Attendance update for 2024-2025
From August the changes to the National Penalty Notice Framework come into force. Specifically, the changes are:
1. A new national threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions for any reason (equivalent to 5 school days) within a rolling 10 school week period for which a penalty notice must be considered. A penalty fine can be issued for any combination of unauthorised absences over a 10- week rolling period. They can be consecutive or non-consecutive and can span over two terms.
2. An increase in the penalty fine from £60 to £80 if paid in 21 days. If the fine is not paid by the first 21 days, it will rise to £160 if paid within 28 days of being issued.
3. If a 2nd penalty fine is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80.
4. If a parent then commits a third offence in a 3-year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider options available to them to improve attendance. This will include a consideration to prosecute under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.
5. The current penalty notice warning letter used for unauthorised absence (not holiday) will be changed to a Notice to Improve.
Attendance at Mount Charles School
It is essential for children to attend school regularly in order to maximise the opportunities available to them. For a child to reach their full potential a high level of school attendance and punctuality is essential. We aspire to achieve 100% attendance for every child. We acknowledge that there may be times when a child is unavoidably absent from school.
Why regular attendance is important
Any absence impacts on the progress of a child and disrupts learning, relationships with peers and academic, personal and social development. Repeated absence is therefore most likely to be detrimental to children and to seriously impede their learning. Any child’s absence disrupts teaching and may, therefore, affect the learning of others in the same class.