Our school’s attendance officers are Mrs Bates and Mrs Marsh.

Click here to read our Attendance Policy.

The school will only grant a pupil a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. In order to have requests for a leave of absence considered, the school will expect parents to contact the headteacher in writing at least two weeks prior to the proposed start date of the leave of absence, ideally 6 weeks, providing the reason for the proposed absence and the dates during which the absence would be expected to occur.

Any requests for leave during term time will be considered on an individual basis and the pupil’s previous attendance record will be taken into account. Where the absence is granted, the headteacher will determine the length of time that the pupil can be away from school. The school is not likely to grant leaves of absence for the purposes of family holidays.

Requests for leave will not be granted in the following circumstances:
•Immediately before and during statutory assessment periods.
•When a pupil’s attendance record shows any unauthorised absence.
•Where a pupil’s authorised absence record is already above 10 percent for any reason.

If term-time leave is not granted, taking a pupil out of school will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and may result in sanctions, such as a penalty notice. The school cannot grant leaves of absence retrospectively; therefore, any absences that were not approved by the school in advance will be marked as unauthorised.

Leave of Absence Request Form

Click here to read about Fixed Penalty Notices in Bolton.

Parents will be required to contact the school office via telephone before 8:30am on the first day of their child’s absence – they will be expected to provide an explanation for the absence and an estimation of how long the absence will last, e.g. one school day.

Where a pupil is absent, and their parent has not contacted the school by the close of the morning register to report the absence, administrative staff will contact the parent by telephone call as soon as is practicable on the first day that they do not attend school.

The school will always follow up any absences in order to:
• Ascertain the reason for the absence.
• Ensure the proper safeguarding action is being taken.
• Identify whether the absence is authorised or not.
• Identify the correct code to use to enter the data onto the school census system.

Where a pupil is absent for more than three school days in a row, or more than 10 school days in one term, the pupil’s parent will be expected to provide a signed letter with an explanation for the absence(s).

The school will not request medical evidence in most circumstances where a pupil is absent due to illness; however, the school reserves the right to request supporting evidence where there is genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness.

In the case of PA, the school will work together with parents to try and improve attendance sometimes in the form of an early help to help remove any barriers to learning. Where pupils are persistently absent and school attempts to address this through Early Help processes have not resulted in improvement, the school should notify the Early Intervention Service so the circumstances can be discussed, and appropriate investigation or intervention considered.

If a pupil’s attendance drops below 90 percent, the attendance officer will be informed, and a formal meeting will be arranged with the pupil’s parent. Where a pupil has not returned to school for 10 days after an authorised absence, or is absent from school without authorisation for 20 consecutive school days, the school will remove the pupil from the admissions register if the school and the LA have failed to establish the  whereabouts of the pupil after making reasonable enquiries.

Attendance 2023-2024

Attendance for the academic year 2023-2024 was 95%.

Attendance 2022-2023

Attendance for the academic year 2022-2023 was 95%.

Attendance 2021-2022

Attendance for the academic year 2021- 2022 was 94%.

We value and recognise the importance of good attendance and have systems and processes in place to make sure attendance in managed effectively for all children. We regularly analyse attendance data to identify pupils who have consistently high attendance, those who have shown improvements in their attendance and to identify pupils who may be vulnerable. We will provide support for those who may have lower rates of attendance and again I ask that you work with school if you have any issues with your child being able to attend school regularly. We are always here to support.

School attendance is a vital foundation for children’s success. It is more than just being present—it is about creating opportunities for academic achievement, personal growth, and a brighter future. Each day in school matters and can have a lasting impact. Visit The Importance of Attendance page to learn more about attendance across our Trust.