Attendance
The importance of attendance and punctuality
It is crucial for your child to be present in school every day and on time, except in cases of illness or exceptional circumstances, ready to learn. Regular attendance not only impacts your child's academic achievement but also contributes to their overall well-being and wider development, including their relationships with adults and their peers.
At Carr Green, we believe that good attendance is a shared responsibility. We are committed to working closely with our families to support and encourage regular attendance for all our pupils. We follow Calderdale guidance. In order to enable schools to determine the cause of absence, it is important that parents and carers inform the school when a child is unable to attend. This ensures that if a child is missing from registration, the school is aware of the circumstances.
Please note that while leaves of absence can be granted for exceptional circumstances, such as medical appointments or family emergencies, the Department for Education does not consider holidays or leisure activities as valid reasons for absence. We have noticed a concerning rise in term-time holidays, which can disrupt your child's learning progress.
As part of our commitment to promoting attendance, we collaborate closely with the Local Authority and monitor attendance patterns. If you are facing challenges with attendance, please reach out to us. We are here to offer support and guidance to help improve attendance for your child.
Starting in September 2024, we will implement penalty notices for unauthorised absences of 5 days or more. The local authority will issue these fines to reinforce the importance of regular attendance.
Parents/carers must obtain the school’s permission before making any arrangements for leave in exceptional circumstances, otherwise the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. No parent/carer can demand leave of absence as of right.
The following are examples of the criteria for leave of absence, which may be considered as ‘exceptional’:
- Service personnel returning from active deployment
- Where inflexibility of the parents’ leave or working arrangement is part of the organisational or company policy. This would need to be evidenced by the production or confirmation from the organisation/company and produced at the time of making the application for leave of absence
- Where leave is recommended as part of a parents’ or child’s rehabilitation from medical or emotional problems. Evidence must be provided.
- When a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis
This is not an exhaustive list and Headteachers must consider the individual circumstances of each case when making a decision on this matter. Where a Headteacher feels that there may be exceptional circumstances which do not fit the criteria, they may refer to the local authority for advice.
Please note: The regulations state that Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional. Affordability of holidays cannot be classed as exceptional circumstances.
The decision of the Headteacher is final.
Taking a pupil on leave during term time interrupts teaching and learning and can disrupt educational progress. While presence does not automatically result in greater achievement, if pupils are not present, there is no potential to progress and associated impacts in catching up.
We are here to assist you through this process and ensure that your child's education remains a top priority.
Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support in ensuring that your child attends school regularly and punctually. Together, we can create a positive learning environment for all our pupils.
If you require a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances, Please click here to complete the pupil leave of absence application form.
Attendance Policy
Procedures for Pupil Non-Attendance
School Term Dates
Term Dates
2024/2025
Term Dates
2025/2026
Carr Green Lane, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 3LT
01484 715969
admin@carrgreen.org.uk