Attendance

At Springwood Heath, we believe that every school day counts. Good attendance is essential for your child’s learning, wellbeing, and future success. We are committed to working in partnership with families to support regular attendance and remove any barriers.

📅 Term Time Holidays

Taking holidays during term time is strongly discouraged. In line with DfE guidance, headteachers cannot authorise holidays during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• Requests must be made in writing to the Headteacher in advance.
• Unauthorised holidays may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice.

⚖️ Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs)

If a child has unauthorised absences, including holidays taken without permission, the local authority may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice:

• £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days.
• £120 per parent per child if paid between 22 and 28 days.
• Non-payment may lead to prosecution.

🤝 Support for Families

We understand that some families face challenges that can affect attendance. Our approach is support-first.

We offer:

• Early Help Assessments (EHA)
• Pastoral support and attendance mentoring
• Referrals to external agencies (e.g. health, housing, social care)
• Flexible support for children with SEND or medical needs

Please speak to our Attendance Officer, Julie McMahon if you need help.

📋 Absence Protocol

If your child is absent, please follow these steps:

1. Call the school office before 9:00am on each day of absence.
2. Provide a clear reason (e.g. illness, medical appointment).
3. For absences longer than 3 days, we may request medical evidence.
4. For children who are persitent absentees, we may request medical evidence.
5. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you and may conduct a home visit.

Persistent Absence is defined as attendance below 90%. We will work closely with families to address this early.

📘 DfE Guidance and Our Commitment

We follow the DfE’s statutory guidance:
“Working Together to Improve School Attendance” (2024) 

This means:

• Attendance is everyone’s responsibility.
• We aim to understand the reasons behind absence, not just record it.
• We work with families, local authorities, and community partners to provide holistic support.