IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENT/CARERS

St Malachy’s RC Primary School has been working hard to improve the attendance of all pupils. It is widely recognised that the educational outcomes and future life chances of children and young people can be significantly impacted upon by periods of absence. All children should aspire to 100% attendance, therefore we want to encourage parents to ensure that their child attends school every day and on time. We do appreciate the fact that a significant number of pupils have excellent attendance and this should be celebrated.

 At St Malachy’s we fully appreciate that there may be occasions when a pupil’s attendance may be affected due to exceptional circumstances. In these cases support and advice will always be available from the school. Unfortunately, despite this support, attendance levels for some pupils continue to fall below the school’s expectations. All pupils’ attendance is closely monitored by the school and only the head teacher has the power to authorise any absence during term time. All requests for leave during term time must be made in writing to the head teacher. Failure to request any leave in term time will result in the absence being recorded unauthorised and may cause the Local Authority to issue Penalty Notices or consideration of other statutory action which may be prosecution.

 From September 1st 2017 any parents/carers of pupils who accrue unauthorised absence are now duly warned that they may receive a penalty notice or be prosecuted in the magistrate’s court. Any such action may include unauthorised absence prior to the date of this letter along with future unauthorised absence.

A penalty notice will be issued to each parent for each child. The penalty notice incurs a fine of £120 to be paid within 28 days, which is reduced to £60 if paid within the first 21 days.

 Failure to pay the penalty notice may result in legal proceedings being taken against you. Other statutory action may also be considered under the Education Act 1996, which may result in you being prosecuted in the Magistrates’ Court. If you are found guilty, you will receive a criminal record and may receive a fine of up to £2,500 and/or three months’ imprisonment.

If your child is experiencing any problems that may be affecting their attendance or punctuality, then please contact the school on 0161 205 3496 to discuss any support that could be provided to ensure their regular attendance. We would also request parents/carers provide school with medical evidence when absence is related to illness, ie. a copy of prescriptions or medical/appointment cards.

Once again thank you for supporting our school in improving attendance, which will ensure that all pupils in school have the opportunity to reach their full potential and improve outcomes for their future.