School has a statutory duty to keep your child safe which includes knowing where they are if they are not in school. We appreciate that children are sometimes genuinely ill. If your child is going to be absent due to illness, please inform the office by 8:30am on every day of absence. If you do not contact the office, school will ring you followed by every contact we hold for your child until we speak to somebody. If your child is absent for two consecutive days and we are unable to contact anybody, we will visit the family home in order to ensure that your child/children are safe and well. If we are still unable to contact a named contact, then we may call 101 in order to seek the police’s assistance in locating the family.

If your child’s attendance drops below 96% without good reason, you will receive letter 1 informing you that we are concerned.

If there are further absences, letter 2 will be sent.

Following letters 1 and 2, if there is no improvement in your child’s attendance, then the following actions may be taken:

Application for a Fixed Penalty Notice to be issued.

Early Help Referral

Court proceedings.

Students should arrive at the Academy by 8.20 am and at their period 1 classroom by 8.25 am. Lessons begin at 8.30 am.

Holidays during term time will not be authorised, unless there are exceptional circumstances. A Fixed Penalty Notice will be requested from the Local Authority. If you are planning to remove your child from school to take them on holiday, please complete a Leave of Absence form, available from the office. Please be aware that if you do not complete a Leave of Absence form or inform school that you are taking your child on holiday, but school has good reason to believe they are absent due to a holiday, then an Education Penalty Notice will still be requested.

If you have a query or would like to speak to a member of staff regarding attendance, please contact Mrs L Stannard – Attendance and Welfare Officer, via the school office on 01302 742535 or info@serlbyparkacademy.org.uk