Dear Parents and Carers,

At Holy Trinity, we want the very best for every child and that begins with being in school every day. Children who attend regularly not only learn more, but they grow in confidence, make lasting friendships, and are far more likely to succeed in life. If you want your child to grow up to be a doctor, teacher, engineer, scientist or anything else they dream of, then good attendance is one of the most important steps.

We know that life can sometimes be complicated, and there will always be times when a child is too unwell to attend. However, we are seeing a growing number of absences that could be avoided. Unfortunately, these missed days soon add up and begin to have a real impact on your child’s learning.

We have recently been informed by Tameside Local Authority that all schools must now follow their procedures for issuing fines where attendance becomes a concern. As a school, we want to be open and honest with you about what this means:

• All holidays will be unauthorised, regardless of the reason
• If your child misses more than 5 school days over 10 weeks, without an authorised reason, you may receive a fine. This could be 5 days taken all at once, or several shorter absences that add up over time (for example, 3 days now and 2 later).
• In exceptional circumstances, such as compassionate reasons, we may authorise up to 10 school days— but only where this has been discussed with us in advance, and we have seen proof of return travel. This is rare and depends on individual circumstances, including your child’s previous attendance.
• If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, even if it’s authorised, this is classed by the government as persistent absence. In this case, we will invite you into school for a meeting to see how we can support you to improve things 

Issuing fines is not something we ever want to do. However, we have a duty to follow the law and, more importantly, to ensure that every child receives the consistent education they need to thrive. Good attendance is  the foundation of future success and we want to work with you to give your child the very best chance.

We are here to help. If you are ever worried about your child’s attendance or if there is something stopping them from coming in, please reach out. Together, we can find a way forward.

Let’s give our children every opportunity to flourish.

With thanks for your continued support,
Stephanie Kavanagh
Headteacher
Holy Trinity CE Primary School