Attendance at Knutsford Academy 

At Knutsford Academy we view attendance as being pivotal in successfully progressing through from Year 7 through to Year 13. As such the school has an attendance target for all students of 96%. The school sets such an aspirational target to help support students feeling fully engaged with the life of the school, securely embedded in a good friendship group and able to best achieve their academic targets. 

Research has shown that good attendance can have a significantly positive impact on academic outcomes :  

  • Students with attendance in excess of 90% have an 84% chance of achieving Level 4-9 in both Maths and English. Students with attendance below 90% only have a 36% chance of achieving the same grade in both subjects. 

  • Research by the DFE has shown that students who miss 15 days (three weeks) in an academic year will achieve at least one grade lower in all of their GCSE courses. 

Good attendance habits developed in childhood also build good habits for life and help create positive momentum in their learning ensuring that they are best able to keep up with work completed in all subjects. 

What can I do to best support my child’s attendance? 

The school would ask that all parents keep themselves informed with regard to their child’s attendance. Attendance data is available on the SatchelOne App as well as being report on the Progress Points that you will receive through out the academic year. Please use this information as an opportunity to discuss the importance of attendance with your child. 

In addition to this there are a few practical things that you can do to help support your child : 

  • Avoid any medical appointments during school time. Whilst realising that this is not always possible, we would encourage parents to make any appointments particularly medical appointments outside of the school day or in school holidays. 

  • The you have a medical appointment that is unavoidable then ensuring that your child attends the rest of school day either going into school before the appointment or returning to school once the appointment has been completed. 

  • Challenging your son/daughter when they state they are too ill to attend school (see “When is my child too ill for school?”). 

  • Not taking holidays during term time. The school publishes Term Dates well in advance (Term Dates | Knutsford Academy) and would encourage parents to plan holidays around these dates. 

 

When is my child too ill for school? 

The NHS has published advice and guidance for when children are too ill to attend school. That advice is available on the following web page Is my child too ill for school? - NHS 

 

What if my child is experiencing issues around attending school? 

There are several ways in which you can access support through the school if your child is experiencing issues around attendance. In the first instance you should seek support from your child’s Form Tutor or Head of Year. If you need further support then please contact one of the following key staff involved with attendance :  

Mrs H Weigh : Assistant Headteacher (Attendance Lead) : hwh@knutsfordacademy.org.uk 

Mrs P McCornville : Attendance Support Worker : pme@knutsfordacademy.org.uk

Attendance Policy

450 KB

Responsibility for School Attendance

264 KB

EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance) for Parents

167 KB

Clean Sleep Document

72 KB

Leave for Exceptional Circumstances

206 KB

What is Leave for Exceptional Circumstances?  

Leave for Exceptional Circumstances is where parents or carers of a child decide to take their child out of school during term time. This may include holidays, religious observance, child performance and funerals or for another reason.  

 

What does the law say?  

Under The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, a penalty notice may be issued unless:  

“On application by a parent with whom the child resides to the proprietor, or a person authorised by the proprietor considers that leave of absence should be granted due to exceptional circumstances. Schools may grant a leave of absence in term time, but only if they consider it to be for exceptional circumstances. Any application for a leave of absence must be made in advance and, if granted, it is for the school to determine the number of days a pupil can be away from school.” 

 

What are exceptional circumstances?  

Neither the regulations nor the Department for Education define what might be considered exceptional circumstances. It may include serious or terminal illness of a close relative, significant family trauma, a major one-off never-to-be-repeated experience. These events are examples only and it is for the school to decide if they consider any request to be exceptional circumstances.  

 

How do I make an application for a Leave for Exceptional Circumstances?  

The Leave for Exceptional Circumstances form is at the bottom of this page. The completed form should be returned to Mrs H Weigh (hwh@knutsfordacademy.org.uk) either as a hard copy or via email 10 working days prior to the first day of absence. 

 

Will my application just be dismissed?  

No. All applications must be judged on their own merits. Schools will consider why the application has been made and balance this against the child’s record to ensure it does not have a negative impact on any educational progress. Schools can take in a range of considerations before making a decision. This may include previous requests, school policy, attainment and progress, impending tests, exams or significant school events and frequency of applications.  

 

How will I be informed about my application?  

Parents will be informed in writing by the school if the Leave for Exceptional Circumstances has been granted or not, in accordance with the school attendance policy. 

 

Can I appeal the school’s decision?  

No, there is no right of appeal, as the discretion to authorise is the schools alone.  

 

Can I get a penalty notice if I take the leave without permission?  

Yes, if your child has five days (10 sessions) or more within a consecutive 10-week period due to an unauthorised leave of absence then you could be issued with a penalty notice.  

 

Who is responsible and what is the penalty notice?  

Each parent is individually responsible for the child’s attendance and commits a separate offence if the child does not attend school on a regular basis.  

• The penalty notice amount is £160 (per parent, per child) if paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 (per parent, per child) when paid within 21 days. This relates to the first Leave of Absence in term time.  

• A flat rate of £160 (per parent, per child) for a second penalty notice within a three-year period. • No more than two penalty notices can be issued within a three-year period, after which an alternative route (e.g. prosecution) should be considered instead.  

If you do not pay the penalty notice issued to you, after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school.  

 

If receive a penalty notice, can I appeal it?  

No, there is no right of appeal. If, however, the penalty notice was issued to the wrong person, should not have been issued or contained material error, then it may be withdrawn.