip

Approved Educational Activity (e.g., another school, trip).

 

Lateness and Punctuality

The official registration periods close at 9.00 a.m. (AM) and 1.05 p.m. (PM). Parents will be contacted if their child has 7 or more lates per term. Persistent lateness coded 'U' may lead to legal action.

Holidays in Term Time

The school does not authorise any holidays in term time. Leave is only granted at the Headteacher's discretion for genuinely exceptional circumstances.

4. Persistent Absence and Legal Intervention

Definition of Persistent Absence (PA)

A pupil is defined as Persistently Absent (PA) if their attendance rate falls to 90% or below. This means they have missed 10% or more of possible school sessions, triggering formal intervention.

Penalty Notice (PN) Triggers

A Penalty Notice request must be considered when a pupil has reached 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 full school days) of unauthorised absence (specifically codes G and U) within a rolling 10-school week period.

Legal Sanctions and Fines

Penalty notices are currently charged at £160 per parent, per child. Failure to pay a penalty notice can result in prosecution and a criminal record.

  • From August 2024, if you have previously received two penalty notices for the same offence within a rolling 3-year period, the Local Authority cannot by law issue a further penalty notice and will therefore consider prosecution.
  • Prosecution will also be considered for unauthorised leave of 15 school days or more as this is deemed an excessive amount of time out of school.
  • If the leave is reduced to less than 15 school days, the local authority may consider a penalty notice instead (provided you haven’t previously received penalty notices as above).

5. Support and Safeguarding

  • Intervention: Patterns of poor attendance are monitored by Mrs Shaw and Mrs Wood. The school offers early support and interventions.
  • Pupil Safeguarding: The Headteacher (Mrs Wood) is responsible for referring pupils missing from education promptly to the Children Missing Education (CME) Officer at LCC to ensure their safety and well-being.
  • Policy Review: Mrs Wood analyses trends across particular pupil groups (e.g., ethnic groups, gender, Children Looked After) to ensure our policy and support strategies are effective and equitable.

 

Approved by:

Holly Wood - Headteacher

Date: September 2025

Last reviewed on:

September 2025

Next review due by:

September 2026