If a child is absent or late to school, Parents/Carers must:

• Contact the school every day their child is absent before 8.30am either by telephone call, email or through parental app’s.
• Provide medical evidence for any days’ absences.  Medical evidence can be appointment cards, appointment text messages or emails, receipt of prescriptions or medication sticker which identifies the child’s name and date prescribed.

If a child is absent Minerva Learning Trust Staff will:

• Make contact following the Minerva Learning Trust First Day Absence Gradual Response when a student fails to attend school.
• Text, call, or conduct a home visit on the day of absence if we have not heard from home.
• Make contact with any named outside agencies when appropriate.

Parents/carers are expected to contact school at an early stage and to work with the staff in resolving any problems together.  We will always try to resolve the attendance issues by agreement, however if efforts to improve the child’s attendance fail and unauthorised absences persist, sanctions such as fixed Penalty Notices and or prosecutions will have to be pursued.

Please make every effort to avoid term time holidays – they disrupt your child’s education, particularly if taken in September. Holidays taken in September or during test weeks in school will not be authorised.The law says that parents do not have the right to take their child out of school for holidays during term time.

If the school determines that there are exceptional circumstances, the Headteacher can give permission for parents to take their child out of school for up to 10 days in a school year as long as this is not during examination weeks, during the first 2 weeks in September, or that their attendance is not below 90% and unauthorised absences are not 20% or more.

If you feel there are exceptional circumstances please complete the form on the school app. The head teacher will then consider your request and inform you if time off has been granted. If permission has not been granted and the child is taken out of school anyway the absence will be recorded as unauthorised leave.

Taking unauthorised term time holidays may make you liable for a £60 Penalty Notice if paid within 28 days of receipt of the notice, rising to £120 if paid after the 28 days but within 42 days. If the penalty is not paid in full before the 42 day period, Sheffield City Council will prosecute.