SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Here at Catherine Infants School we believe everyday matters!

Missing School = Missing Out

For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and your child should be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, social skills and wider development. Each child is expected to be in school 100% which is 190 days in the year with no term time holidays. The governments minimum acceptable attendance target for a child is 96.0%

As a parent you are expected to;

• Ensure your child attends school everyday except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend.
• Contact school on the first day of your child's absence.
• Make all medical appointments outside of school time.
• Not take children on visits/shopping trips during school time.
• Never take leave of absence (term time holidays). All holidays will be unauthorised and penalty notices will be issued or your case may be referred directly to the Magistrates Court. From August 2024, Penalty Notices have increased to £160 per parent per child (discounted to £80 if paid within 21 days). Any court action taken by the Local Authority for unpaid Penalty Notices or multiple leave of absence could result in a fine of up to £2,500 and a criminal conviction.
• Bring your child to school on time (8:45am) each day.

As a school we will;

• Monitor attendance regularly.
• Monitor pupils arriving late.
• Contact parents when a pupil fails to attend school without a reason.
• Contact parents when there is a pattern of absences or an excessive number of absences.
• Refer the matter to the schools Education Welfare Officer if attendance is a concern.
• Celebrate good attendance through weekly assemblies, class awards, individual pupil certificates and prizes.
• Reward good or improved attendance through class competitions and certificates
• We recognise that for some children, attending school every day will be harder than for others. This is why we as a school are committed to working together with families to solve problems and support your child’s school attendance.

10 Tips for Parents to help ensure their child attends school regularly;

1. Help your child to get their book bag ready the night before school
2. Make sure their uniform is ready for the following day
3. Make sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time
4. Set the alarm clock early enough to allow plenty of time to get ready
5. Make sure your child has some breakfast
6. Leave for school with plenty of time to spare so your child is not late
7. Check to make sure they have everything they need - book bag, drinks bottle etc
8. If your child is having any problems with their work, speak to the class teacher 
9. Talk to your child about what they do at school each day
10. If your child is unhappy at school contact the school straight away

Term Time Holidays/Leave of Absence

The Law states that; 'Headteachers may NOT grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances'. All reqests for term time absence will be unauthorised by the school unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Any leave of absence that is unauthorised will lead to a penalty notice being issued or your case may be referred directly to the Magistrates Court.

Please note;

• All applications for leave must be made in advance and prior to tickets being booked.
• You will likely be required to meet with Mr Madhaw (Headteacher) to discuss the request for leave.
• Absences that school do not consider to be exceptional will be recorded as unauthorised.
  

Attendance Contact

At Catherine Infant School we have a School Attendance Welfare Officer, Mr J Taylor. If you have any concerns regarding your child's attendance or if you are having difficulties in ensuring your child attends school please feel free to contact Mr Taylor on 0116 2625422.

Weekly Class Attendance

Week: 7th April 2025 - 11th April 2025

Each week the class with the highest attendance in each year will win a class certificate.

This weeks winners are:

FS2 - Star _ (___%)

Year 1 - Comet 4 - (97.9%)

Year 2 - Asteroid 1 - (96.0%)

Our target for each class is a minimum of 96.2%. Please bring your child to school everyday to ensure they are not missing out on vital learning.

The class with the best attendance at the end of each term will receive a surprise class reward!

For more information regarding school attendance please see the documents below:

Catherine Infant School Attendance Information

Leicester City Council School Attendance Information

Catherine Infant School Attendance Policy