Communication with school   We ask that parents/carers report all absences to the school by telephone between 8:15am and 8:30am. We have a message facility if the line is engaged. The phone number is 01670 760339.   If your child is absent for any reason please can you ring school each day to notify us (unless you have stated a specific number of days or this was discussed on the first day of absence).  Daily calls helps us to ensure your child is safe. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and we take our safeguarding roles and responsibilities very seriously.   Medical appointments     We would really appreciate medical and dental appointments not being made during the school day wherever possible. However, we understand that this is not always something that you can control. Afternoon appointments are best because students are likely to miss less of the school day. As a school we only authorise a maximum of half a day for a single medical appointment; there are exceptions to this if a pupil is having a course of lengthy or specialist medical treatment.   Punctuality   We expect all pupils to be in class and ready to learn on time. We record centrally any late marks. If there is a record of persistent lateness, we will work with families to understand why this is happening and offer support where we are able. We will then agree a plan to improve punctuality.    Persistent Absence   The department for Education identifies attendance below 90% as ‘persistent absence’. If a pupil was to end the academic school year on 90% attendance, this would equate to four whole weeks off school. This would mean 20 days, or over 100 hours, of missed learning.   The headteacher and office manager monitor each pupil's attendance very closely, and especially those who are at risk of falling into this category.  We write home one a half-term to inform parents/carers of their child's attendance. If a pupil's attendance is below 92%, we will invite parents/carers into school to meet with the headteacher. In this meeting, we will discuss the reasons for the absences and look for ways to support where we can. We will then agree a plan for improving attendance, which will include set targets.   Pupils who do not make an improvement in attendance following an initial attendance meeting, or those with a track record of lower attendance, will be invited to a further formal meeting involving the Educational Welfare Officer and representatives from the school. These meetings set a formal set of attendance targets which, if not met, may lead to the prosecution of the parent/carer for failing to ensure adequate attendance of the child.     Holidays in Term Time   The Government changed the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations in relation to term time holidays on 1st September 2013.   As a result, Headteachers can no longer allow any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. This means that holidays in term time will not be authorised and will be marked as an unauthorised absence in the school register.   Unauthorised absences may result in a Penalty Notice being issued under the provisions of the Education Act 1996 (as amended) which means that you could be fined for your child’s absence.   Note: Payment of a Penalty Notice (from September 2013), if paid within 21 days, is £80 per parent/carer, per child. If you do not pay within 21 days the fine is increased to £160 and you have a further 7 days to make this payment in full.   Non-payment of a Penalty Notice within the total 28-day period could result in the commencement of criminal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.   The issuing of Penalty Notices relates to any unauthorised absence. Authorisation of absence is at the Headteacher’s discretion and if your child is absent for any reason such as illness, you may be required to provide school with evidence of the absence such as a medical appointment card or prescription.   Information on penalty notices is also available on Northumberland County Council's website and DFE websites.   If you are experiencing any difficulties that are affecting your child’s attendance, we want to work with you to support you. Please contact the school in the first instance.