If you need to report your child’s absence please email the following address: wrps-absence@golden-thread.org
If your child is due to be absent from school, please notify the school as early as possible. Providing advance notice helps our office team and avoids the need for a call during our busiest morning period.
If your child is unexpectedly unwell, please continue to contact the school on the first day of absence as normal.
Please note that our office is particularly busy between 8.30am and 9.00am as staff support pupil arrivals, answer parent queries and manage attendance processes. Where possible, we kindly ask that non-urgent absence notifications are submitted outside of this time.
We also ask that, where possible, you avoid contacting the office regarding non-urgent matters between 12.00pm and 2.00pm, when staff take staggered lunch breaks and use this time to complete essential administrative tasks.
Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us keep our phone lines available for urgent messages and ensure the office can continue to support pupils and families effectively.
Absence Letter
The Headteacher will continue to make the decision about authorising an absence and that decision is final. Our approach can be summarised in the following sentence:
A request for time off in term time will only be authorised in the most exceptional and rare circumstances.
We understand that families may occasionally need to request leave during term time for a variety of reasons. While it is impossible to cover every circumstance, the examples below provide guidance on the types of situations that may be considered exceptional.
Regular attendance is essential for children to make the most of their learning and school experiences. The government’s expectation is that pupils maintain attendance of at least 96%, which equates to no more than 7-8 days of absence across the school year. As a result, requests for leave are unlikely to be approved where a child’s attendance is already below this level.
| Reason | Authorised(NO or POSSIBLY) |
| A week off to attend a family wedding in Spain. | NO |
| Two weeks holiday due to parents’ work commitments during the school summer holidays (or holidays from work are in school time). | NO |
| A few days away due to parents who work in the armed forces or police being directed as to when they can take their holiday. | POSSIBLY |
| Two days off to visit grandparents who are celebrating an anniversary. | NO |
| A family holiday which has to be arranged around a member of the family with a severe disability. | POSSIBLY |
| A short break away given as a gift by grandparents who did not know the term dates. | NO |
| A short break away related to a club or sports team who are touring abroad. | POSSIBLY |
| A week’s holiday in term time to avoid the higher costs of travelling during the school holidays. | NO |
If a pupil has a period of five days of absence which is deemed unauthorised, a Penalty Notice is normally issued by KCC. The fine is currently £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 thereafter. Further details of our attendance policy can be viewed on our website.
We hope this makes things much clearer for families and that we can work together to ensure that everty pupil’s attendance is as high as possible, as we know that regular attendance has a significant impact on achievement and wellbeing.
