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Westfield Secondary School

Attendance

What to do if your child is ill

If a child is ill and unable to attend school, it is important that you let us know before 8.30am on the morning of the absence, by one of the following methods:

Please let us know the following information:

  • Student’s name.
  • Student's year group.
  • Reason for absence.

 

Attendance rates

100% attendance is achievable from every child, and to be at the Westfield Student Standard students are expected to have an attendance of 96% or above.

Did you know that:

  • Under 90% attendance a child is classed as a Persistent Absentee and will have a huge impact on a child’s learning. Only 14% of students with an attendance of 90% or below will gain five 9-5 grades.
  • 10 minutes late every day will mean that a child loses 33 hours of learning a year.

Westfield School believes that regular school attendance is the key to enabling students to maximise the educational opportunities available to them and become resilient, confident and competent adults who are able to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their community.

Westfield values all students and we will work with families to identify the reasons for unsatisfactory attendance and try to resolve any difficulties.

Our Attendance Policy should not be viewed in isolation; it is a strand that runs through all aspects of school improvement, supported by our policies on safeguarding, bullying, behaviour and DSEN.

For any information regarding attendance please contact the attendance team on 0114 2485221.

 

Requests for term time leave

Moments Matter logoEvidence shows that every school day matters in a young person’s education. Students who have good attendance at school have better wellbeing and achieve better results than those who don't.

Requests for term time leave will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Taking a young person out of school for a family holiday will be marked as unauthorised absence and headteachers are required to consider issuing a penalty notice (fine) to parents.

Headteachers are also required to consider issuing a penalty notice (fine) to parents where there have been 10 sessions (totalling 5 school days) over a 10 school week period. The absences may or may not be on consecutive days.

Information on the government's approach to term time absence can be found at educationhub.blog.gov.uk.

How much are the fines for unauthorised absence during term time? 

From August 2024, as part of the government’s national framework for penalty notices, fines issued will be:

  • First instance of unauthorised absence:
    • £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
    • £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.
  • Second instance of unauthorised absence (within a three-year period):
    • £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.
  • Third and subsequent instances of unauthorised absence (within a three-year period):
    • Other action such as prosecution will be considered. In this circumstance, fines can be up to £2,500 per parent, per child.

Money raised by the local authority from fines is used by that local authority to cover their costs and to fund attendance support. Any remaining money is returned to the government.

If you wish to request term time leave, you should complete the form at the bottom of this page and return to the school for consideration.

You can find our full Attendance Policy on our policies page.

You can read the DfE guidance for parents here.

  1. Notification of Term Time Leave

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