Our school aims to meet its obligations in regard to school attendance by:

• Promoting good attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence
• Ensuring every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
• Acting early to address patterns of absence

We will also support parent/carers to perform their legal duty to ensure their children of compulsory school age attend regularly, and will promote and support punctuality in attending lessons.

The school day starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3.15pm.

Parents are responsible for making sure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education. This can be by regular attendance at school, at alternative provision, or otherwise (e.g. the parent can choose to educate their child at home). The Education Act 1996 makes it a criminal offence for a parent or carer to ‘fail to secure their child’s regular attendance at the school.’

The Department for Education produced information for parents/carers if you are finding it difficult to get your child to attend school.

School attendance and absence: Help with getting your child to go to school - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's absence please contact Mrs Davis on 01702 582225 or office@thorpedene.secat.co.uk

Our Attendance Champion is Mrs Frost, Headteacher.

 Term-Time Absence

Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence to pupils during term time unless they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'. The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, considering the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Headteacher’s discretion.

Valid reasons for authorised absence include:

· Illness and emergency medical/dental appointments 

· Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil’s parent/carers belong. If necessary, the school will seek advice from the parent/carers’ religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart

· Traveller pupils travelling for occupational purposes – this covers Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish Travellers, Showmen (fairground people) and Circus people, Bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and New Travellers. 

Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance, introduced in August 2024, summarises the legal powers and duties that govern school attendance, and explains how they apply to local authorities, head teachers, school staff, governing bodies, pupils and parents.  It states:

Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.

This makes it clear that Headteachers may not grant leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Permission will not be given for holidays booked during term time because they are less expensive at this time, or that they fit in with other relatives’ arrangements.

If a parent/carer does need to request leave of absence for exceptional circumstances they must complete a form available from the School Office.

The Local Authority (Southend City Council) can fine parents for the unauthorised absence of their child from school, where the child is of compulsory school age.

Penalty notices can be issued by a headteacher, local authority officer or the police.

Penalty Notices are issued for:

• unauthorised absence
• holidays in term time without permission
• excluded pupils found in a public place during the first 5 days of suspension or exclusion

Cost of the Notice:

• £80 per child, per parent, if paid within 21 days
• This rises to £160 per child, per parent if paid within 22-28 days
• If the fine is not paid the parent can be prosecuted. Both parents may be fined for the same absence