At Broomgrove Junior School, we expect our parents to uphold their legal responsibility in ensuring that their child/ren attends school and receives an appropriate full-time education.

Poor attendance can affect children in many ways, including slowing their academic progress and their reading and writing ability, as well as affecting their ability to make and maintain routines and friendships.

“A day off here and there” can make a critical difference to your childs’ academic attainment.

Lateness and Punctuality

If your child arrives late to school (10 minutes after their school day starts), they will receive a late mark on the register. In the event of lateness, the parent should accompany the child to the school office to be signed in with an explanation for the lateness.

Persistent lateness or lack of punctuality could result in a referral being made to the Attendance Compliance Team at Essex County Council, who may issue a penalty fine.

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.  The NHS has provided this guidance for parents and carers:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/#:~:text=If%20your%20child%20has%20mild,they%20can%20go%20to%20school

Holiday requests and unauthorised absences  

Parents should not take their children out of school during term-time.  In fact, there is no legal right for a parent to do so (Pupil Registration Regulations 2006).

Unauthorised absences will be brought to the attention of the Attendance Compliance Team and may lead to the imposition of a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 28 days) to each of the parents for each child taken out of school.

The school has been receiving an increasing number of holiday requests in term time. 

Holidays in term time are always taken as an unauthorised leave of absence. Parents who take these periods of  absence do so with the full knowledge that the school may issue a penalty notice. There is no entitlement in law for  pupils to take time off during the term to go on holiday. 

At Broomgrove Junior School 'exceptional circumstances' will be interpreted as: 

... being of unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value to the child which outweighs the loss of  teaching time (as determined by the headteacher). The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are events  that are “rare, significant, unavoidable and short”. By 'unavoidable' we mean an event that could not reasonably be  scheduled at another time, outside of school term time. 

Examples of ‘exceptional’ events that are “rare, significant, unavoidable and short” may include but are not limited  to: a parent or carer being a member of the armed forces and has been on active duty so could not reasonably  schedule the absence for another time, the death of a close family member, the attendance at the funeral and the  attendance at the wedding of a close family member.  

Furthermore, we will not consider applications for leave during term time: 

• at any time in September. This is very important as your child needs to settle into their new class at the start of  the academic year as quickly as possible. 

• during assessment and test periods in the school’s calendar affecting your child. 

• when a pupil’s attendance record already includes any level of unauthorised absence, or they have already been  granted authorised leave within that academic year.