Top Tips for being on Time:

• Establish good bedtime routines so your child has enough sleep and doesn't struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
• Make sure your child has breakfast. Alternatively, bring them to our school Breakfast Club - A healthy start to the day with lots of fun activities! Breakfast Club opens daily at 7.45am. and costs £4 per day.
• Prepare lunches and snacks the night before.
• Put out uniform and pack school bags the night before, you don't want to be searching for books, bags or PE kit in the morning!
• Leave bags, coats and shoes by the front door and put your keys somewhere easy to find.
• Build ‘cushion time’ into your mornings – allow an extra 5 or 10 minutes in case something unexpected happens.

If your child arrives after 9.30am, when the registers close, your child’s late arrival will count towards their overall absence rate.

It is really important that you pick your children up from school on time. Children who are not picked up on time are often upset and worried. 

We understand that sometimes unavoidable events may make you late. If this is the case, please phone us to let us know as soon as possible. This means we will be able to let your child know what time to expect you to pick them up, it also means we can make arrangements for someone to sit with them in the meantime. Please be aware that staff have to take time out of their working days in order to do this, this means that they often are unable to complete their work for the day or plan properly for the following day without working additional hours.

If you are frequently unable to pick your child up on time you will need to arrange after school care. We recommend using Oldbury Court Out of School Club. To book your child a place at the club please contact Oldbury Court Out of School Club directly. 

Medical Appointments

Where possible, routine dental and medical appointments should be booked after the school day or during the school holidays. The Department for Education expects that if you have to make an appointment for your child during the school day, you will bring them to school before and/or after their appointment. Attending before and/or after an appointment means your child misses as little learning time as possible. Please let us know about any appointments in advance, this will mean your child’s teacher can help them catch up with any work they may miss out on, it also means they will be ready when you arrive to collect them.  You will be asked for medical documents, an appointment confirmation text or an appointment card if your child is absent due to a dental/medical appointment.

Leave of Absence

You must complete the Request for Leave of Absence in Term Time form if you wish to take your child out of school during term time, this applies no matter how long the absence is for.

You may only request a leave of absence for your child in exceptional circumstances. Leave of absence requests should be made no later than two weeks before the first date of absence. 

The Department for Education Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance Code H: leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday granted by the school (p58) states:

• 215. Parents should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid seeking permission from schools to take their children out of school during term time unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

• 216. An application for leave of absence should not be granted unless it is made in advance by a parent the pupil normally lives with and the school is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances based on the individual facts and circumstance of the case which justify the leave. Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a pupil can be absent from school. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the headteacher’s discretion.

All requests for leave of absence during term time will be considered by the Headteacher and will be assessed on an individual basis. The Headteacher will take into consideration the impact of missed learning, current attainment expectations, attendance history and any special circumstances. 

Before a decision regarding approval can be made the Headteacher may wish to meet with you to discuss your request further. You will be informed if your request for a leave of absence during term time has been granted by email. 

Managing Attendance and Absence

At Fishponds Academy we follow attendance law and guidance from the Department for Education and Bristol City Council. To help tackle persistant and unauthorised absence, from 19th August 2024 attendance law is changing (further infoprmation on the changes to attendance law can be found in the 'Attendance Poster' at the bottom of this page), the governemnt is introducing a new National Framework for Penalty Notices. In summary;

5 days of unauthorised absence

Penalty Notice fines may be issued for any term-time absences that are unauthorised (for example, a 5-day term-time holiday) - whether these absences are taken consecutively or cumulatively over a rolling period of 10 school weeks

10 sessions of unauthorised absence in any 10-week period

Penalty Notice fines will also be considered when there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in any rolling period of 10 school weeks

A school day has 2 sessions: 1 morning and 1 afternoon session per day

A school week means any week in which there is at least one school session. The threshold can be met with any combination of unauthorised absence (e.g. 6 sessions of holiday plus 4 sessions of arriving late after the register closes all within 10 school weeks). These sessions can be consecutive (e.g. 10 sessions of holiday in one week) or not (e.g. 6 sessions of unauthorised absence taken in 1 week and 1 per week for the next 4 weeks). The period of 10 school weeks can also span different terms or school years (e.g. 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the Summer Term and a further 8 within the Autumn Term).

First Offence

The amount parents will be fined for unauthorised absnece is increasing from £60 per parent per child to £80 per parent per child (if paid within 21 days).

Second Offence

The fine increases to £160 per parent per child. There is no reduction for early payment.

Third Offence

A Penalty Notice will NOT be issued but will be referred to Bristol City Council’s Education Welfare service for Prosecution which may result in fines of upto £2,500 per parent, per child. Cases found guilty in a Magistrate’s Court can show on a parent’s future DBS certificate.

At Fishponds Academy, attendance, punctuality and absence is monitored very carefully and is checked daily. If a child does not arrive at school and we have not heard from you, we will make contact with you to establish the reason for the absence and to ensure your child is safe. Every fortnight attendance data is shared with the class teachers and senior leadership team so that any concerns can be discussed. Each term we meet with our Education Welfare Consultant who supports us to improve the attendance of any pupils where there is a concern. If we have concerns about your child's attendance we will be in touch. If you are struggling to get your child to child and would like some support or advice, please get in touch.