Attendance
We would like to remind you of the importance of good attendance in order to maximise the educational opportunities we offer to your child and for them to achieve age related expectation.
We wish to work in partnership with parents and carers so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents and carers in resolving any difficulties but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at St Joseph’s.
The school day begins at 8.50am and we recommend that your child be at the school gates by 8.40am. This will facilitate a smooth, happy and prompt start to the day for everyone.
Each week, in our celebration assembly, we celebrate the class with the least number of lates and the highest attendance percentage that week. Our weekly attendance and punctuality figures are published in our school newsletter.
The government has introduced new legislation for schools to tackle issues with attendance. This came into effect on 19th August 2025. See attachment below for a brief explanation of the changes and here for the DfE guidance.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich and St. Joseph’s Primary School are following Government guidance and implementing the ‘Fast Track’ scheme to prevent pupils becoming Persistent Absentees (a pupil that attends less than 90% school attendance). This is a national threshold set by the Government. At St. Joseph’s we expect 97% and above from all pupils to enable your child to have the same education and opportunities as everyone else in the class.
It is also important that you collect your child on time at the end of the day. If anyone new is collecting your child you must inform the teacher and office (and preferably introduce them). For safeguarding and health and safety reasons, we will not allow any child to go home with someone who doesn’t usually collect them or someone we do not know without prior consent, or anyone under the age of 18.
If you need support regarding attendance, please speak to the class teacher in the first instance.
What do I do if my child is unable to attend school
It is very important your child attends school every day unless they are unwell. If they are not able to attend school, you can either call the office, email us or send us a text. Please state your child’s name, class, teacher and reason for the absence. If children are off consistently or for long periods of time, then we may ask for supporting evidence. Please see our Attendance Policy for more information.
What do I do if I am running late collecting my child
Call the office on 0208 858 4182 with an estimated time of arrival.
Term Time Absence
Every so often we're asked whether a family can take a child out of school for a holiday or other trip during term time. This article sets out the legal position clearly, so that families can make informed decisions.
Under the Education Act 1996, parents have a legal duty to ensure their child receives a suitable full-time education, and to make sure a registered pupil attends school regularly. Failing to do so is a criminal offence under section 444 of the Act. In practice, this means there is no automatic right to take a child out of school during term time, including for family holidays.
Only Miss Long can authorise your child's absence, and government guidance is clear that a family holiday is not normally considered an "exceptional circumstance." Absence can generally only be authorised when:
- the child is too unwell to attend school, or
- the school has given advance permission for the absence, which it may grant only in genuinely exceptional circumstances (for example, a significant family event), considered on a case-by-case basis.
Requesting Leave of Absence
If you are considering any time away from school during term time, you should download and complete a Leave of Absence Request form below, (paper copies can be obtained from the school office) and hand it to the school office as far in advance as possible. We're happy to talk through your circumstances, but please be aware that, in line with national guidance, holidays are not something we are able to authorise. Miss Long will consider the request and let you know her decision; the absence remains unauthorised unless and until it is approved.
Any unauthorised absence may be reported to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, whose Education Welfare Service is responsible for deciding whether to issue a penalty notice.
Penalty Notices & Fines
Where a child is taken out of school without authorisation, the local authority can issue a penalty notice to each parent. As of the current national rules:
- Each parent may be fined £80 per child, rising to £160 per child if it isn't paid within 21 days (payable within 28 days in total).
- A parent can receive a maximum of two penalty notices for the same child within a rolling three-year period. On a third occasion, the local authority will not issue a further fine but may instead pursue prosecution or other formal action.
- Nationally, a penalty notice becomes something the local authority can consider once a child has built up 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-school-week period, though schools and the local authority will usually try to engage with families and offer support before reaching this point.
You can read the full government guidance for parents at gov.uk/school-attendance-absence, or contact the Royal Borough of Greenwich for details of its local approach to school attendance and penalty notices.