Attendance

At The Milford Academy, we pride ourselves on having good attendance.

Punctuality

The gates open at 8:35 and will close at 8:50am.

The doors open at 8:40am. The doors into corridors and classrooms open – they remain open until 8:50am.

Morning sessions start at 8:45am.

Children arriving after 8:50am will need to enter school by the front office and be signed in and taken to their classroom by a member of the office staff.

The morning register will be marked by 9:00am. Pupils will receive a present mark if they arrive between 8:40am and 8:50am.

Any pupils arriving between 8:50-9:15am, will be given a late mark (L).

The morning register will close at 9:15am prompt. After 9:15am, pupils will receive an unauthorised absence (U code).

First Day Contact

If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness or any other circumstance, please telephone school on your child’s first day of absence by 8:50am.

On your child’s return to school, please send your child with a note giving the reason for the absence, so school records can be updated.

Requests for term time exceptional leave

Working together to improve school attendance states “the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.”

Parents should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid requesting leave of absence for holidays unless it is unavoidable. There is no entitlement in law for any leave of absence from school in term time. Taking leave in term time will affect your child’s schooling as much as any other absence and we expect parents to help us by not taking children away in school time.

Remember that any monetary savings you may make by taking a holiday in school time are offset by the cost to your child’s education.

All applications for a leave of absence must be made in advance to the Headteacher and will only be considered if there are exceptional circumstances. In deciding the school will consider the circumstances of each application individually, including any previous pattern of leave in term time.  The Headteacher will be the final arbiter as to the authorisation of any leave.

Full details of our policy and procedures are available from the school. Please speak to Mrs Butler or Mrs Campbell.

Any period of leave taken without the agreement of the school, or more than that agreed, will be classed as unauthorised and may attract sanctions such as a Penalty Notice.* Your child’s school place may also be at risk. Previous good attendance or your child’s education ability are not considered when the school make the decision. If you have siblings at other schools, you must seek permission from all the schools, and it is possible that one school may grant it, and another may not.

*Please note that penalty notices are issued per parent/carer, per child, and are set at £80 if paid by 21 days and £160 if paid between 22 and 28 days.  If a penalty notice remains unpaid, any resultant legal proceedings would relate to section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996. For further information on penalty notice fines (updated 19^th August 2024), please refer to our Attendance Policy (page 13) or speak to Mrs Butler or Mrs Campbell.

If you have any questions about your child’s attendance, please contact Mrs Butler.

Mrs Butler