Why is attendance important? 

Coming to school each day is vital for your child to learn. If they miss a day of school, they miss out on more than 5 hours of learning. This can add up. It’s always important they come to school unless they are sick – even if they feel tired.

What is our school’s attendance target?

Every pupil at our school should aim to come to school 100% of the time – that’s every day. Our target for the whole school is 96%.

At EBPS we don't reward 100% attendance because we want to support families to keep themselves and the school community safe from illness. However, we do support families to improve attendance where illness or medical conditions are not the primary factor.

What time do pupils have to be in school each day?

Our gates open at 8.30. All pupils must be in school by 8.55am.

What happens if they are late to school?

If pupils arrive after 8.55am, they will have to visit the school’s main reception where a member of staff will take their name and reason for lateness.

What absences are allowed?

If pupils are too sick to attend school, a parent or guardian must contact the school by 8.30am by leaving a message on our answerphone 01604 810371, option 1, or by emailing the school office: . You can also use your Parent Mail account to report absence. Please contact the school on every day of absence unless it has been agreed that a call every day isn't needed. This could be for conditions such as diarrhoea and vomiting, for which the advice is to stay away from school for 48 hours after the last bout, or following NHS advice for other medical conditions. We will authorise absences for genuine illness. Other possible authorised absences include religious observance, sporting events pupils are taking part in, school trips and close family bereavement .

We don’t authorise absences for non-genuine illness, waiting home for a parcel, visiting relatives, family holidays, birthdays or anything which could adversely affect learning.

If you know in advance your child is going to be absent from school, please complete our online Leave of Absence form. A paper copy can be collected from the office, if required.

Is term-time holiday allowed?

Government guidelines prevent schools from granting any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. A family holiday during term time does not fall into the category of “exceptional circumstances”. 

As a school operating within North Northamptonshire Council, we currently follow their procedures in relation to term time leave and unauthorised absence, which can be found here. Should your child’s absence exceed the threshold and subsequently trigger a fixed penalty notice, you should be aware that the local authority may issue a Penalty Notice, payable direct to them. Following two fixed penalty notices the local authority may prosecute families for subsequent unauthorised absences.

From the 22nd April 2016 the criteria for issuing Penalty Notices for unauthorised term time absence has reduced significantly.   

The Penalty Notice is as follows:  

• £80 per parent/adult for each child if paid within 21 days, increasing to £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days of issue.  

• If the Penalty Notice is not paid within 28 days, the Local Authority may instigate legal proceedings under section 444 (1) of the Education Act 1996. If found guilty of an offence under this Act, you may receive a criminal record and could be fined up to £1000.  

Please be aware that the school does not benefit financially from this action.  

We realise that the vast majority of parents do not take family holidays in term time as they recognise the significant impact this can have on their child’s education.  

Can I have some time off for a dentist appointment?

The majority of parents understand the impact absence can have on their child’s studies and therefore book appointments outside of the school day. Where these absences cannot be avoided, for example orthodontic appointments, we will authorise 2 hours of absence per appointment.

Will the school contact me regarding my child’s attendance?

Schools have a responsibility to track and monitor attendance and to encourage pupils to attend regularly.

If your child’s attendance drops below the school’s target, staff at school will contact home to discuss our concerns. If attendance continues to drop, we will support you though an attendance support plan or parenting contract.

In the event of severe absence, we will contact the local authority and ask them to support us. You can request support and advice with attendance from the local authority by contacting the Education Inclusion and Partnership Team at North Northamptonshire Council.