Regular school attendance is crucial for your child’s academic achievement, overall well-being, and broader development. When children attend school consistently, they have the opportunity to engage with their peers, teachers, and educational resources. Good attendance patterns correlate with higher academic achievement and a more positive school experience. Moreover, attending school regularly helps instil responsible behaviour patterns that extend beyond the classroom.
Our Attendance Lead is s Miss A Collins.
Please click here to view our Attendance Policy.
The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if the request meets the specific circumstances set out in the 2024 school attendance regulations.
- These circumstances are:
- Taking part in a regulated performance, or regulated employment abroad
- Attending an interview
- Study leave
- A temporary, time-limited part-time timetable
- Exceptional circumstances
A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the pupil is authorised to be absent for.
Exceptional circumstances may include the following:
- One day for religious observation
- The death of a family member
- Unexpected family emergency that requires a short absence i.e. 1 day (with supporting evidence).
Rochdale Council Penalty Information:
If you take your child, or children, out of school without authorisation for 5 or more days, in a 10 week school period, we will issue you with a school attendance penalty notice.
The amount you’ll be fined depends on how many times you take your child, or children, out of school without authorisation.
- The first time: you will need to pay £80 per parent, per child. If you don’t pay within 28 days the amount will be increased to £160 per parent, per child.
- The second time within 3 years: you will need to pay £160 per parent, per child within 28 days. There is no reduction in payment.
- The third time within 3 years: the case will be presented directly to the magistrates’ court and a fine of up to £2,500 can be issued.
If you don’t pay your penalty notice on time, we may refer the case to the magistrates’ court.
Pay Rochdale Borough Council – School attendance penalty notice
The pupil’s parent/carer must notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 8:45am or as soon as practically possible, by calling the school office staff, who can be contacted via 01706 648089 or the Arbor app.
We will mark absence due to physical or mental illness as authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness. If the authenticity of the illness is in doubt, the school may ask the pupil’s parent/carer to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence. We will not ask for medical evidence unnecessarily. If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, and parents/carers will be notified of this in advance.
Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised if the pupil’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment and can provide an appointment card or other form of evidence.
However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary. The pupil’s parent/carer must also apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence.
We value and recognise the importance of good attendance and have systems and processes in place to make sure attendance in managed effectively for all children. We regularly analyse attendance data to identify pupils who have consistently high attendance, those who have shown improvements in their attendance and to identify pupils who may be vulnerable. We will provide support for those who may have lower rates of attendance and again I ask that you work with school if you have any issues with your child being able to attend school regularly. We are always here to support.
School attendance is a vital foundation for children’s success. It is more than just being present—it is about creating opportunities for academic achievement, personal growth, and a brighter future. Each day in school matters and can have a lasting impact. Visit The Importance of Attendance page to learn more about attendance across our Trust.
Attendance is Everyone's Business
