Attending School:  A Parent's Guide

Working together to help every child thrive

Every Day Counts

At our school, we believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life — and attending school regularly plays a huge part in that.

When children come to school every day, they:

• Make steady progress in their learning
• Build confidence and self-belief
• Form lasting friendships
• Feel part of a caring and supportive community

We understand that sometimes life can be complicated, and getting to school every day isn’t always easy. But by working together, we can help your child feel happy, safe, and ready to learn.

Sickness absence and late procedures

If your child is absent from school due to illness, please contact the school office by 9am on 01684 574889, using the following email address NPSOffice@metacademies.org.uk or by using the contact form below.

Registration closes at 9:00am.

If your child arrives at school after the time allocated for their class, please bring them through the school office, where they will be signed in.

Attendance and lateness

If a child arrives at school after 9:30am due to lateness, their attendance for that session will be marked as unauthorised; if before 9:30 but after the register closed, it will be marked as late.

Attendance, including lateness, is monitored by our attendance officer, who will inform parents in writing if a pattern of lateness is observed.

In cases of persistent absence or lateness, our Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) will be involved,

Term time holidays

For children of compulsory school age, term time holiday will not be permitted except in exceptional circumstance. Permission should be sought using a holiday request form, which is available from the school office.

Please note, you may be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without permission Currently, this fine stands at £60 per child, per parent. Therefore, a two parent family, taking two children on holiday during term time could be issued with a fine for £240.

Attendance Advice and Guidance

When Your Child Can’t Attend

If your child is unwell or there’s another reason they can’t attend, please let us know as soon as you can.

We’ll do everything we can to support you and your child.

Here’s how you can help:

• Tell us right away if your child is ill or unable to attend.
• Try to plan medical or dental appointments outside school hours when possible.
• Speak with us early if you know your child will need time off for any reason — we’ll help you understand what’s possible.
• If requested, please share medical evidence (like a doctor’s note) so we can record the absence correctly.

Some absences can be authorised in special circumstances, such as a family bereavement or religious observance.

However, term-time holidays can’t be authorised, and may result in a fine.

If you’re ever unsure — just talk to us. We’re here to help.