At Smeeth Community Primary School, we’re dedicated to helping every child thrive. We know that regular attendance is the key to unlocking success and making the most of all the wonderful opportunities school has to offer.

Our approach to attendance reflects the DfE’s Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance (effective from August 2024). This policy sets out what good attendance looks like, how we support it, and the roles everyone plays in helping our pupils succeed. We believe attendance is a team effort.

By working closely with families, the wider community, and external agencies, we create a positive, supportive environment that encourages pupils to come to school every day. To celebrate their efforts, we offer weekly, termly, and annual awards that make attendance rewarding and fun. Together, we can ensure every child enjoys a happy, successful school journey.

Lateness

At Smeeth Community Primary School, the register is taken at 8.50am and 1.00pm. Pupils arriving after these times must enter school by the main pedestrian entrance and report to reception - where their name and reason for lateness will be recorded. The pupil will be marked as late before registration has closed (Code ‘L’). The register will close at 9.00am and 1.10pm. Pupils arriving after the register has closed will be marked as late after registration (Code ‘U’) and the whole session will be classed as an unauthorised absence in the legal/main register, even though the pupil is in school and recorded as present in the internal register. Frequent lateness after the register has closed (U) will be discussed with parents and could provide grounds for prosecution or a Penalty Notice, as these sessions add up.

Authorising Absence

At Smeeth Community Primary School, we understand the challenges that families face, including the rising costs of holidays and the desire to take breaks outside of peak times. While we are sympathetic to these concerns, the academic year provides approximately 13 weeks of break in total—roughly one-quarter of the year—during which families are encouraged to schedule holidays. This substantial break allows for ample time to rest and spend quality time together outside of term time.

However, taking time off during the school year can significantly impact a child’s learning and progress. The pace of the curriculum and the scheduling of school events mean that any missed instruction is challenging to make up, both for the individual pupil, staff and teachers, and for the class as a whole. Consequently, while holidays can offer enriching experiences and family bonding, we strongly encourage families to use these 13 weeks effectively to minimise disruption to their child’s education. This approach ensures that every pupil can keep up with their peers and make steady academic progress throughout the year. We also recognise that regular school attendance is crucial for a child’s overall development and academic success.

Missing school—even for short periods—can affect their learning, social development, and future opportunities. The DfE guidance allows Head Teachers some discretion in authorising absences, but this is limited to exceptional circumstances. Only in truly unique situations will a request for absence be considered. Only the Head Teacher can authorise absence and does so using a consistent approach. The Head Teacher is not obliged to accept a parent’s explanation alone as a reason for absence. A letter or phone call from a parent does not automatically authorise an absence. If absences are not authorised, parents will be notified. If no explanation for absence is received, it will not be authorised.

Unauthorised absences and Penalty Notices

Persistent unauthorised absence, where 10% or more sessions are missed, may lead to a referral to the Local Authority Attendance Officer for potential prosecution. The school will follow procedures before making a referral and parents will be notified in writing.

Local Authority actions may include:

• Attendance Improvement Meeting

• Home visits

• Liaison with other agencies

• Fast Track to Prosecution Penalty Notices are issued in accordance with Kent County Council’s Education Penalty Notices Code of Conduct, effective from August 2024.

 A Penalty Notice is issued when a child has been absent for 10 or more half-day sessions (5 school days) without authorisation during 100 possible school sessions or a 50-day period—these do not need to be consecutive.

A Penalty Notice can also be issued if an excluded child is found in a public place during school hours without justifiable reason.

After receiving the request for a Penalty Notice, the KCC Inclusion and Attendance Service will issue a warning letter with 20 school days during which no unauthorised absence should be recorded.

If unauthorised absences occur within the 20-day period, Penalty Notice(s) will be issued (one per parent, per child).

When Penalty Notices are issued, the regulations specify a penalty of £160, payable within 28 days, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. Each parent of each child receives a Penalty Notice. A second Penalty Notice issued to the same parent for the same pupil is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days. Failure to pay the penalty in full by the end of the 28- day period may result in prosecution by the Local Authority.

If a third offence is committed in a 3-year rolling period then a penalty notice cannot be issued by the LA and prosecution will be sought as an alternative which may lead to a fine of up to £1,000 per parent per child In law, these are the only acceptable reasons for a child being absent from school. The Head Teacher may authorise absence in ‘exceptional circumstances,’ but this must be requested in advance. Agreement to each request is at the discretion of the Head Teacher, acting on behalf of the Governing Body (School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024) Each case will be judged on its merits, and the Head Teacher’s decision is final.

Once a decision not to authorise leave is made, it cannot be authorised retrospectively. If an absence is not authorised and a holiday is taken anyway, the case may be referred to the LA Kent PRU and Attendance Service (KPAS), which may issue a Penalty Notice to each parent for each child taken out of school. Failure to pay the penalty in full by the end of the 28-day period will result in prosecution by the Local Authority.