At Shavington Primary School, we believe that good attendance is important in helping pupils become the best they can be.

Regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children's educational, economic, and social outcomes. There is evidence that pupils with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results.

As parents, you are expected to:

  • make sure your child attends every day on time
  • call the school to report your child's absence and advise when they are expected to return
  • provide the school with more than one emergency contact number
  • ensure that, where possible, appointments for your child are made outside school hours
  • ensure that your child can access a full day's learning and is not collected early

Punctuality

Doors open at 8.40am each day and all pupils should be in school and ready to learn by 8.50am.

Classroom doors close at 8.55am so any pupil arriving after this time should report to the Main office.

If your child arrives between 8.55am and 9.20am, they will be marked as late (L code). If they arrive after 9.20am, they will be marked as unauthorised (U code).

Reporting an Absence

If your child is to be absent from school, you should contact the school as soon as possible on the first morning of the absence. This can be done via:

Requesting a Holiday

Parents must email the Headteacher via admin@shavingtonpri.cheshire.sch.uk with their request for leave, attaching any evidence to support the request.

Each request is considered individually by the Headteacher and the outcome will be communicated back to parents via email.

Authorisation for periods of leave is at the Headteacher’s discretion. If the leave is unauthorised, a fixed penalty notice may be issued.

Fixed Penalty Notices

If a pupil has 10 or more unauthorised absences in a rolling 10 week period (including arriving late to school), we will contact Cheshire East Borough Council with a view to issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice.

A Fixed Penalty Notice will be sent to you, accompanied by an explanatory letter; the Notice gives you the opportunity to pay a penalty fine instead of being prosecuted in the criminal courts.

 

Penalties for unauthorised absence

 

Timeline

One child

Two children

Paid within 28 days

£80 per parent

£80 per child → £160 per parent

After 28 days

£160 per parent

£160 per child → £320 per parent

After 42 days

A summons to appear before the Magistrates’ Court on the grounds you have failed to secure your child’s regular attendance

A summons to appear before the Magistrates’ Court on the grounds you have failed to secure your child’s regular attendance

A second penalty notice issued within a three year period

£160 per parent

£160 per parent → £320 per parent

 

Please note that the fixed penalty notices are per parent with parental responsibility.

If one parent with parental responsibility is taking the child out of school, both parents will be issued with a fixed penalty notice unless there is evidence that this decision is not supported by the other parent.