At Thames Ditton Infant School, we believe that good attendance is not simply a legal requirement but essential to their well-being.

Through regular attendance, children can take full advantage of all that school offers and gain the educational and social skills necessary for life.  Good attendance at school is important for children’s education and establishes a positive working ethos early in life.

It is essential that the school is informed of the reasons for a child's absence. Under current government legislation, unauthorised absence is regarded as truancy; all absence figures have to be reported to the council and the Department for Education and are recorded on a child’s annual report. Surrey County Council monitors attendance closely and the Inclusion team gets involved if a child’s absence falls below 90%.

It is also important that your child arrives on time for school, as the start of the day establishes the learning activities for the day. Lateness is recorded in the register. We are legally bound to register a pupil's attendance at the beginning of each morning and afternoon session.

 

Term-time absence

Term-time holidays are not authorised during the school year. Absences due to term-time holidays are disruptive to learning and lead to missed opportunities in the classroom.

However, we recognise that there may be exceptional circumstances that require a term-time absence. In such rare cases, please submit a formal request to the headteacher no later than two weeks in advance. The headteacher will carefully consider each request and, if deemed appropriate and in the best interest of the child, may grant permission for the term-time absence.

We emphasise that such instances will only be considered on a discretionary basis, and the decision will be made with the pupil’s educational welfare as the utmost priority. We appreciate your co-operation and understanding regarding our approach to term-time holidays.

Sanctions for unauthorised absence

The Headteacher, with the support of the local authority, may issue a fine (known as a fixed-penalty notice) for unauthorised absence which you will need to pay directly to the local authority – £80 within 21 days, or £160 within 28 days.

The decision about whether to issue a fine will take into account whether the national threshold has been met – namely 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks – as well as other factors.

Before a fine is issued, you may receive a notice to improve to give you a chance to engage with support.

Attendance support

We understand that some pupils may face challenges that impact their attendance. Our school's attendance team is here to provide support and guidance to pupils and families in such situations. If you encounter any difficulties related to attendance, please do reach out to NEED NAME

Acceptable reasons for absence

We recognise that there are circumstances where a pupil's absence can't be avoided. Acceptable reasons for being absent from school include:

• Illness: when your child is unwell, either physically or mentally, and unable to attend school.
• Medical appointments: if your child has a medical appointment that cannot be scheduled outside school hours, please notify us in advance and provide relevant documentation (e.g. an appointment card).
• Religious observance: we respect the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds of our pupils. If your child needs to be absent for religious observance, please submit a request and the Headteacher will review it.
• Exceptional circumstances: in exceptional situations, such as family emergencies or unforeseen events, please contact the school immediately to discuss the absence.

Notifying us of your child’s absence from school due to illness

If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please notify the School Office before 8:30am with details of your child’s name, class and the reason for their absence.

• By email
• By calling us on 020 8398 5842 (Option 1 to leave a voicemail). Please note that you can leave a voicemail outside school hours.

If the school office has not had any notification by 8:30am, we will contact you.

Notifying us of your child's absence due to a medical appointment

To notify us of any planned absences for medical appointments, please e-mail the School Office with details of your child’s name, class and time/date of the appointment. If no reason for absence is given, then it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Request for an Exceptional Leave of Absence 

Please complete the form below to request an exceptional leave of absence. This form must, wherever possible, be completed prior to the leave date and preferably at least two weeks before. 

Please note that exceptional circumstances are not term-time family holidays or birthday celebrations.