Attendance

At Pike Fold we celebrate all areas of achievement including attendance.

The National expectation is 96%, as we reach for the stars here our school aim is for 97%

Every week we have an assembly to celebrate class attendance for the previous week. The best attending class gets a chance to 'Spin the Wheel' for a reward.

Each child that achieves 100% attendance for a whole week (with NO late marks) will be entered into a prize draw to win a super prize, along with a certificate of achievement. 

Perfection 100% 

Outstanding 97%-99.9% 

Good 94%-96.9% 

Inadequate ≤93.9% 

At the end of each term we celebrate with all the children who achieved the school target of 97% or above. If your child attends 97% or more for the term they receive a medal and if they attend for 97% or more of the time for the WHOLE year they not only receive a medal but go on an attendance trip too!

One of the most important things you can do for your child's future is to make sure they are in school on time, every day!

Absence

It is the parent’s responsibility to telephone the school to provide reasons for every day that a child is absent. An email to absent@pikefold.manchester.sch.uk or via the School Spider App & Studybugs is also acceptable.

The school telephones home on the first day of absence for any unknown or unexplained absences.

We need to see a doctor’s note if your child is absent for more than three days due to illness.  For hospital and GP appointments evidence needs to be seen by the office & emailed to absent@pikefold.manchester.sch.uk for the absence to be authorised (either a letter from the hospital or the appointment card).  For all non-urgent dental and GP appointments, parents are asked to make these after school or during the holidays.

If your child has regular absences or has under 90% attendance, the school may require acceptable evidence for each absence, even if only one day is taken.

Please note that absence will also not be authorised for:

• Birthdays
• Visiting relatives/airport
• Day trip (not organised by school)
• Holidays
• Parent’s/sibling’s illness or medical appointment
• Illness before/after a half term holiday

If your child is absent before /after a holiday period, and illness is the reason provided, you will be asked to provide evidence of that illness when your child returns to school. The school has been advised to challenge ALL parents on these absences to minimise extended holidays in term time. Failure to provide acceptable evidence may result in you receiving a Penalty Charge.

New guidelines 2024

£80 fines and ‘improvement notices’ …

Absence fines charged to parents will rise from £60 to £80, or £160 if not paid within 21 days. 

From the autumn, only two fines can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year rolling period. Any second notice will automatically be charged at £160.

New “notices to improve” will also be the “final opportunity for a parent to engage in support and improve attendance before a penalty notice is issued”.

…and national fine thresholds

From September, schools will fine if a pupil misses 10 sessions (half days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. 

The threshold can be met with “any combination of unauthorised absence”. For example, four sessions in term time plus six instances of arriving late.

The period of 10 weeks can also span “different terms or school years”.

 Councils “retain the discretion to issue one before the threshold is met”. This could include where parents “are deliberately avoiding the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below threshold, or for repeated absence for birthdays or other family events”.

Schools will have to give councils the name and address of sick pupils who they believe will miss 15 consecutive or cumulative days.

Schools will also be “expected to inform a pupil’s social worker and/or youth offending team worker if there are unexplained absences from school”.

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