Our Expectation:

• 96% minimum for all children.
• We expect pupils to arrive on time every day.
• We will support parents in their legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school regularly and punctually. 

Why is attendance important?

At Cantrell Primary and Nursery School we want the best for all our children in our care. Children only achieve their full potential if they arrive at school regularly and on time. The effect of poor attendance and late arrival is apparent in the achievement of children as early as Foundation Stage.

Attendance and punctuality are a vital part of safeguarding, and we have a duty of care to ensure that all children are safe.

You can help by ensuring that your child attends school on time every day. This means being in the classroom and ready to learn at 8:50am. 

Please do not allow your child to have any unnecessary absent days, such as:

• Days off for Birthdays
• Parent's appointments
• Visitors to the home
• Day trips out

Lateness

School gates open at 8:30am. Parents/Carers are responsible for getting their children to school on time. 

Children are to be in class by 8:45am, ready for class registration. 

If your child arrives after 8:50am, they will need to sign in at the main office where details of the child and reason for being late will be taken. The child's dinner choice will also be recorded.

5 minutes late per day =	10 minutes late per day =	15 minutes late per day =	20 minutes late per year =	30 minutes late per day =
3 days lost per year	6.5 days lost per year	10 days lost per year	13 days lost per year	19 days lost per year

Persistent lateness can lead to penalty charges being issued by the Education Welfare Officer.

Absences

All absences should be reported to the attendance officer or to the school office by 9:30am. A parent/carer should notify the school on the first day of absence by calling 0115 9155770 or emailing attendance@cantrell.nottingham.sch.uk. 

When reporting an absence, please state the class your child is in and give the reason(s) why they are absent. It is the parents/carers' responsibility to make sure a satisfactory reason is given and provide any evidence they may have to explain the absence, e.g. 

• Medicine bottle
• Hospital Letter
• Emergency dental appointment text

All absences should be reported every day the child is off school, unless it is a serious injury or a long-term illness that we have received proof of. Any absence that does not have a satisfactory reason/evidence provided will be marked as unauthorised.

If a telephone call or email has not been received, school will make contact with the parents/carers.

If we have any questions/queries regarding an absence, or we have not received a reason, we reserve the right to send our Attendance Improvement Lead to conduct a home visit. 

Day to Day

Please ensure, where possible, you make medical appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible, we would expect your child to come to school either before or after their appointment to ensure they receive at least one present mark for the day.

We will ask parents/carers to provide evidence of any appointments. This can be either a letter, text message or an appointment card. 

If a child's attendance is below 90% during the school year and 10% or more is unauthorised, the Education Welfare Officer could prosecute. A letter will be sent to parents whose children's attendance is less than 90% to advise that their attendance will be monitored for improvement, or you will be invited to a meeting with the attendance team to discuss the issues.

Leave of Absence

We would like to remind you that Cantrell Primary and Nursery School does not give permission for any family holidays during term time. Any time taken for a family holiday will be recorded as unauthorised. 

A 'Leave of Absence Form' needs to be completed 4 weeks prior to the leave. The request will then be reviewed.  After the review, a letter will be issued with the outcome of the decision. Leave of Absences will only be accepted if there are exceptional circumstances. 

You can get a copy of a 'Leave of Absence Form' from the Attendance Officer in the school office. 

Penalty Notices

Penalty notices are issued to parents as an alternative to prosecution and are intended to prevent the need for court action. With effect from 19^th August 2024;

• Penalty Notice Fines are to be issued to each parent, for each child that was absent. For example: 3 siblings absent for term time leave would result in each parent receiving 3 separate fines.
• First Offence - The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be: £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. This is reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
• Second Offence (within 3 years) – £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days.
• Third Offence and any further offences – The case is to be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court. A Magistrates fine can be up to £2500 per parent, per child.

Our attendance policy is available to view on our policies page.