Haringey Council follows strict school attendance rules based on national Department for Education (DfE) guidance. Parents and carers are legally responsible for making sure their child attends school regularly.

If a child has unauthorised absences, this can lead to fixed penalty notices (fines) and, in more serious cases, prosecution.

Parents and carers are legally responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day the school is open.

The only exceptions are when a child is genuinely too ill to attend or when the headteacher has approved the absence in advance.

It is the parent or carer’s legal duty to ensure this happens.

Only the Principal can decide whether an absence is authorised

Illness

If your child is unwell, you must contact the school on the first day of absence.
The school may ask for medical evidence—such as a doctor’s note, appointment card, or prescription especially if:

• Your child is frequently absent due to illness, or
• Their attendance falls below 95%.

Exceptional Circumstances

Time off during term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
Holidays, family trips, or travel abroad for non-urgent reasons will not be approved and will be recorded as unauthorised. Requests must always be made in advance.

An absence is marked as unauthorised if:

• No reason is provided,
• The reason is not accepted by the school, or
• The child is taken out of school without permission (e.g., an unapproved term-time holiday).

Repeated lateness after the register has closed is also recorded as an unauthorised absence for that whole session.

A child is considered a persistent absentee if their attendance drops below 90%.
This triggers closer monitoring by the school and may involve support or intervention from the Haringey Education Welfare Service.

• Pupils are expected to arrive at school by 8.30am on each day so that they are present for registration.
• The attendance register for the morning will be taken at 8.45am of each school day and the second session will be taken at 12.35pm.
• Registers close at 9.15am.

All students arriving after 9.15 will be marked as unauthorised absence unless they have medical evidence.

Arriving at school on time is essential to ensure that all pupils and students have a calm and settled start to the day. Late arrival can be disruptive not only to the pupil or student, but also to their teacher and peers.

Please note: We have a free breakfast club where students can attend and have breakfast from 8am to 8:30am.

• It’s the parents’ responsibility to let the academy know the reason for their child’s absence as soon as possible, on the first day of the absence.
• Parents and carers can only explain absences; they cannot authorise them.
• The academy decides whether explanations about absences are acceptable and if they can be authorised.
• If your child has too many authorised or unauthorised absences, then someone from the academy will contact you to find out what can be done to help get your child back into the academy regularly.
• If a pupil or student is unexpectedly absent from school, all efforts will be made to assure their whereabouts and welfare as quickly as possible. Often this will be achieved via a call home but sometimes this may require a home visit that confirms the child’s whereabouts.
• If your child is unwell, the academy may ask parents to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence.

Doctor’s or dental appointments should be made for out of school hours whenever possible.

Whenever possible, doctor’s and dental appointments should be arranged outside of school hours. If this cannot be avoided, please ensure your child is out of school for the shortest time necessary. We also encourage parents and carers to bring pupils into school before their appointment so they can be marked present prior to leaving for their medical or dental visit. 

If an out-of-hours appointment is not available, please try to arrange appointments for either early morning or late afternoon to minimise disruption to learning.

• Provide written evidence of the medical or dental appointment, preferably 24 hours in advance of the appointment  but if not then upon their child returning to school.
• If a student is absent for more than three consecutive days due to illness, parents and carers are expected to provide the school with medical evidence, such as a doctor’s appointment card or letter.

You should not keep your child from the academy or allow them to stay at home for the following reasons:

• To look after the house or other members of the family or for parental illnesses
• Family Occasions (Meeting someone at the airport or helping to prepare for a wedding)
• Because you or they got up late
• To visit relatives 
• Because it’s raining
• To go shopping
• Because it’s their birthday
• Due to parents’ work commitments.

Please note: Continued unauthorised absences can lead to unannounced home visits being carried out by the Academy and where possible this should include speaking to neighbours. It can also lead to notifying the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), referral to children’s social care and referring to the EWO (Education Welfare Officer. Continued unauthorised absences could also result in a penalty notice being issued and/or prosecution.

