At St Mary’s we want every child to aspire, be nurtured, and flourish - shining their light every day. That can only happen when children are in school, on time, every day.

Recently, we have seen an increase in requests for term-time holidays, which is unacceptable. Children are in school for just 190 days each year, leaving 170 other days available for family holidays. While I fully appreciate that travel is more expensive outside term time, it remains a parent’s legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school. 

When a child takes time out of school, it not only affects their own progress but also impacts the rest of the class. Missed learning has to be caught up, which places additional pressure on teachers and can divert attention away from other children’s learning experiences. In short: absence harms everyone’s education.

The Department for Education’s 2024 attendance guidance makes attendance and punctuality a national priority. Schools must have clear rules, and parents must ensure children attend regularly and arrive on time. From November 2025, the new Ofsted Inspection Framework will include Attendance & Behaviour as a separate graded judgement. Our school’s inspection outcome will be directly influenced by how well our children attend school and how punctual they are.

What you need to know:

📌 Holidays during term time will not be authorised.

📌 Unauthorised absences can lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice (fine) issued by the Local Authority. These can only be issued twice — on the third occasion, parents will automatically receive a court summons.

📌 Just two weeks off school drops attendance below 90% – this is classed as persistent absence.

📌 Being late counts too. Our school day begins at 8:45am (soft start from 8:35). Arriving late means lost learning time and disrupted routines.

Why this matters:

• Every missed day or late arrival means gaps in reading, writing, maths and more.

• Children lose valuable friendships, social opportunities and daily routines that help them feel secure.

• Attendance and punctuality are not only about individual progress — they directly affect our school’s Ofsted outcome. From November 2025, Attendance & Behaviour will be a separate graded judgement under the new Ofsted framework.

Please support us by:

✅ Booking holidays only in official school breaks.

✅ Ensuring your child arrives by 8:45am at the latest every morning, ready to shine.

Every school day counts. Every minute counts.