Kensington Primary School Prospectus

Regular attendance is crucial to each child’s educational development. The government have asked all schools to remind parents that: ‘They are under a legal duty to send their child to school regularly, and risk prosecution if they fail in this duty’. If your child is unable to attend school because of ill health, medical or any other reason, please telephone the school on the first day of absence giving the nature of the illness or reason for absence. When your child returns to school a letter or proof of illness explaining the absence should be sent to the School Office. If you fail to inform the school of your child’s absence, or your child fails to attend on a regular basis, it is the statutory duty of the school to inform the Newham Attendance Manager from the Local Authority who will then investigate the absence. If your child has a medical appointment or needs to leave school early for any reason you must inform the school office not the class teacher. Proof must be provided. As stated in the guidance from DfE, the Head Teacher no longer has the right to authorise holidays or leave, unless it is an exceptional circumstance. This is a change to the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2006. All requests must be made in writing to our Attendance Officer Mrs Radhakrishnan. The 2007 Regulations set out the procedure for issuing penalty notices to each parent who fails to ensure their children’s regular attendance at school, or fails to ensure that their excluded child is not in a public place during the first five days of exclusion. Parents pay £60 per parent per child if they pay within 21 days, or £120 if they pay within 28 days. ATTENDANCE TERM TIME LEAVE PENALTY NOTICES 13 LOCAL ADVISORY BOARD The school is supported by a Local Advisory Board (LAB). The LAB acts as a critical friend. It is formed of parents, staff, and members of the wider community. Each LAB member brings a unique perspective and set of skills that help them support and constructively challenge the school on its journey of continuous improvement.