Parents are requested to contact the school office by telephone or e-mail on every day of absence.
Failure to do so results in an unauthorised absence, which is noted in the register.
Is my child too ill for school?
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they’re unwell.
Please follow this link to read some guidance from the NHS:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Absence and Holidays in Term Time
If your child is ill and going to be absent we ask parents to telephone the Academy office on the first day. If a message is not received before 10am a member of staff may call you to enquire about the absence. If a child is absent for more than 5 days or is persistently absent due to illness the Academy may ask parents for additional information provided by a medical professional. This will support the reasons for the absence and enable the Academy to support your child on return and any on-going needs.
Under Government guidelines, the Academy cannot authorise holiday in term time. Leave may be granted for exceptional circumstances only e.g. family crisis or bereavement, please contact the Academy office if this is the case. If pupils are absent for five days or more (and the absence is unauthorised) a penalty notice will be issued. A penalty notice may also be issued if a child has a high number of unauthorised absences.
It is the responsibility of the Academy to decide if an absence is to be authorised or not. It is therefore essential that parents provide information regarding their child’s absence.
Penalty Notices and Prosecution for Unauthorised Absences: Key Information for Parents
Penalty Notices are issued to each parent of each child and the amount will be £160 if paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
If a second penalty notice is issued within a rolling 3 year period, then the charge will be a flat rate of £160 per parent per child if paid within 28 days.
In both instances failure to pay the penalty in full at the end of the 28 days period may result in prosecution by the Kent PRU and Attendance Service.
In the event of three or more periods of unauthorised absence within a 3 rolling year period, a penalty notice will not be issued. A referral will be made to Kent PRU and Attendance Service Courts Team who will consider the case for prosecution.