Attendance
EVERY SECOND COUNTS…………. EVERY DAY COUNTS……………..
Regular school attendance is an important part of giving children the best possible start in life!
At Moordown St John's we are committed to improving rates of attendance, and rigorous monitoring of attendance remains a key priority for us.
MSJ follow a traffic light system.
Click here for Attendance leaflet and traffic light system
Why is regular attendance so important?
- To achieve full potential
- To learn and make new friends
- To develop a wide range of new skills
- To build confidence and self esteem
- To develop social skills
- To develop awareness of other cultures and be part of a wider community
Click here for Attendance Policy
If attendance is below 93% but above 90% and/or punctuality is a concern we take the following action:
Click here for Attendance Flowchart
Leave in Term Time and Information About Penalty Notices (Fines)
The Headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'. A leave of absence is granted at the Headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time for which the pupil is authorised to be absent.
A list as to what does and does not constitute exceptional circumstances is shown in Appendix 2 of our Attendance Policy.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. Parents/carers may be asked to provide evidence to support their exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave and will determine how many school days a child may be absent from school if the leave is granted.
There is no legal entitlement for leave in school time to go on holiday and in the majority of cases holiday will not be authorised and may result in legal sanctions such as fixed penalty notices (FPNs) or other legal action.
Parents/carers wishing to apply for leave of absence should fill in an application form in advance of making any travel arrangements; application forms are available from the School Office.
Requesting fines for unauthorised term time leave
The School will have due regard for BCP Council’s Fixed Penalty Notice Code of Conduct.
Click here for BCP Fixed Penalty Notice Code of Conduct.
- If a period of five or more days (10 or more sessions) of unauthorised leave is taken, schools will request that the Local Authority issues a FPN.
- During any 12-month period, if a parent takes their child on a 2nd period of unauthorised leave and if the 1st and 2nd periods of leave total 5+ days/10+ sessions, schools will request that the Local Authority issues a FPN.
- During any 12-month period, if a parent takes their child on a 3rd period of unauthorised leave, regardless of total number of missed days/sessions, schools will request that the Local Authority issues a FPN.
- Where the school has agreed to a specific number of sessions of leave due to exceptional circumstances, the school will request that a FPN is issued if additional leave is taken outside of the agreed period.
Fixed Penalty Notices will typically be requested on a ‘per parent, per child’ basis.
For further information about FPNs and other circumstance in which they can be issued, please see our School Attendance policy.
We have been advised that from August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.