Netherfield Primary School has high expectations, and we believe all pupils should fulfil their potential academically.

We know that children who do not attend regularly are put at a serious disadvantage and they often underachieve. Parents and carers are legally required to send their child to school every day (and arriving on time) so that they can benefit from the education which is offered to them. The school has a legal responsibility to record the attendance and punctuality of all its pupils which we fulfil in accordance with our attendance policy. We expect all children to be achieving 97% attendance or higher.

If there is any barrier or reason that your child is unable to regularly attend our school, please speak to us so we can help and support.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that their children:

  • Attend school regularly
  • Arrive at school on time, in uniform and are ready to learn
  • Are absent only for reasons that can be authorised

Reporting a Child's Absence

Parents/carers are required to inform school of the reason for any absence and the likely return date, as soon as possible.

Please support the school by:

  • Informing school immediately of any changes to your contact telephone number and/or address (this is very important if we need to contact you in an emergency)
  • Please telephone the school or email the office before 9am on the FIRST day of your child’s absence and every day after that

Telephone: 0115 961 0580

Email:  office5@netherfieldprimaryschool.com 

  • Please inform the school office or class teacher prior to a medical or dental appointment.  A copy of the appointment letter will need to be seen and photocopied. If possible please try to arrange these for out of school hours

Daily absence notifications from parents/carers are requested to ensure safeguarding procedures are followed. If you do not notify school of your child’s absence, an attendance officer will make contact with you. This will either be by telephone or a personal home visit with the Head or Deputy Headteacher.

School begins at 8.45am, if your child arrives after this time you will be required to sign your child in at the school office, stating the reason for being late.

Registers are monitored regularly by Mrs Balfe, our Home/School Liaison and the Local Authority Enforcement Team. Mrs Balfe and the Head or Deputy Headteacher will visit parents where attendance and lateness is of a significant concern.

Holidays During Term Time

Holidays during term time

The law states that for your child to be considered to attend school regularly they must be at school every day they are required to be there by the head teacher. This was confirmed in a Supreme Court ruling in 2017.

Therefore, you must get permission from the head teacher if you want to take your child out of school during term time.

You can only do this if you make an application to the head teacher in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with). The head teacher will then decide whether to agree the leave of absence and whether this is marked as authorised or unauthorised in the attendance register.

Please note that head teachers are only permitted to agree a leave of absence in term time for exceptional circumstances.

If an absence is authorised by the head teacher, they have the discretion to determine how many days your child can be away from school.

Fines and prosecution

You can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the Head Teacher’s permission.

The threshold for Penalty Notice fines is 5 days / 10 sessions of unauthorised absence over a 10-school week period. When a school becomes aware that a child absence has met the threshold, they must consider whether a penalty notice should be issued.

Penalty notices are set at £160 (per child, per parent) and must be paid within the statutory 28-day deadline.

The first Penalty notice fine issued to a parent is reduced to £80 if it is paid in full, within 21 days of issue. All fines must be paid within 28 days of issue otherwise parents may be prosecuted in court.

A second fine issued to a parent/carer for a child who is absent from school without authorisation is fixed at £160, with no option to pay at a reduced rate if the fine is paid within the first 21 days.

Parents/Carers can only receive a maximum of two fines for any individual child over a three-year rolling period for an unauthorised absence from school.

A third request for a fine within a three-year rolling period would result in the matter being referred directly to the Magistrates court.

If a parent/carer is prosecuted at court, they could receive a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence of up to three months. The court could also give you a Parenting Order.

Parents who decide not to pay a fine and contest the matter in court should seek independent legal advice before doing so.

https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/school-holidays-and-closures/holidays-during-term-time

Breakfast Club

Your child is welcome to come along and join us for breakfast club, from 7.45am, each morning. Breakfast Club is supervised by our Breakfast Club team and children can purchase something to eat or just come along and have a play! Attending Breakfast Club ensures your child enters their classroom on time every day. Last admission to breakfast club is 820am.