Attendance
Attendance at school is essential to the social and academic success of your child. We celebrate attendance in school in a number of ways and children are encouraged to see the value in attending school, the benefits it has on not only them, but those around them.
Parents and guardians are asked to make a concerted effort to arrive at school promptly and reduce/eliminate the amount of days that your child misses, whether this be through appointments or holidays. We firmly believe that this aspect of schooling is preparing children for life beyond school.
Attendance in school is compulsory for all children and your child’s attendance will be monitored closely by the Senior Administrator (Mrs Goodison) and the Headteacher. Should your child’s attendance begin to cause concern you will be notified via phone calls and letters. If your child is at risk of being classed as persistently absent (having attendance at or below 90%) then you will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer, who will make contact. If no improvements are seen this could result in both parents being fined.
2023-26 Wakefield Attendance Strategy
Sickness and Absence
If your child is absent due to sickness, the school must be notified by telephone or in writing by 9.30am on the first morning of absence. If your child is absent from school and notification has not been received, then, for child protection/health and safety reasons, the school will contact the parent/carer to ascertain the reason for absence. The administrative staff will normally make this telephone call. If no reason is provided or obtained the child’s register will be marked as unauthorised.
To report an absence please telephone 01924 274873 or email the office at [email protected]
Holidays in Term Time
In line with government guidance and legislation, Netherton J&I School will no longer authorise the taking of term-time holidays by pupils. Government research shows that absence from school is closely linked to attainment. Any absence can be detrimental to a child’s education and should be avoided.
Netherton J&I School will not grant requests for term-time holidays unless exceptional circumstances are given and are approved by the Headteacher. Exceptional circumstances will be considered in line with government guidance.
Where a family is refused authorisation for a leave of absence such as a holiday request but continues to take their child out of school, or where a parent makes no request of the school prior to a leave of absence, this may result in a Penalty Notice being issued to the parents/carers. The child’s register will be marked as unauthorised absence.
Please note that as of 19 August 2024, a First Offence Penalty Notice is a fine of £160 per parent, per child, reducing to £80 if paid within 21 days. Thereafter if the Penalty remains unpaid this may result in legal action.
Further details can be found in our Attendance Policy and Wakefield Council Penalty Notice Fines Leaflet below.