Absence request forms are available from Student Services, the Attendance Office or available to download using the link below.

The form must be completed in full and returned to the Academy for consideration by the Principal. The Academy will then decide whether the absence can be authorised. If the Academy determines that the absence could have been avoided, permission will not be granted.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 state that Principals may not grant leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Where exceptional circumstances are accepted, the Principal will determine the number of days a pupil may be away from school.

At Duke’s Aldridge Academy, it is not our policy to authorise term-time leave or holidays. Only in exceptional circumstances may leave be authorised by the Principal. If leave is taken without the Principal’s authorisation, a Penalty Notice may be issued.

Please note: If  penalty notices have been issued, each parent who is liable for the pupil’s offence(s) can be issued with a penalty notice. The payment must be made directly to the local authority, regardless of who issues the notice. If the payment has not been made after 28 days, the local authority can decide whether to prosecute or withdraw the notice. 

If issued with a first penalty notice, the parent must pay £80 within 21 days, or £160 within 28 days. 

If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent in respect of the same pupil, the parent must pay £160 if paid within 28 days.

A third penalty notice cannot be issued to the same parent in respect of the same child within 3 years of the date of the issue of the first penalty notice. In a case where the national threshold is met for a third time within those 3 years, alternative action will be taken instead – which could include prosecution.

• Do not cover for your child or provide false reasons for absence.
• Contact the academy as early as possible so we can work together to address any concerns.
• Support the school in putting the right measures in place to help your child return to regular attendance.
• Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of them staying at home without a valid reason.
• Keep us informed, we may be able to offer support or signpost you to services that can help.

Students who are absent from education for prolonged periods, or on repeated occasions, may be at risk of harm or abuse. Persistent absence can indicate potential safeguarding concerns, including neglect, child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, and involvement in county lines activity. Dukes Aldridge Academy will work closely with local authority children’s social care, attendance services, and SEN teams to ensure appropriate support is provided, particularly where absence from education may heighten existing safeguarding risks within the home or community.

Reducing persistent and severe absence is a key element of the Academy’s strategy for improving overall attendance. Regular meetings will be arranged with parents and carers of pupils who are at risk of persistent or severe absence, or who are already persistently or severely absent.

These meetings aim to:

• Discuss the pupil’s attendance and engagement in school.
• Listen to and understand any barriers to regular attendance.
• Explain the support available to families and pupils.
• Clarify the potential consequences and sanctions associated with persistent or severe absence.
• Review any existing actions or interventions.
• Provide access to wider support services to help remove barriers to attendance, in collaboration with the local authority where appropriate.
• Explore and agree on alternative support that may help improve attendance and re-engage the pupil or student in education.

Haringey Council’s Non-School Attendance Guidance, Education Penalty Notices, and the Local Code of Conduct are available for parents and carers to read and download by accessing the following Link.

All academies are required to make reasonable enquiries when a student has not returned to school after ten days of absence, or when a student has been absent without authorisation for twenty consecutive days. These enquiries are carried out in partnership with the local authority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every student.

Academy and the Local Authority will:

• Contact parents/carers, relatives and neighbours using known contact details.
• Conduct a home visit.
• Make enquiries with any agencies, organisations or settings known to be involved with the family.
• Check with the local authority and school where the student moved from originally, or any past local authorities or schools that have educated the student.
• Check with the local authority where the student lives, if it’s different from the one where the academy is located.
• Check with the Ministry of Defence Children’s Education Advisory Service for children of service personnel.

The school day ends at 3:20pm. At this time, students are expected to leave the school premises via Purple Lane, exiting through the Worcester Avenue gates. Parents and carers should wait outside the academy gates to collect their child.

If a parent or carer wishes for their child to be collected by an alternative, authorised person, the academy must be informed at least 60 minutes in advance. Please provide the name of the individual who will be meeting your child outside the academy gates and accompanying them home.