Astrea St Ivo
Astrea St Ivo
Please click here to view information about changes to penalty notices from 19 August 2024.
Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most important ways you can prepare your child for success in school. Case studies have shown that lower attendance is likely to lead lower levels of attainment.
The target attendance figure for all students is a minimum of 96% attendance. 96-100% is the ‘Excellent Attendance’ group.
We wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents and carers in resolving any difficulties as we are committed to improving attendance levels at school.
We offer a large range of rewards for students who have good attendance.
You and your child can see their attendance percentage by checking on Bromcom.
Please ensure your child comes to school every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Students should be at morning welcome by 8.30am. Students arriving after this time must sign in at reception.
Key Points for Information
- Students should attend school for 187 days per year.
- If your child is ill, contact the school on each day of absence.
- If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised. Ultimately the school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You must to provide medical certificates or evidence of appointments if you wish us to consider them, or if your child has a poor attendance record.
- Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time if at all possible.
- Holidays should not be taken in school time.
- We will on occasion need to send you letters to let you know about potential effects of your child’s attendance, should it drop below 96%. In each of these letters there is specific legal wording which has to be used. Please respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality as required by the content of the letter or if you wish to discuss the impact of attendance further.
- All requests for leave of absence in term time must be made in writing at least two weeks in advance of the required date.
- As a parent or carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends school regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge.
Thank you for working in partnership with us to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality at St Ivo Academy.
Penalty Notice fines for unauthorised term time leave / holiday
From 1 September 2013, the Department of Education changed the regulations regarding requests for family holidays during term time. The changes to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 mean there is no legal entitlement for parents to take their children on holiday during term time. The new regulations also make it clear that Headteachers may not authorise leave during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional.
The Local Authority have amended their Penalty Notice code of conduct to take into account the Supreme Court Judgement (Isle of Wight v John Platt) which clarified the meaning of “regular” school attendance as outlined in Section 444 Education Act 1996. St Ivo School expect attendance at school to be 100%, unless there are exceptional or unavoidable reasons for absence, which would then be authorised.
In light of this judgement, the Local Authority have removed the criterion of “historical holiday taken” as one of the criteria used to issue a Penalty Notice.
In short, the change is that the Local Authority will now accept requests for Penalty Notices to be issued for single event absences of at least 3 consecutive school days or more where these absences are unauthorised because they are neither exceptional nor unavoidable. This took effect from 1st September 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
What action should I take if my child is too unwell to attend school?
All absences must be reported by 8.30am on a daily basis.
How do I register an absence?
Send an email to attendance@astreastivo.org before 8.30am including your child’s name, tutor group, reason for absence, your name and a contact telephone number.
The school should be advised of any medical condition. A doctor’s certificate may be requested if it affects your child’s attendance.
Do I need to send a note on my child’s return to school?
An email to the email address above is sufficient or a written note on the first day back. For email this should be sent on the first day of absence.
If my child is late for school, what should they do?
Registration takes place in tutor rooms from 8.30am – 9.00am. If your child arrives after 8.30am they MUST sign in at Reception.
Persistent lateness will not be tolerated and further action will be taken. If there is a valid reason for lateness, or a change in your home circumstances that is affecting your child’s attendance at school, please advise us immediately.
My child has a medical appointment?
Appointments should be made outside of school hours. If this is not possible, please notify the school in advance by email or telephone.
Lateness
Parents/carers are asked to support the school by ensuring that their child arrives at school on time. The school has electronic registration with a register being taken at each lesson. If a student arrives late to school he or she must sign in at reception and then go straight to their lesson. Any student who is late without a valid reason may be given a detention after school.
Signing in and out
A student who has to leave school for a medical or dental appointment or other valid reason needs an absence note. He/she reports to reception to ‘sign out’ of school, and ‘signs in’ on returning to school. Parents/carers can either telephone or email the Attendance Manager with advanced notice of any appointments. Any student without an appropriate absence note cannot be allowed to leave school.