How We Monitor Attendance
Belmont Primary School has unashamedly high expectations across all areas and any absence from school will be unauthorised unless the following are in place:
- Your child has attendance greater than 93% and a justified reason for absence has been provided for each day of absence.
- You are able to provide written evidence of a medical appointment if yours child’s attendance is below 93%.
Persistent absence is deemed by the government to be anything less than 90% attendance. We offer support to parents/carers if we have concerns about a pupil's attendance level.
How We Monitor Attendance At Belmont
Attendance is monitored daily and shared with the Family Liaison Officer, Attendance Governor and Headteacher. |
If attendance drops below 93%, an Attendance Support letter will be sent. School staff will work closely with families to support improved attendance. Attendance is continually monitored every term. |
If the attendance does not improve, an Attendance Concern letter will be sent. Parents/carers will be invited to meet with the Family Liaison Officer and Attendance Governor. Any issues will be discussed and actions put in place. |
If the attendance does not improve, an Attendance Panel Meeting letter will be sent. Parents/carers will be invited to meet with the Family Liaison Officer, Attendance Governor and Headteacher. This is a more formal meeting and actions are agreed from it. |
If attendance continues to fall and is below 90%, a formal letter will be sent explaining to the parent/carer that attendance needs to improve or a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) could be issued. |
These letters can often alarm some parents/carers due to the legal content that we make reference to. Whilst we do not wish to cause any alarm to our parents and families it is vitally important that you are fully aware of legislation relating to our attendance policy and we will always endeavour to support you and your child within this process. Our intentions are only ever to improve the success of pupils at school.
If you are worried about your child’s attendance or something is preventing them from coming to school, please speak to us straight away. We will work together to come up with a plan that supports you and your child and leads to improved attendance and punctuality.
Fixed Penalty Notices
Notices are issued according to the Department for Education's guidance. The circumstances in which a penalty notice may be issued are:
- Where a child is absent from school due to unauthorised absences. This will include lateness after the close of registration.
- Or have taken a holiday in term time without the permission of the Headteacher that leads to attendance concerns.
- Where a child is present in a public place during school hours without reasonable justification during the first five days of any exclusion.
Fixed term penalties will only be issued in circumstances where the Local Authority is satisfied that the criteria for prosecution would be met if the option of a fixed penalty notice is not taken up by the parent.