Attendance
Download our latest attendance letter below:
Why school attendance is important
Coombe Road Primary School works closely with children and parents in connection with attendance so that each child can achieve their full potential. By law, all children of compulsory school age (five to sixteen) must receive a suitable full-time education. Once your child is registered at school, you are legally responsible for making sure that they attend regularly and on time. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted. You should also consider the negative impact upon the following:
- their learning;
- their friendships; and
- their self-esteem and confidence.
Our attendance officer, Miss Friedl, monitors the attendance of every child in the school and meets with the headteacher, Mr Scrase, on a weekly basis. We work with and support those children and their families who are not attending school without sufficient reason.
95% attendance may sound good, but means that your child misses:
- one half day each fortnight;
- two weeks every school year; and
- over three-quarters of a school year in a school career.
Holiday in Term Time
We cannot authorise holidays in term time, unless there are 'exceptional circumstances'. If you are planning a holiday in term time please fill in a leave of absence from school' to request permission. Our attendance officer and headteacher will then discuss the request and write to you with their decision.
If the request for absence during term time has been declined and you still decide to take your child out of school then you will receive a fixed penalty notice from Brighton and Hove City Council.
Fixed penalty notices
The fixed penalty for going on holiday in term time is £60 per child per parent, e.g. Two parents take their two children on an unauthorised holiday in term time = £240 fine. If this fine is not paid within 21 days then it increases to £120 per child per parent. If the fine still is not paid then the local authority will seek prosecution for non-payment.
In the event of parents who have separated, the parent or carer with whom the child lives will be fined.
Please note that money from fines is not paid to the school and goes directly to Brighton and Hove City Council.
Timekeeping
Timekeeping is also important in the education of your child. If your child is persistently late then they are missing out on important learning opportunities at the start of the lesson.
How do we celebrate attendance?
At Coombe Road Primary School we like to encourage and praise children who attend school regularly. Throughout the year our Attendance Officer and our Learning Mentors work closely with families providing support to help overcome barriers in improving attendance.
