St Elisabeth's School Pupil

Attendance & Absence


St Elisabeth's CE Primary School has been working hard to improve the attendance of all pupils.

It is widely recognised that the educational outcomes and future life chances of children and young people can be significantly impacted upon by periods of absence. Therefore, we want to encourage parents to ensure that their child attends school every day. We do appreciate the fact that a significant number of pupils have excellent attendance and this should be commended.

At St Elisabeth's CE Primary School we fully appreciate that there may be occasions when a pupil’s attendance may be affected due to exceptional circumstances. In these cases support and advice will always be available from the school.

Unfortunately, despite this support, attendance levels for some pupils continue to fall below the school’s expectations of 96%.

All pupils’ attendance is closely monitored by the school and only the head teacher has the power to authorise any absence. All requests for leave during term time must be made in writing to the head teacher.

Dentist/Doctors’ appointments are also counted as an absence and should, where possible, be made outside of school hours. If your child needs to leave school during the school day, please inform the class teacher beforehand. Your child should be collected for such an appointment, as no child will be permitted to leave the premises unaccompanied.

Reporting Absence

Should your child be unable to attend school for any reason it is important that we are informed, if possible in advance. If your child is ill, and therefore unable to attend school, we would appreciate it if you would inform us by telephone or email, on the first day of absence by 9.30am and then each subsequent day. This is necessary so that your child is not assumed to be an ‘unauthorised absence’.

Penalty Notices

Where a parent/carer removes their child during term-time without authorisation (including holidays) they may be liable for a penalty notice or prosecution in the magistrate’s court.  

A penalty notice will be issued to each parent for each child. The penalty notice incurs a fine of £120 to be paid within 28 days, which is reduced to £60 if paid within the first 21 days.

Failure to pay the penalty notice may result in legal proceedings being taken against you. 

Other statutory action may also be considered under the Education Act 1996, which may result in you being prosecuted in the Magistrates’ Court.

If your child is experiencing any problems that may be affecting their attendance or punctuality, then please contact the school office on 0161 432 5785 and speak to the administration staff to discuss any support that could be provided to ensure their regular attendance.

We thank you for supporting St Elisabeth's CE Primary School in improving attendance, which will ensure that all pupils in school have the opportunity to reach their full potential and improve outcomes for their future.


Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:

  • Arriving 5 minutes late every day = 3 days lost each year.
  • Arriving 15 minutes late each day = absent for 2 weeks a year. 
  • Arriving 30 minutes late every day = absent for 19 days a year. 
  • Please help your child reach their full potential and get them here on time and ready to start their learning.

Make every minute count!

Attendance Rewards

At the end of each term a certificate is given to pupils who have achieved 100% attendance for that term.

At the end of the year each pupil with 100% for the whole school year (September - July) will receive a certificate.

School Strategies for Dealing with Absences

First day of absence; we phone parents /carers if absence not reported. If we are unable to make contact, then we may do a home visit. This is in line with our Safeguarding Policy.

5 sessions missed; will result in an advisory letter being sent home.

Further sessions missed; Parent/carers will be invited to attend an informal meeting with the person responsible for school attendance to discuss options of how school can support you getting your child into school.

Further sessions missed; Parent/Carer will be invited to an attendance panel review with the Head, School Nurse, and a member of the governing body. You may also be asked to sign a Parent Contract to help improve your child's attendance.

Each school day consists of 2 sessions. 
Session 1 = AM
Session 2 = PM

Penalty Notice Warnings

Penalty Notice Warnings can be issued to parents/carers after only 10 sessions of unauthorised absence i.e 5 days. (Each school day consists of 2 sessions. Session 1 = AM and Session 2 = PM)

Reporting an Absence

If your child is going to be absent for any reason please phone school before the register closes at 9.30am

We would also request parents/carers provide school with medical evidence when absence is related to illness, ie. a copy of prescriptions or medical/appointment cards to support their absence. 

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