Attendance

At St Aidan’s we are committed to ensuring that every child receives the best possible education. Regular school attendance is not just a legal requirement—it is essential for academic success, personal development, and future opportunities. 

Why Attendance Is So Important

Being in school every day helps children: 

• Build strong friendships and social skills 
• Access a full and rich curriculum 
• Develop good habits for life and work 
• Receive support for their wellbeing and learning needs 

The Department for Education (DfE) states that improving attendance is everyone’s business. Schools, families, and local authorities must work together to remove barriers and support every child to attend regularly.

Our Approach

We follow the DfE’s Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance, which sets out clear expectations for schools: 

• Promote a culture of high attendance across the whole school community 
• Build strong relationships with families to understand and address barriers to attendance 
• Use data effectively to identify patterns and intervene early 
• Provide support before considering legal intervention 

We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers, offering support and understanding while maintaining high expectations. Our attendance team is here to help—please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need advice or support.

What You Can Do 

• Ensure your child attends school every day and arrives on time 
• Avoid taking holidays during term time 
• Let us know as soon as possible if your child is unwell or facing difficulties 
• Talk to us if you’re worried—together, we can find solutions

Medical Appointments 

Medical/dental appointments should be made out of school hours to prevent disruption to learning. 

Where this is not possible please write/ email to the Attendance Officer with the appropriate evidence e.g. letter / appointment card.

Term Time Holidays 

The Government changed the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations in relation to term time holidays on 1st September 2013. 

As a result, Head Teachers can no longer allow any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. This means that holidays in term time will not be authorised and will be marked as an unauthorised absence in the school register.

Unauthorised absences may result in a Penalty Notice being issued under the provisions of the Education Act 1996 (as amended) which means that you could be fined for your child’s absence. This is something that schools are required to do by the Local Authority. 

Note: Payment of a Penalty Notice (from September 2013), if paid within 21 days, is £60 per parent/carer, per child. If you do not pay within 21 days the fine is increased to £120 and you have a further 7 days to make this payment in full. 

Non-payment of a Penalty Notice within the total 28-day period could result in the commencement of criminal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. 

The issuing of Penalty Notices relates to any unauthorised absence. Authorisation of absence is at the Head Teacher’s discretion and if your child is absent for any reason such as illness, you may be required to provide school with evidence of the absence such as a medical appointment card or prescription 

Punctuality 

Good punctuality is also essential for students’ progress. Students who are late for school miss learning and develop bad habits resulting in them being unprepared for the world of work. Each half term, those students who have been regularly late will receive either a detention or a day in Internal Exclusion. They may also be placed on a monitoring card. 

If you are experiencing any difficulties that are affecting your child’s attendance, the school would like to work with you to support you. 

Please contact the school in the first instance.

Support and Communication 

We use a range of communication methods, including personalised messages, letters, and meetings, to keep you informed about your child’s attendance. We also provide guidance on when your child is too ill for school and where to find additional support. 

Let’s work together to give every child the best chance to succeed.