Good Attendance Matters

Your child will only be successful if they attend school. Our aspiration is for everyone at Springbank Academy to attend for more than 96% of the year. If your child’s attendance falls below 95% then they will fall behind. Days off add up to lost learning. 

Even if your child’s attendance is at 95% this will mean they have missed 40 lessons in one year. 

• Attendance above 96% gives your child the best chance of success for the future. 
• Attendance below 95% means your child has less chance of success. 
• Attendance below 90% means that they have limited chance of success and are very likely to fail or fall short of their target grades. 
• Good attendance is a life skill required in all professional industries. 

 Key Information: 

• Every morning that your child is absent you must contact us before 8.45am and set out a valid reason for the absence.
• If your child is absent from school and you have not contacted us with a valid reasonthen our office team will telephone you and may conduct a home visit on the second day of absence to ensure your child is safe and well. 
• The legal requirement for pupils to self-isolate if they test positive for Covid-19was removed on 24^th February 2022.
• It is your legal responsibility to ensure that your child attends school. Your child has a right to attend school and access education, it is not your right to keep them at home. 
• We do recognise that there are legitimate health reasons why some children miss school. Our approach is not punitive. Our first instinct will always be to work with parents and carers to support you in ensuring good attendance for your child whatever the circumstances you face. 
• Following the pandemic it is more important than ever that your child attends school, so that they can make sure that they get quickly back on track to achieving their academic and social potential. 
• The final few days before a school holiday are not ‘a good time’ for your child to say off school. Teachers throughout the school will continue to teach the normal curriculum and if your child misses these they will fall behind. 
• Parents should not keep one child off school because a sibling/relation/friend is ill.We do monitor this and we are unable to authorise an absence where we believe a child has missed school because a sibling/relation/friend is off. 

• If your child’s attendance falls below 95% the Attendance Officer will send a letter to alert you to this. We know that in some instances this could be Covid related, the contact is intended to be supportive and no pupil will be penalised for genuine illness. 
• If your child’s absence falls below 90% we will contact you again and will closely monitor future attendance. Our Attendance Officer may contact you to arrange a meeting so that we can put in place an action plan to help you improve your child’s attendance. 
• If, following this, your child’s attendance continues to drop and we do not think there is a legitimate reason then we may refer you to the Local Authority who may issue you with a penalty notice or may even prosecute you. 
• All holidays, unless they fulfil the exceptional circumstances criteria will be referred to the Local Authority for a penalty notice .  

If an absence is not authorised by the school, the pupil’s attendance is deemed to be irregular. Under section 444 of the Education Act 1996, if a child of compulsory school age, who is a registered pupil at a school, fails to attend regularly, his/her parent/carer (s) are guilty of an offence.  

*Please also note that if you have more than one child, each child’s irregular attendance is dealt with as a separate matter. 

The Local Authority may take formal action against you for failure to comply with the law. Penalty notices are issued as an alternative to prosecution, but may not be issued if prosecution is considered to be a more appropriate response to the attendance issues.  

Therefore, your child’s irregular attendance could result in one of the following actions:  

1.     A Penalty Notice being issued. Each penalty notice is £60 if paid within the first 21 days, rising to £120 if paid between 22-28 days. Failure to pay will result in prosecution. 

2.     Prosecution. This could lead to fines of up to £2500 and/or 3 months’ imprisonment. 

If you are concerned about your child’s attendance and you need support, then the first point of contact is Miss keetch our attendance officer. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More information can be found on Nottinghamshire County Council's website:

Nottinghamshire County Council | School Attendance, Absence and Truancy

 Absence Procedure

Where an absence is unauthorised or unexplained, we will work through the following procedure:

First day of absence:
Morning- Text sent home at 10:30.
If no contact has been made with the family:
Afternoon- Telephone call to be made between 12:00 and 1:00.

Second day of absence:
Home visit to be made and calling card left.

Third day of absence:
Referral made to missing persons via the Missing Children Officer at Nottinghamshire County Council.
Local Authority informed who will issue a warning letter.

Fourth day of absence:
Wider search to be initiated and daily phone calls made to the family and additional contact.

Fifth day of absence:
School to contact Local Authority and ask them to issue a penalty notice to each parent for each child to whom persistent absence applies.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, causing occasional late arrivals, and we appreciate your efforts in keeping us informed about such situations. However, it is important to emphasise the significance of punctuality and regular attendance for your child's progress and overall development.

To support you in ensuring your child's timely arrival to school, we recommend the following measures:

1. Establish a consistent morning routine: Setting a clear schedule and maintaining a structured morning routine can help your child understand the importance of being ready for school on time.
2. Prepare the night before: Encourage your child to pack their school bag, lay out their uniform, and complete any homework or tasks the night before, reducing morning stress and ensuring a smoother start to the day.
3. Monitor bedtime routines: Adequate rest is essential for your child's concentration and wellbeing. Establishing suitable bedtime routines will help them wake up refreshed and ready for the school day.
4. Communicate challenges: If your child is struggling with punctuality due to specific challenges, such as difficulties with transport or health issues, please inform the school office, and we will work together to find suitable solutions.

We believe that by working in partnership with you, we can ensure that your child receives the best possible education and make the most of their time at our school. Regular and punctual attendance significantly contributes to their academic progress and enables them to fully participate in all aspects of school life.

Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

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