At Penrice Academy we want to do our best for all our students and believe that regular attendance is vital. We will consistently work towards a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Our Attendance Policy can be viewed from the School Policies page of this website.

• At Penrice Academy, good attendance is 96% and above. If your child’s attendance falls below this, you are at risk of committing an offence under the Education Act 1996 – see below.
• All requests for absence should be made formally to the Principal at least one month in advance using the Request for Absence Form.
• Only one leave of absence request will be considered per academic year. We will confer with other schools where there are siblings in more than one school.
• Absences will only be authorised for sickness (evidence may be required), religious observance, failure of school transport or where the Principal has given specific permission.
• Requests for holiday absence during term-time will NOT be authorised except in exceptional circumstances.

Where a request for absence has not been authorised and the child is still taken out of school, this will be recorded as unauthorised absence. We are committed to following our attendance policy in respect of the prosecution process in relation to any unauthorised absences.

Report a Student Absence

Please inform us of any student absence when relevant.

• Parents are used to informing us if their son or daughter is unwell and unable to attend by leaving a message on our answer phone (01726 72163). Parents can now also email us (preferably before 8.30am): attendance@penrice.org.uk
• The same information is required as for a telephone message: the student’s name, their Tutor Group, the reason for absence and their expected date of return.

Unauthorised absence including term-time holidays: the Law

The Government has changed the law on holiday’s in term time (Education act. The Government states that there is no right to a holiday in term time and has removed the phrase “up to 10 days holiday in special circumstances” from the Education Act 1996. The law now states that leave of absence may only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Penrice Academy policy states that exceptional circumstances include; a close relative has a serious or terminal illness or a court order recommends leave of absence. More details of exceptional circumstances can be found in the policy, found here. You must apply for exceptional leave of absence using the form below.

If a parent takes a child out of school without permission they will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. Penrice Academy will refer the matter to the Education Welfare Service who may decide to prosecute.

What do we do at Penrice Academy to promote good attendance?

We like to celebrate good attendance. Over the last two years we have seen our overall school attendance increase from 95.4% to 95.6% which is extremely positive news. We will, however, continue to work hard to reach our target of a whole school attendance of 96%. Some of the things we do to recognise good attendance:

• Recognition of those students that attend 100% for the week by awarding merits, and those that are making improvements with their attendance
• Termly tutor group awards including Love to Shop vouchers, cinema tickets and merits
• Individual attendance support plans for students who need extra help with their attendance issues
• Regular meetings with Heads of Year and Senior Leadership Team about school attendance

Please note that we monitor attendance regularly. If your child’s attendance falls lower than 90% or causes concern, you may be contacted by the school’s Education Welfare Officer.

Contact

Please contact the school’s Attendance Officer, Mrs Emily Bennett, to discuss any issues with school attendance – ebennett@penrice.org.uk. Alternatively, please contact a member of the Pastoral Team.