Attendance and absence
At Carswell your child’s attendance is important to us to ensure that they achieve their full potential. Children who are out of school for a day a week will miss the equivalent of two years of their whole school life and 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more GSCEs, with around one third achieving no GCSEs at all.
Both school and parents have the responsibility to ensure that children are attending school as much as possible. Below outlines the protocol that we follow when a child is absent and explains your responsibilities as a parents.
Oxfordshire County Council attendance advice letter
Attendance expectations
96% or over is considered good attendance and is a target for all children here at Carswell. Attendance is monitored closely and any child that falls below 90% is a concern to us. If your child’s attendance is becoming a concern you will be sent letter with your child’s attendance percentage to make you aware of how many hours or days learning has been missed. Our home school link worker may also phone you or contact you for a meeting to have a discussion with you. In most cases, this can be resolved or explained during this meeting.
If your child’s attendance continues to be a concern, we will offer you a parenting contract. These are a useful tool in identifying and focusing on the issues behind poor attendance and where we can be of support.
More information on parenting contracts can be found here:
http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7618/1/QS%20ParentCon2_6.5.pdf
Lateness at drop off and pick up
You need to make sure your child is in playground before 8.45 am and picked up at 3.15 pm promptly.
You will be marked down as late if you enter the school after 8.45 am and if it becomes a frequent occurrence you will be contacted by our home school link worker to offer support and a discussion on how to improve.
If your child is not picked up at 3.05 pm he/she will be taken to Kid’s club (after school care) which you will have to pay for.
There are of course circumstances such as traffic or family emergencies where we can support you if we are aware so please let us know as soon as possible if you are going to be late. You must be aware however that our duty of care ends at the end of the school day (3.15 pm).
Holidays during term time
As you are probably aware you are not permitted to take holidays during term time. You will be asked to have a meeting with Mr Crandon where it will be explained that you could be liable for a penalty notice fine. In some cases, the County attendance officer may contact you.
If you require time off for exceptional circumstances this must be requested in writing to Mr Crandon and you will need to have a meeting with him to discuss it.
If your child is too poorly to be at school
Please make contact with the school office to explain the absence either by telephone on 01235 521578 or via ParentMail. It helps if you can give us as much explanation possible, e.g. the exact nature of the illness.
48-hour rule:
This is imposed if children have been suffering from sickness and diarrhoea only. Please use your judgement about whether a child is to be kept off school. The NHS ask you to consider these questions:
Is my child well enough to do the activities of the school day? If not, keep your child at home.
Does my child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff? If so, keep your child at home.
Would I take a day off work if I had this condition? If so, keep your child at home.
For more guidance please follow this link:
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Yourchildatschool/Pages/Illness.aspx
Illness or injury sustained at school
If your child becomes unwell at school, we will contact you via telephone. We may want to give you information about your child’s situation, or we may suggest that the child goes home or is checked by a medical professional. We will always contact you if there is an injury, however small, to your child’s head.
Medical and other appointments
Please arrange appointments for check-ups, dentists, opticians and other medical issues out with school hours wherever possible unless it is an emergency.
Oxfordshire County Council Penalty Notices FAQs for parents/carers
2024/2025
Why is attendance important?
Every day in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and achieve better outcomes than those who don't.
Can I get help if my child is not attending school?
Yes. Your child’s school is always available to offer support and should be your first step in getting any additional help you may need.
The County Attendance Team can provide help and support directly to the school and as part of a multi-agency plan.
Children with long-term medical or more serious mental health conditions and those with special educational needs and disabilities may face additional barriers.
For children who face complex barriers to attendance, schools and the local authority will work with parents to offer support to ensure they are able to access education and attend school.
What is a Penalty Notice?
Under existing legislation, parents/carers commit an offence if their child fails to attend school regularly, and the absences are classed as unauthorised. Such cases may result in a prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act, 1996.
A penalty notice is an alternative to prosecution, which does not require an appearance in court, whilst still securing an improvement in the pupil’s attendance.
What are the costs?
From August 19 2024, under the new national penalty notice framework, all schools will be required to consider a penalty notice when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.
This means from September 2024 the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.
If a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.
Fines per parent/per child will be capped to two within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached a prosecution may be considered.
If you are prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could be fined of up to £2,500.
Can a penalty notice be paid in instalments?
No. A penalty notice must be paid in full.
Can a penalty notice be appealed?
There is no statutory right of appeal. Once a penalty notice has been issued, it can only be withdrawn if it can be shown that it was issued in error.
What happens to the money raised from paid fines?
Money raised via 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.
Where can I find more information about penalty notices?
Oxfordshire Penalty Notice Code of Conduct can be found via: (insert link) If you have any queries or want further advice the County Attendance Team can be reached (insert web link) or on attendance@oxfordshire.gov.uk