At Sparken Hill Academy, we believe every day in school matters. Children who attend school every day make better progress in their learning, build stronger friendships and feel part of the school community, and have better chances in later life.

Poor attendance and regular lateness mean children miss learning that they can't easily catch up on, and gaps can build up quickly. Even a child with 100% attendance spends only about 14% of their time in school each year, so every hour counts.

What attendance really means

Missing a day here and there soon adds up. Over a school year of 190 days:

Attendance	Days missed in a year	That's about…
98%	4 days	less than a week
95%	10 days	2 school weeks
90%	19 days	4 school weeks
85%	29 days	6 school weeks

A child with 90% attendance misses half a day of school every week. Across their time at primary school, that adds up to more than half a school year.

How you can help

Please make sure your child:

• comes to school every day,
• arrives on time, in uniform and ready to learn, and
• is only absent for reasons the school can authorise (see our Attendance Policy).

If your child is ill, please report their absence before 9.00am on the first day. Tell us the reason and when you expect them back, and keep us updated each day they are off. If you're unsure whether your child is well enough for school, the NHS guidance "Is my child too ill for school?" can help.

Please try to book medical and dental appointments outside school hours. If that isn't possible, let the school office and your child's class teacher know in advance, and show us the appointment letter or card. Wherever possible, your child should come to school before or after the appointment.

How to report an absence

The quickest way to report an absence is through the Arbor app. If you haven't set up the Arbor app yet, please ask the school office for help. If you can't use the app, please call us on 01909 534060.

The school day

• School opens at 8.45am, and lessons start at 9.00am.
• If your child arrives after 9.00am, please sign them in at the school office and give a reason for their lateness.
• Registers close at 9.10am. If your child arrives after this, they will receive an unauthorised absence mark for the morning session.

Holidays and leave in term time

The law on attendance is set out in the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and the Department for Education's guidance Working together to improve school attendance. Under these rules, the Principal can only agree to a leave of absence in term time in exceptional circumstances. Family holidays are not normally exceptional circumstances.

Any request for leave must be made in advance, using the school's leave of absence form, by the parent the child normally lives with. The Principal will decide whether the leave is granted and, if so, for how many days.

Penalty notices

If your child has 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence within 10 school weeks, the school must consider asking the local authority to issue a penalty notice. A session is half a day, so 10 sessions is usually about 5 school days. This includes term-time holidays that have not been authorised, and repeated late arrival after the registers close.

• A first penalty notice is £80 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days. This rises to £160 if paid within 28 days.
• A second penalty notice for the same child within three years is £160, with no reduced rate.
• After that, the local authority may consider prosecution instead.

We're here to help

We know that sometimes families face difficulties that make good attendance hard. This could be illness, worries about school, or problems at home. Please talk to us. Our Attendance Officer, Mrs Traczykowski, and the Community Team will always try to work with you to find a way forward before any formal action is considered.

Thank you for working with us to make sure your child is here every day, on time and ready to learn.